The Indigenous All Stars jersey has always meant a lot to Nathan Peats but it seems it will hold extra significance for the off-contract Gold Coast hooker this weekend as he fights for his NRL future.
Peats, 29, has revealed he hopes to use Saturday's All Stars clash with the Maori on the Gold Coast as a launch pad to secure his Titans future under new coach Justin Holbrook.
"I have been off contract before and I know how to deliver when the pressure is on," said Peats, who first donned the Indigenous jersey in 2012.
"So I am expecting to do that (deliver). I will play this game and take it from here.
"It's a big game whether I have a four year contract in front of me or not.
"(But) it (being off contract) probably adds extra motivation to play well. I am taking this seriously but with a bit more motivation to play well."
A pectoral injury that sidelined him for 10 weeks last year ensured Peats fell behind Mitch Rein in the pecking order as Gold Coast rake ahead of the 2020 season.
But the straight talking hooker reckoned he had failed to live up to his own high expectations since earning three NSW caps in the 2017 State of Origin series.
"I probably haven't lived up to expectations the last two years on an individual front since I played Origin," he said.
"And the last two years at the Titans we haven't really gone well.
"I have been around long enough to know when I am not playing good footy and we haven't done that as a club so I am not looking too far ahead."
While Peats may be a hard marker on his own efforts, he was glowing in praise of Holbrook.
"He has gone fantastic. He is a modern coach and regardless of what happens going forward I believe he is the man for the job for the Titans," he said.
Australian Associated Press
