In a bid to feature in next month’s World Club Challenge against Super League heavyweights St Helens, eight Panthers players have reportedly returned to pre-season training a week early.

Nathan Cleary, Liam Martin, Isaah Yeo, Jarome Luai, Stephen Crichton, Brian To’o, Spencer Leniu and Izack Tago — who all were a part of the World Cup final — have all made the big sacrifice to ensure they can take part in the clash, according to a Sydney Morning Herald report.

Health and safety requirements set out by the CBA mean players are unable to take part in a match unless they have had six weeks of training prior to kick-off.

The group wasn’t due back at Panthers training until January 16 after spending time abroad for the World Cup which saw their annual leave begin on November 21.

The World Club Challenge will take place at BlueBet Stadium on February 18 and Panthers chief executive Matt Cameron explained the club would love to see them take the field.

“The Panthers had a number of players represent their home nations at the most recent Rugby League World Cup with eight of our squad playing in the final,” Cameron told the Herald.

“As a result, their mandated and well-deserved leave entitlement were pushed back into January. That being said, those players have now forgone part of their leave entitlements and have re-joined the main squad to be eligible for selection on the 18th of February.

“Although they are back at training, the club still has a responsibility to ensure they are match ready in time for the World Club Challenge and will be doing everything possible to get our best team possible on the park.

“It speaks volumes for the culture of this team and the character of the individuals.

“They didn’t have to come back to training, but once again - as they have done throughout their careers - they’ve put the club and the team first.

“The hunger for success is what drives this team and it’s a credit to Ivan (Cleary) and the coaching staff for helping instil that mentality.”

TITANS’ NEW-LOOK LEADERSHIP GROUP

Titans coach Justin Holbrook has confirmed Tino Fa’asuamaleaui will remain the club’s sole captain despite the arrival of veteran halfback Kieran Foran.

The 22-year-old made his NRL captaincy debut last season and wore his heart on his sleeve, and Holbrook is hoping a core of experienced players can assist the gun forward going into the 2023 season.

Holbrook’s leadership group will include Fa’asuamaleaui alongside Foran, AJ Brimson, Isaac Liu and Roosters recruit Sam Verrills who is set to become an integral member of the Gold Coast spine.

“It’s definitely going to be Tino on his own,” Holbrook said on SEN’s Sportsday.

“When we won three out of our last four, he really stepped up and we’ve got Isaac Liu there as well, so there’s probably four or five guys under Tino that will help him which is the way we want it, but I’m sticking with Tino to lead the charge.”

“The great thing for Tino, and I’ve spoken to him about this and he agrees, is having Kieran and Sam there and the experience they’ve got, he can just lead with his actions and not have to worry about as much as he took on last year.

“I think he’ll really benefit from the experience around him and I think his game is going to keep improving.

“He’s only 22, so he’ll be exceptional for us this year and it’s great to have him back training with us again.”

The Titans are desperate to bounce back from a disaster campaign in 2022 after coming only one pass away from bursting into the second weeks of finals football a year earlier.

However, Holbrook has a plan for his side to improve and it starts with a more “challenging” pre-season schedule.

‘We’ve changed things in terms of doing more and working harder and things like that. We all knew that mentally we weren’t terrific and we had some games we fell away in and that was pretty obvious,” Holbrook said.

“We’ve put together a training program that’s challenging a lot more, and the players are okay with that. That’s the best thing... they’ve got buy-in on that.

“No one was happy with how we went last year and we sort of got all that fixed towards the back in the last year.

“They understand that what we did last year wasn’t good enough, so we’re covering everything and it’s been enjoyable to watch.”