Siale Faeamani will return to first grade for Gold Coast against South Sydney on Saturday, with Jojo Fifita ruled out through a hip pointer injury. Faeamani will start in the centres at Cbus Super Stadium in his first NRL appearance since Round 9.
The call-up gives the Titans an outside-back change for their home meeting with South Sydney. Faeamani’s promotion is Gold Coast’s only team change, while Matt Feagai has been elevated to the extended bench following Fifita’s withdrawal.
Siale Faeamani returns in the centres
Faeamani is back with the top side after more than three months away. He will line up in the centres against South Sydney, returning to the NRL after his last appearance in Round 9.
It is another opportunity for a player who made an early impact in his first NRL campaign. He debuted against the Sharks in Round 1 and played eight games for the Titans before his season was interrupted.
The injury and route back to the Titans
Faeamani suffered an MCL injury — damage to the medial collateral ligament on the inside of the knee — against the Raiders. That setback brought his season to a halt.
He then worked his way back through the Tweed Seagulls before earning this recall to Gold Coast’s first-grade side. The return puts him straight into the centres for a significant home fixture.
Faeamani’s Titans numbers before the setback
Across his eight Titans appearances, Faeamani scored four tries and supplied one try assist. Those contributions came after his Round 1 debut against the Sharks and before the injury against the Raiders.
For Gold Coast, the immediate picture is simple: Faeamani returns to the starting side, Fifita is unavailable, and Feagai joins the extended bench. Saturday offers Faeamani his first NRL outing since Round 9 and a chance to resume where his opening run of appearances stopped.
