Smith preparing to tackle Titans' star duo - Knights feel Prince, and Bailey will play
BY BRETT KEEBLE
10/08/2008
CALL it paranoia, or just covering all contingencies, but Newcastle coach Brian Smith has planned for Gold Coast co-captains Scott Prince and Luke Bailey to play against the Knights at Skilled Park tonight.
Prince (arm) and Bailey (foot) are supposedly nursing season-ending injuries, but Smith's intelligence network has presented him with reliable information that both will return tonight as the desperate Titans try to keep their second season alive.
Gold Coast have lost three in a row and six of their past seven but are on 22 points, the same as Newcastle, and Smith is certain Titans coach John Cartwright will play his trump cards if they are available.
Smith had similar information about Parramatta's Feleti Mateo coming back early from a knee injury last Monday, despite Eels coach Michael Hagan's comments to the contrary in the lead-up, and Mateo's presence proved Smith's reconnaissance was spot-on.
Prince is scheduled for a 12.45pm X-ray today on his left forearm, which he broke in Origin III six weeks ago, and Smith believed Bailey was well ahead of schedule in his recovery from ankle surgery seven weeks ago.
Smith said their return would mean the Titans would be close to full strength against a Newcastle side who, despite comprehensive back-to-back wins over Souths and Parramatta, were still missing NRL regulars Ben Cross, Wes Naiqama, Jesse Royal and Chris Bailey.
"If Luke Bailey and Scott Prince both play, and that's what we're expecting is going to happen, then we're the ones without half a dozen players and they're missing virtually no one," Smith said last night.
"Bailey has been training regularly in the last couple of weeks. I don't know whether they're going to play him or not, but they've been trying to get him ready for it, and if Prince is cleared then he should be there somewhere as well."
Even if Bailey and Prince do not play, the Titans will be boosted by the return of influential forwards Mark Minichiello (ankle) and Nathan Friend (shoulder). Both have been sidelined with injuries for several weeks but were given a final all-clear at training yesterday.
Winger Aku Uate and prop Dan Tolar trained with the Knights yesterday morning before the team flew to the Gold Coast, but they have had disrupted preparations and Smith will decide today whether they play.
Uate flew home to Fiji last week to attend his grandmother's funeral and only returned on Saturday, and Tolar has been hampered by a neck injury. Cooper Vuna and Danny Wicks, who travelled in a 20-man squad, are on stand-by.
"Aku scrubbed up OK at training today, so we'll make a decision on that tomorrow," Smith said last night.
"Dan Tolar was able to train today with no worries but we still want to see how his neck reacts to that."
Smith said dynamic fullback Kurt Gidley, who returned to training on Saturday after four days off to rest a corked thigh and general wear and tear, was a certain starter.
[PI9016] Central Newcastle's NSW Cup finals hopes were all but extinguished when they suffered a 38-18 loss to leaders Wentworthville at Ringrose Park yesterday.
The Knights (10 points) are 10th in the 12-team NSW Cup, four points behind eighth-placed Auckland Vulcans (14) with four rounds remaining.
