For a man whose job description reads: 'Hit the other guy harder than he hits you for 80 minutes at a time', Matt Scott's transition back onto the footy field after six should come smoothly on Saturday night if Ashton Sims and Co have anything to do with it.
The representative prop will have his work cut out against the likes of Maroons colleague Mate Myles and his brigade of straight running, no nonsense props Luke Douglas, Matthew White and Mark Ioane, but coach Paul Green has joined the chorus of Scott's fellow Cowboys in wanting to lighten the expectation on their star forward.
"Depending how the game goes at different times he may be feeling the pinch a little bit being first up after a spell, but he's played a lot of footy at a high level so he will know what's required," Green said at a press conference earlier this week.
An early spell certainly won't need a second invitation for the likes of Ashton Sims, who has carried the load for his young pack of late by logging big minutes and maintaining a vocal presence.
"(Ashton) has always had it in him. He's been around for a long time, he's played over 200 games or something like that and he's definitely lifted. The last couple of weeks he took that leadership role on himself," Scott said.
"The guys I've been impressed with have been the guys like Sam Hoare and Johnny Asiata, they've come in very inexperienced and they've been doing a great job for us and I think that has been the difference over the last couple of weeks.
"I think they have (fed off Ashton). I think it has just been a big lift from the whole team, but it's been those guys (in jersey numbers) 14 to 17 who have really stepped up for us."
If the Cowboys want to lighten the load on Scott, the polar opposite can be said for Titans enforcer Greg Bird.
The Gold Coast hardman who inflicted the damage to Scott's right cheek in an Origin Two smash-fest will touch down in Townsville Friday with a guaranteed 'no holds barred' outlook, as every game is now a must-win for the struggling club.
And with that in mind, Scott admits he hopes for few encounters with the man wearing the Titans' No.13.
"Birdy, that's the style of footy he plays. Hopefully I won't run into him too often out there on the edge, but he's a tough competitor.
"They will obviously test me. They are really good through the middle of the ruck, that's how they play so I'm fairly certain I will have a fair bit of work to do.
"I will be lacking some match fitness. I've had to have a couple of weeks of doing absolutely nothing but since then I've been able to get in and do all sorts of training and that's one good thing about being a face injury, I've been able to run and do weights and everything like that. It will be a (matter of) wait and see."
While Scott says while he will relish the chance to be back on the big stage, he would also love nothing more than some help from his three backup props, who combined for 290 metres off the bench against a massive Bulldogs pack last week.
"Our pack has been going really well lately, especially over the last couple of weeks so I have a lot of help there."
