Season-ending injuries are always a chance of happening. This chance doesn't decrease when players are merely on the training paddock and Kane Elgey suffered a bitter blow, the sort of blow that many athletes take on the chin after weeks or months of hard work. All that work, effort and excitement for the upcoming season goes down the drain when you, like Elgey fall victim to a serious knee injury in January.

Life on the Gold Coast wasn't going to be pretty in 2016 for Titans players, staff and their fans. One narrative I have pushed since the end of the 2015 season was how the Titans are slowly, but surely rebuilding their roster, a concept that not many NRL folk understand as most NRL fans/pundits want success right now. The Titans appeared to be building a long term plan, moving on from a 2015 that saw them dealt blow after blow, from backflips to the CoCo.

Kane Elgey was a ray of hope, a young half with obvious potential. He's the sort of half that comes around every few years and that has the ability to lead an NRL team for a decade. Before this injury, I wasn't excited about the Titans' prospects this season but I was excited about seeing their youngsters, led by Elgey and including guys like Ryan James, Agnatius Paasi, Ash Taylor, Nene MacDonald, Nathaniel Peteru and Kierran Moseley enjoy more opportunities in the NRL.

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I had the Titans competing for the wooden spoon, which is understandable given their roster compared to others in the NRL. Elgey was going to be the headline act for the Titans and a key reason why I'd make sure I'd watch a team that I consider to be the lamest team in the league.

Elgey is now gone, so what now for the Titans?

Firstly, what now for me and the Titans? There's still that large pack of youngsters who will keep me interested and that pack includes Paasi and Peteru, two lads with kiwi links. Paasi enjoyed a breakout season in 2015, playing consistent footy and doing a nice job in the middle of the field while Peteru was largely a non-factor. Watching them grow however is where most of my Titans interest is centred on.

Elgey's absence now leaves a large hole in the halves for the Titans, which funnily enough could be easily filled. Before Elgey's injury, the Titans had three main (important, see below) halves competing for two starting spots with Elgey joined by highly touted Broncos junior Ash Taylor and former Knight Tyrone Roberts. The Titans had effectively replaced Aidan Sezer with Roberts and Taylor, not ideal but far from the worst option.

If I were Titans coach Neil Henry, I would be giving the two halves spots to Roberts and Taylor as this follows my idea of the rebuild. Taylor is very young and needs time in the NRL to get acquainted with the speed, tactics etc and what better time than now, with a full season ahead of him to enjoy consistent game time.

Roberts is an NRL half, he's done a job with the Knights for a few years now and is now presented with an opportunity to lead an NRL team. Sink or swim for Roberts.

Greg Bird has been discussed as a half option and Josh Hoffman has spent time in the No.6 jersey throughout his career so they are also options. However, I see these two as examples of the Titans' struggles as they are hole-fillers in the halves who have been called upon to do a job there thanks to injury or suspension, of which the Titans have suffered plenty.

The chances of the Titans winning the NRL with either Bird or Hoffman in the halves for the majority of the season sits around 5%.

Making the top eight with Bird or Hoffman in the halves? I'd say 15%

Bird will be far more useful on the edge and the Titans could play with Bird on one edge and Ryan James/Chris McQueen (more likely McQueen) on the other. Two physical, aggressive and skillful lads roaming around the edge will give the Titans to run their opponents around Bird can display his skills in a Wade Graham sort of role where he kicks and is often the focal point of attacking moves as an edge forward.

Hoffman is as versatile as any other NRL player and is yet to truly settle into any position with the Titans. Hoffman, David Mead and William Zillman can cover fullback, wing and centre and I see their experience in these positions as crucial to playing with young halves.

As I said, I've got the Titans enduring a very slow season finishing right at the bottom of the ladder, at least somewhere near the bottom. So what is there to lose? Bird and Hoffman aren't career halves, they have filled gaps in recent years for the Titans, yet the Titans haven't been very good recently either.

Give the reins to Roberts and Taylor. Let them figure this NRL thing out and continue to take small steps forward, if you can see the vision that is.