ORANGE’S Daniel Mortimer is out to cement his position in the halves after a successful debut for the Gold Coast Titans on Sunday.
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Mortimer joined the Titans last week, after gaining an immediate release from the Sydney Roosters, and only had two training sessions with his new team prior to the match.
“It wasn’t the most ideal preparation for a match, however the structure of the team was similar to the Roosters, which made it a little easier,” Mortimer said.
The Titans have a bye before their next game against the South Sydney Rabbitohs on July 7.
Mortimer says he will use this time to improve in a few areas as well as understand the team and their dynamics better.
“I have a chance to make improvement with the combinations within the team. After a few more training sessions I should feel a lot more comfortable,” Mortimer said.
The Titans signed Mortimer on a two-and-a-half year deal to come into the halves after losing Albert Kelly and Aidan Sezer to injury.
The move gives Mortimer a chance to play in his preferred position after spending the last two seasons as a utility player for the Sydney Roosters.
“It is a great opportunity for me to showcase my ability,” Mortimer said.
“Their halves will return from injury and they are great players, so the next few weeks will be vital for me to perform at my best.”
The Titans lost their first match with Mortimer in the halves to the St George Illawarra dragons by only one point, 19-18.
Mortimer expressed his disappointment at losing the match, especially because the Titans created good opportunities but dropped the ball at key moments, which led to their downfall.
“We only completed about 60 per cent of our sets, that isn’t good enough for a team to win,” he said.
However, the kicking game of Mortimer was a positive for the Titans and he controlled the structure of the team well, which earned him plenty of praise from the game’s commentators.
