State of Origin hopeful Ryan James isn’t upset with missing out on a starting spot for Gold Coast in their NRL match against the Warriors.
James is a possible selection bolter for NSW in this year’s Origin series following his impressive displays off the bench for the Titans.
An injury to starting lock Ashley Harrison opened up a spot in the Titans pack for Sunday’s trip to Auckland as co-captain Nate Myles was moved into Harrison’s spot from the front-row.
But coach John Cartwright opted to retain James in an impact role with veteran Luke Bailey given the starting nod.
James was also used off the bench by Blues coach Laurie Daley for NSW Country last month in his representative debut and it appears he’s not itching for a starting spot just yet.
“I’ll just do whatever the team needs me to do at the moment,” he said.
“If it’s play off the bench, it’s play off the bench. If it’s start the game, I’ll be happy to start the game.”
Harrison’s injury means he joins fellow forwards including Matt White and Ben Ridge on the sidelines for the Titans.
But James is confident his teammates will still have the numbers to overcome a physical and experienced Warriors pack.
“We’ve got a big pack as well – we’ve just got to outlast their hits,” he said.
“They’re big, strong boys, all international players, so it’ll be a good test for us to see how we’re going in the middle.
“Obviously with a few out, that’s a little bit harder but we’ve got the players and depth to back that up.”