According to Mat Rogers, he may very well be, with the retired half throwing his support behind the rookie, as the five-eighth spot at the Titans remains wide open.

With Rogers retiring at the end of the 2010 season, Titans coach John Cartwright is assessing his options as to who will partner Scott Prince in the halves, yet no-one at this stage is a sure thing.

“I’d love to see Jordan get a shot at it,” Rogers said. “He’s obviously got some defensive things he needs to work on and he knows that.

“He’s young, so he’s only going to get stronger and better. He really wants it and that’s half the battle.”

Rankin, who made his debut for the Titans in 2008, was the third youngest player to do so in a rich 102 year history for the NRL.

Rankin is not the only one vying for the spot, with new recruit and former Bunny Luke Capewell also an option, as well as former NRL half Richie Williams who impressed the Titans after his stint with the Burleigh Bears.

If push comes to shove, and neither of the three stake their claims, then both Greg Bird and Preston Campbell are more than capable of playing five-eighth.

“I know Birdy would like to play five-eighth and Presto is so courageous that the hardest thing for him, if he was to play a full season there, is he would smash himself,” Rogers said.

“He could play there and hide [in defence], but he wouldn’t do that.

“It will be interesting to see how Carty uses Presto next year because he is an integral part of the side.”

By ricky

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