Gold Coast’s lunatic hipster Keegan Hipgrave

AS it stands right now, Keegan Hipgrave has been suspended in every NRL game in which he has played.

Watch him at training and you understand why.

The Titans tearaway will double his career NRL starts on Saturday when he lines up for the Titans against the Warriors, coming into the 17 following the withdrawal of halfback Ash Taylor with a hamstring injury.

A well-spoken young man off the field with the hipster mo to match, Hipgrave’s transformation into on-field aggressor has been likened to that of former Gold Coast captain Greg Bird.

There’s not a contest he is not determined to win and the more physical, the better.

As soon as the energy levels go up a couple of notches in the post-Christmas part of pre-season training Hipgrave’s intensity rises even higher, those who know him best tipping up the new boys on what to expect.

The way he flies out of the line to pressure those he will stand alongside come the weekend shows no sense of self preservation and certainly little regard for the welfare of others.

Given the way the Raiders ripped through the middle third of the field in Round 1 it’s an addition that comes with plenty of positives for coach Garth Brennan but the 21-year-old has been warned not to step too far over the line.

A one-game suspension for a shoulder charge against the Roosters in his NRL debut in Round 26 last season made him unavailable for selection to start 2018 and former Broncos under-20s teammate Jai Arrow knows how eager he will be to make a mark against the Warriors.

“That’s just how he is,” Arrow explained. “If you’re not running harder than him…he’s going in to hopefully kill you.

“He’s a bit excited coming into the NRL.

“I was the same, 100-mile-an-hour and gassed out in two minutes.

“That will come with experience.

“He’s just learning, as I am.

“I’m sure he will work it out and end up playing some good footy in years to come.”

Veteran forward Will Matthews only got his first taste of Hipgrave’s aggressive streak after joining the Titans in December and said his approach to the game is something that simply can’t be coached.

“He’s like a bull at a gate. There’s no first or second gear, it’s all flat out which is what you want in a player,” Matthews explained.

“That’s something that you can’t really coach.

“That’s just natural instinct and his competitiveness and that’s exactly what you want in a footy player.”

The role of an enforcer in the modern game is one of the most difficult ones to tread.

Those intimidating presences in the centre of the field so beloved by their teammates can often find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

It’s an aspect to Hipgrave’s game that will develop in time but Matthews is adamant that his competitiveness is what makes the young prop such an exciting proposition for the future.

“You don’t want to coach it out of him too much,” Matthews warned.

“There are times in the game where you can’t be too aggressive.

“You’ve got to see what’s coming at you and defend a bit smarter but there are definitely times when it’s good to be aggressive.

“He’s just got to get that balance right and he’ll definitely be a great player of the future.”

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