Could AJ Brimson be Queensland's cure for Ryan Papenhuyzen?
The phenomenal young fullback donning the number one jumper on the Gold Coast has been in scintillating form since his return from injury. Plenty of talent and a ton of enthusiasm will drive this young gun very far in this league.
AJ’s on his way to stardom with his tenacious defensive hunger and his appetite for the ball on attack. Constantly threatening on the outside on sweep plays, his direct running and pure pace putting the opposition centre under a lot of pressure to make the correct defensive play.
He’s been an absolute bundle of excitement since debuting on the Coast and his hunger and pride for the jersey continues to shine weekly.
Three tries and two try assists from five games is great for a young player, especially when returning from injury. He continues to show when he gets the ball how much of a danger he can be.
Brimson has made 63 runs this year totaling 673 metres with ten-line breaks and twenty tackle breaks of which half have had fans leaping out of our chairs in pure excitement. A bolt of energy, AJ will hit the ball with reckless intent which makes him a real fan favourite amongst league-wide supporters and myself in particular.
Defensively he has improved a lot at marshaling the troops from the back which can be attributed to working heavily alongside Michael ‘Flash’ Gordon over the last couple years.
33 Tackles with only three missed so far this season is something other Titans teammates should be taking notice of, the effort shown against Aaron Woods and the Sharks last month was incredible.
Right under the posts, Woods crashes over only to be denied by the smallest player on the park in an incredible effort of which I’m sure the coach was plenty pleased with. This is one of many try-saving tackles he's made since coming to the top grade, it seems his hunger and competitiveness wont allow him to take plays off.
The options for the Maroons bench seem to grow thinner and thinner. Why not add a youngster who has competed on these stages coming through the grades at a very high level.
Brimson is someone who is amongst the hardest workers on the field at club level. A player with a knack for producing brilliance from nowhere and has proven that he doesn't shy away on the big stage.
With the Blues ushering in a new era under Brad Fittler, maybe Kevy should start to blood some younger talent himself.
The modern-day bench now carries a No.14 who is a utility player capable of filing multiple positions in case of injury or to try and break the forwards in the middle open. Brimson is the kind of energetic bunny that would be perfect for this position.
His ball carrying intensity would give him the nod over Michael Morgan and Moses Mybe in my opinion even though they’ve been there and done it. I don’t think either of them offers as much to the occasion as someone like Brimson could.
He’s faster than both, a better tackler than both and shows more intent with the ball in hand. He’s someone who would have Blues fans biting their nails down the stretch if he was on the pitch with the likes of Munster and Ponga to run off the shoulder of.
His tenacity alone would make him a welcomed member of the team.
I’ve heard Walters compliment him numerous times from commentary so he’s definitely on the radar of the Origin coach.
Brimson’s been incredible since returning from injury. He’s been the real spark plug the Titans have needed to start pressuring other sides from multiple spots on the field.
His energy and enthusiasm have gone a long way under new coach Justin Holbrook, who’s since gone on to say that Brimson is ’The best player in our team'.
We might not see him hit the Origin arena this year but without a doubt, this man will be selected to play for his state at some point in the near future if his career arc continues on this trajectory.