The Gold Coast Titans would have been hoping to have built on a largely disappointing season in the NRL last season this year, but things aren’t quite going the way that they would have imagined they could have thus far.
Having finished the 2023 season 14th with nine wins and 15 losses, the 2024 season hasn’t been much better.
With the domestic campaign approaching its conclusion, the club are 15th and have won just 6 of their 17 games, losing the other 11.
If there has been a bright spark for the team over the last two seasons, it would have to be the arrival of Alofiana Khan-Pereira.
Alofiana Khan-Pereira’s influence on the Titans
Having joined in 2023, Khan-Pereira has arguably been the Titans’ most important player, and their best by far. He finished his debut season with the team as the leading try scorer for the year, having obtained 18. He looks set to do the same once again this season, leading the entire NRL with his contributions.
The winger has managed to score 17 so far this season, and with seven games to go, it wouldn’t be a huge shock if he were to surpass his debut season’s total. His overall totals make for incredible reading, too, as he has managed a ratio of 1:1 when it comes to total tries and games, at 37 apiece.
As mentioned, he currently leads the entire NRL for tries this season, with the Brisbane Bronco’s Deine Mariner just behind him on 16 after scoring a double against the Newcastle Knights. Given their form throughout the season, they have been made the favorites to win the Ken Irvine Medal, especially with bettors who are beginning to get involved in rugby betting opportunities across a range of different markets.
What is the Ken Irvine Medal?
The Ken Irvine Medal is among one of the newest awards to have been made available in the NRL, recognizing the talent of an individual in a personal way. This award has been created to reward the player who scores the most tries and has been in place since 2018.
Ken Irvine was a try-scoring machine during his NRL days, having managed to score 171 tries in the 176 Premiership games he played for the North Sydney Bears. Regarded as one of Australia’s greatest-ever wingers, he was highly effective for the Manly-Warringah, as he scored 41 tries in 60 league games, while scoring a further 33 tries for Australia in 31 Test matches for his country.
To put his achievements in context, he is the only player to have ever scored more than 200 tries in Australian rugby, having reached 212 throughout his career. The closest anyone has ever come is Alex Johnston, although he could surpass that if he can continue to add to the 195 tries he has scored as he continues to play for the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
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Could Khan-Pereira achieve what Irving achieved?
It would be a difficult feat for Khan-Pereira to achieve, but he does appear to have the qualities to be able to mount a serious challenge and break Irving’s record.
As mentioned, the 22-year-old has already had a blistering start to his NRL career with the Titans, and it seems he is going at the pace that is required to try and ultimately break that illustrious record.
Of course, it’s not something that is going to happen for a very long time, and getting the Ken Irving Medal is perhaps the first aim for the youngster. He was a little short in getting the medal last season, after Newcastle Knight’s Dom Young managed to be the leading try scorer with 25.
Khan-Pereira may need a total similar to that amount if he is to be the 2024 recipient of the award. Still, with the way he is currently playing and the stats he is putting up in a poor Gold Coast Titans season, there is every chance that he could end up with several more than that.
Again, with players like Deine Mariner hot on his tail and just behind him in the standings, he might need a couple of games where he manages to get a couple of doubles, just to give himself a little more breathing space.
