Gold Coast forward Ashley Harrison says he is fresh and ready to rip in against local rivals Brisbane after spending a frustrating week on the sidelines.
The Queensland State of Origin representative sat out the Titans’ 28-10 NRL victory over Penrith last Sunday on doctor’s orders after suffering a concussion in the prior fixture against Manly.
The 31-year-old was named on Tuesday in an extended 19-man squad to play the Broncos at Skilled Park on Friday and will go into the derby with plenty of pent up frustration.
“I was pretty clear in the head but the doctor was adamant on the Sunday that I wasn’t going to play just from the severity of the head-knock, the whiplash and the head hitting the ground as well,” Harrison told reporters.
“I just had to take the doc’s word.”
The doctor’s decision does at least give the lock a chance to come into the Broncos clash fresh, with most of his teammates having to nurse themselves through a short turnaround after the Panthers win.
“Their focus at the moment is recovery and getting right for the game whereas I’m pretty fresh, ready to go,” he said.
“A couple more days to get through at training but really looking forward to the challenge on Friday.”
Harrison was joined in the Titans’ team by centre Brad Takairangi, who missed the Panthers clash with a hamstring injury.
Takairangi says he’s fine to play against the Broncos but coach John Cartwright has taken the cautious step of naming utility Luke O’Dwyer and centre Steve Michaels in a six-man bench if either player is ruled out.
Friday’s match will be Takairangi’s first taste of a south-east Queensland derby after his move from the Sydney Roosters in the off-season and he’s relishing the prospect of lining up against Justin Hodges, after the representative centre was named by the Broncos on Tuesday.
“He’s probably the best centre going around along with Jamie Lyon,” Takairangi said.
“He’s probably their best attacker so hopefully I can do a job on him defensively.”
Titans: William Zillman, Kevin Gordon, Brad Takairangi, Jamal Idris, David Mead, Aidan Sezer, Albert Kelly, Luke Douglas, Matt Srama, Nate Myles, Greg Bird, Ben Ridge, Ashley Harrison. Interchange: David Taylor, Luke Bailey, Ryan James, Beau Falloon, Luke O’Dwyer, Steve Michaels (two to be omitted).
