Titans waiting on Myles’ fitness

Gold Coast have named Nate Myles for Saturday’s NRL clash with the Warriors in Auckland despite the Titans skipper still battling a long-running calf injury.

The Queensland and Australia representative was a late withdrawal from last weekend’s win over Penrith after failing to shake off the cork to his left calf in time.

Myles’s absence didn’t cost the Titans as they romped to a 32-6 win over the injury-hit Panthers and Titans coach Neil Henry believes the 29-year-old will be fit for the ANZAC Day match in Auckland.

“He should be, he was still doing some alternative training this morning but he’s feeling a lot better with his calf,” Henry said.

“It was pressing on the nerve which was impacting on him being able to run properly last week.

“We expect him to take the field this week.”

The Titans will take an 18-man squad over to Auckland with a final call on Myles to be made following a training session in New Zealand on Friday.

Myles’s State of Origin teammate Dave Taylor won’t be making the trip across the Tasman after he took the early guilty plea on a grade one careless high tackle charge and a subsequent one-match suspension.

Eddy Pettybourne will come straight back into the line-up after he missed the Panthers win due to a suspension of his own.

Ryan Simpkins’ potentially season-ending knee injury and a foot problem to Agnatius Paasi has also opened the door for former Warriors Matt Robinson and Mark Ioane to make the trip back to Mt Smart.

Ioane, who received over a dozen stitches to a head wound during last weekend’s Queensland Cup round, and Robinson were both members of the Warriors’ grand final winning under-20s squad alongside Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson in 2010.

Lachlan Burr has been named in Taylor’s starting back-row position with Ioane, Pettybourne and Robinson joining Matt White and Kierran Moseley on a five-man interchange bench.

Half Daniel Mortimer continues to be sidelined with a wrist injury, with Henry saying with rookie Kane Elgey continuing to play well there’s no need to rush the former Parramatta and Sydney Rooster back into action.

“It was quite a serious wrist injury and he went through a bit of contact this morning and it’s just sore,” Henry said.

“At a pinch if we had to use him in first grade (we would) but with Kane Elgey and Aidan Sezer available there was no real need to rush him back this week.”

Titans: Josh Hoffman, Anthony Don, James Roberts, William Zillman, David Mead, Aidan Sezer, Kane Elgey, Luke Douglas, Beau Falloon, Nate Myles (capt), Ryan James, Lachlan Burr, Greg Bird. Interchange (one to be omitted): Matt White, Eddy Pettybourne, Matt Robinson, Kierran Moseley, Mark Ioane.

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