![Chris Randall. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong Chris Randall. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/max.mckinney/10475e66-8241-4bb0-a371-5aceb651d4e8.jpg/r0_0_5300_3957_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
They're the most inexperienced pair of playmakers the Gold Coast Titans have likely ever named.
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Two players who have never started in the halves at NRL level.
Former Knight Chris Randall at five-eighth, and Sam Verrills at halfback.
They've played 59 and 68 NRL games, respectively, but they're both hookers - neither has ever played 80 minutes of NRL in the halves.
And they have little more than a handful of games experience each as playmakers at reserve-grade level as well.
But the Newcastle Knights are vowing not to underestimate the makeshift duo, nor the Titans more broadly, who have been hit by an injury crisis in recent weeks.
"We just treat it as any other game," Knights winger Enari Tuala said. "We always respect our opponents.
"We can't take them lightly. It's a good competition, so everyone will be putting up a good performance."
Randall and Verrillis have been shifted to the halves after the Titans lost first-choice playmakers Kieran Foran (hamstring) and AJ Brimson (groin) to injuries in Sunday's 22-20 win over North Queensland.
Three other halves options Tannah Boyd (wrist), Tom Weaver (wrist) and Jayden Campbell (knee) are also out injured.
In addition to Foran and Brimson, winger Phil Sami (hamstring) and Harley Smith-Shields (pec) also suffered injuries.
Collectively, the Titans have 740 games worth of NRL experience unavailable this week.
The latest bunch of injured players have joined representative prop and captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (knee), who is out for the season, in the rehab ward.
Newcastle are not without their own injury woes.
Gamble fractured his right foot in the 20-14 win over Wests Tigers in Tamworth on Saturday, and had surgery on Tuesday.
The Knights have also been without skipper Kalyn Ponga for the past three games, but in his absence have strung together three consecutive victories.
The win over the Tigers came after they beat the Warriors (14-8) and Dolphins (18-14).
Knights lock Adam Elliott said it had been a confidence-boosting run of results since losing to Canterbury (36-12) in Sydney in round six.
"Although the scoreline did get close, I felt like we were always in control of the game," he said of their latest victory, a game which they only led 8-6 at half-time.
![Adam Elliott in Tamworth. Picture by Gareth Gardner Adam Elliott in Tamworth. Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/max.mckinney/08231aa1-7396-426e-86f0-c32bff26d856.jpg/r0_0_4023_2789_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Our halves kicked really well for us and we had some really good field-position, which went a long way to us grinding that win out.
"We're in a position now where we're not letting any of those leads go, which is really good for us."
Elliott said while the team had produced some gritty performances, their form was still short of what they displayed late last season during their 10-game winning streak.
But the 153-game forward did not necessarily believe that was a bad thing.
"It's similar as in that confidence around winning, but last year we were probably blowing teams off park with our footy, our skill and the passes were sticking, and it was really exciting," Elliott said, speaking on hit106.9 Newcastle radio.
"I'm hoping that will come in the next month or two, but for now, I'm really happy with the way we're grinding out games.
"We're putting teams in the corner, ramping up defence down that end of the field ... I feel like we've definitely got that groove back again."
Newcastle will also be without prop Daniel Saifiti at Suncorp Stadium, after he copped a one-match ban for a high-contact charge.
The Titans, who have won their past three Magic Round games, were given a boost this week when hulking forward David Fifita re-committed to the club for the next two seasons. He starts in the back-row on Saturday.
The Knights last played at Magic Round in 2022, defeating the Bulldogs 16-6.