Srama eager for battle of nines
iSelect Gold Coast Titans hooker Matt Srama is looking forward to the battle of the Number 9s when he comes up against dynamic Penrith hookers Kevin Kingston and James Segeyaro at Centrebet Stadium on Sunday.
Srama rates the Penrith hooking duo as two of the best in the business, with Sunday?s clash to provide a stern test for he and in-form Titans hooking partner Beau Falloon.
?I follow most of the hookers and they?re probably two of the best in James (Segeyaro) and Kevin Kingston,?? said Srama.
?They?re really high class players and I?ve got a lot of respect for them so hopefully Beau and I can get the wood on them and play to our potential.
?Penrith are going strongly this year. They came back really well against the Rabbitohs ? they?ve got a lot of attacking strike and have a lot of size in the middle so we?re going to have to be on our A game and prepare really well.??
Srama and Falloon have enjoyed a strong start to the year themselves, with the duo providing an effective one-two punch over the 80 minutes during the opening three rounds of 2013.
Srama said he was also enjoying working closely with the club?s new halves pairing of Albert Kelly and Aidan Sezer, with those results on display in consecutive wins over Canberra and Manly.
?It?s been really good. I?m enjoying playing alongside Aidan and Albert, they?ve come a long way and they?re only still 21 and 22 years of age so there?s a lot of enthusiasm with their youth so it?s a really good balance across our team,?? he said.
The Titans have enjoyed the luxury of fielding the same 17-man squad for their opening three clashes but have had to make some adjustments ahead of the Penrith clash, with both Ashley Harrison (concussion) and Brad Takairangi (hamstring) ruled out through injury.
However, Srama said the Titans? depth was strong enough to counter for their absence with experienced pair Luke O?Dwyer and Steve Michaels promoted to the 17-man squad.
?That?s probably the best thing about our squad this year, the depth we?ve got,?? he said.
?If someone gets injured we know we?ve got a high class player coming into the squad. It?s a great headache for Cartwright to have.??
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