Gold Coast Titans halfback Toby Sexton is rallying to reclaim the number seven jersey after being dropped from the first-grade squad at the end of last season.
Titans' coach Justin Holbrook made an audacious move when he let Jamal Fogarty depart the Titans in 2021, handing the halfback reins to Sexton, running with an incredibly young spine.
The moves also featured AJ Brimson's shift to five-eighth.
But after only 3 wins in 19 starts last season, the 21-year-old closed out 2022 playing in the QLD Cup with Tweed Heads, vacating the halfback spot in favour of Tanah Boyd.
Now with Kieran Foran on the books and Boyd entrenched in the halves alongside him, Sexton is on a mission to play his way back into favour.
"I see that as my jersey and I don't want anyone to take it off (me)," Sexton told media following training.
"Right now everything is up for grabs.
"I have got two trial games to put my best foot forward. If I can do that I will give myself the best opportunity to be playing round one."
"I think I've found that love for the game again. I don't think I lost it, more so that we were losing games and mentally that takes its toll.
"I had my own guy (sports psychologist) I saw a couple of times a week ... and he was really good for me.
"The focus was on what stuff I can control. The big thing around that was trusting in what I do. And what I do does work. It might not have worked at times last year but in the future it will and I've just got to keep backing that."
Sexton is a former Queensland junior Origin representative, and while he has failed to kick-on at NRL level, the first games of his career at the back end of 2021 in a firing Titans side will prove exactly what he is capable of.
Sexton will line up at five-eighth alongside Boyd in Sunday's pre-season challenge match against the Brisbane Broncos.