Outside back Patrick Herbert believes the Titans have let down young halfback Toby Sexton following news that the 21-year-old halfback has been rested from the NRL.
Head coach Justin Holbrook has opted to give Sexton a break from the rigours of first-grade football this week, instead handing utility Tanah Boyd the starting seven jersey for their clash against the Melbourne Storm.
After playing a handful of games late last year, Sexton has played in every single match for the Gold Coast so far this year, however, after enduring a nine-game losing streak, something had to give sooner or later.
The off-season decision to release Jamal Fogarty thrust 'Sexy' into the spotlight, teammate Pat Herbert is hoping the time off will do him well.
"He's real young. He's in a real key position and to sort of take a step back and work on his craft and come back even better, I'm sure it'll do him wonders," Herbert told the media on Tuesday.
"We haven't really given them the best sort of platform to work off. We've lost a lot of games and we can't put it on the back of Sex.
"He is in a key position. It doesn't help that we're not performing as best as we can for him."
Staring down the barrel of their second wooden spoon win in just four years, the Wests Tigers victory over the Broncos demoted the Titans from 15th to dead last, Herbert aware of how much it will take for the Gold Coast to beat Melbourne for the first time in five years.
"You have to really step up and nail the detail in these sort of games and these sort of teams, the calibre of players they have - Munster, Harry Grant, all those guys.
"Their engine room's massive so you've got to dig deep, otherwise you just get embarrassed."
The Titans and the Tigers look set to battle it for last place across the final five rounds of the regular season, and there's no doubt Sexton will be eager to get back on the field to help his side avoid the maligned prize.