Titans flyer losing battle to be fit
Travis Meyn | 12:01am February 25, 2012
Kevin Gordon is struggling to recover from a knee injury. Pic: Kit de Guymer
TITANS crowd favourite Kevin Gordon is losing a gallant battle to be fit for Round 1, with a knee injury set to rule the Gold Coast flyer out of next Saturday's season-opener against North Queensland.
The Titans finished their pre-season campaign this week with a three-day camp at Ballina where it emerged Jordan Rankin would snare the key five-eighth role.
Rankin and Will Zillman have been auditioning for the position and coach John Cartwright is yet to make a final decision, however Rankin is likely to partner captain Scott Prince in the halves after three solid trials.
With the five-eighth dilemma close to being solved, the other starting side selection problem is Gordon, with the speedster to be given until Monday to prove his fitness after copping a knock to his left knee during the Broncos trial a fortnight ago.
It is a crushing blow for the speedster, who underwent a knee reconstruction last year and worked hard in his off-season rehabilitation.
The 21-year-old was initially expected to be fit for the Townsville clash against the Cowboys but swelling around the reconstructed knee is yet to subside.
Gordon has been on a limited training program for the past week and it is expected Titans medical staff will err on the side of caution with the electrifying winger.
Gordon's omission opens the door for battler Steve Michaels to move on to the left wing outside star centre Jamal Idris.
Hooker Matt Srama (shoulder injury) trained strongly at Ballina and is confident of being available for selection when Cartwright names his team on Tuesday.
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