Titans star Carter Gordon shares fresh details on ‘traumatic' injury ahead of return to action
The 24-year-old will play in the halves for Gold Coast 's affiliate club Ipswich in the Queensland Cup clash with Clydesdales in Miles on Saturday afternoon.
Gordon underwent successful surgery in Perth in May under the care of neurosurgeon Dr Arul Bala.
Signed to Gold Coast in mid-2024 on a two-year deal for 2025-26, the ex-Rugby World Cup playmaker is yet to debut in the NRL due to injury.
But he has worked his way back over the past three months, including the last four to six weeks in full contact training.
Gordon's last game was on August 24 last year when allocated to the other Titans feeder club Tweed Heads.
He returns to action after a challenging year and as a new father to six-week-old daughter Ellie with fiancee Abbey.
'It's super-exciting. I had a bit of a crazy year with the injury and having a baby so it's a bit of a full-circle moment,' 24-year-old Gordon told AAP.
'I came into the game fresh and I've had a lot of time to watch rugby league and learn from that so it is very exciting to get on the field and put into action what I've learnt.'
In pre-season, Gordon woke up one morning with a sore back.
Then he would get shooting pain in the head and the back of the neck any time he sat up or stood up.
For two weeks he laid flat on his back, only getting up to go to the toilet. He would eat all of his food lying down.
Gordon started feeling better and it got to the point where he could start doing some training, mainly running and work in the gym.
The realisation hit home however that something else needed to be done.
Dr Bala had the answer.
'I'd spoken to other surgeons and obviously there is a lot of risk involved,' Gordon said.
'That can be scary for both parties but when I saw Dr Bala in person in Perth he was super-confident to get the surgery done. He said, 'it is bread and butter surgery' and he was happy for me to start contact eight weeks after surgery.'
Staying mentally strong was a challenge through the recovery process but Gordon stayed focused on the day-to-day process.
'It's hard to look ahead when you don't really have a set plan. It took so long to get the surgery done and properly diagnose what had happened,' Gordon said.
'By the time we did have a plan it was all about moving forward and looking good to come back and play.
'In the trenches with the injury it was hard to think about anything else because it was quite a traumatic experience. I'm very grateful to be out the other side.'
Gordon played eight Tests for the Wallabies. He has trained at centre and in the halves at the Titans but it is a playmaker that he aims to make his mark in the NRL.
'I am playing six for Ippy (Ipswich) I believe. That's where I see myself long term,' Gordon said.
'I still want to get games in this year for Q Cup and depending how I am going hopefully get an NRL debut.
'My focus right now is getting on the field and doing my best for Ippy.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
7 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Follow him into battle': The Wallabies enforcer inspiring teammates to fight their corner
'As much as we had a really good fan base back home on home soil, we know out here it's going to be heavily a green fan base and we've got to make sure that the 23 blokes in that circle are looking after each other and we can't take a backwards step,' Hooper said from Johannesburg. After initially planning to return to France, Skelton stayed with the Wallabies for his first Rugby Championship games – outside a World Cup year – since 2017. 'Anyone who's picked in the jersey alongside him will follow him into battle, that's for sure,' Hooper said. 'He's an enforcer. That's what he's been doing for a long time now in the beautiful sport of rugby. For want of a better word, he loves being that grub. He loves taking it to teams physically. Making the gentlemen's game a little bit more exciting. We love playing with him. He's just a physical presence.' Hooper was man of the match in the third Lions Test playing blindside flanker but would likely relinquish his position if Rob Valetini is fit and returns to the side. But it's also not out of the question that Schmidt keeps Hooper in the pack and rotates Harry Wilson onto the bench, with the skipper having played every minute in the Lions series. Loading Having debuted in Pretoria in 2023, Hooper played at the World Cup that year but failed to win many Test caps under Schmidt last year. It helped Hooper make the call to sign for Exeter in the English Premiership, but he also won a recall to the Wallabies based on a career-best season for the Brumbies. 'I love the gold jersey and I love playing in it,' Hooper said. 'My decisions to go overseas were definitely to improve myself as a rugby player. I don't have a crystal ball, unfortunately. 'I don't know what's going to happen in my future, but I'll just keep making decisions based on being a good rugby player and hopefully playing in that goal jersey because I absolutely love it.' Springboks roll out alpha move on Wallabies by naming team three days early He doesn't quite know all their names but Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is wary of the Wallabies' threats ahead of the Rugby Championship opener in Johannesburg on Sunday morning. Erasmus talked up the Wallabies' scrum and aerial potency after unveiling a strong team for the Ellis Park showdown, and in an unprecedented sign of confidence, named his side on Monday – three days ahead of the deadline. Most coaches jealously guard their team until forced to name it 48 hours before the Test, to minimise the preparation time for rivals. But in a sizeable flex, Erasmus is not stressed about the Wallabies knowing what's coming. There is no Cheslin Kolbe, as he returns from injury, and no bomb squad on the bench – yet – but that's about the extent of the good news for Australia, with Erasmus rolling out 18 World Cup winners in his 23-man match day squad. Manie Libbok has been named at flyhalf and captain Siya Kolisi at number eight for the first time. Scrumhalf Grant Williams is alongside Libbok, with battering ram Andre Esterhuizen at inside centre and Jesse Kriel in the number 13 jersey, with Damian De Allende unavailable with injury. The back three includes fullback Aphelele Fassi, with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Edwill van der Merwe on the wing. With Jasper Wiese suspended, Kolisi switches to number eight having played much of the recent United Rugby Championship season there for the Sharks, with Marco van Staden and Pieter-Steph du Toit the two flankers. Veterans Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager are the lock pairing, while hooker Malcolm Marx has props Ox Nche and Wilco Louw either side of him. 'We actually changed our mind there,' Erasmus said about Kolisi's move. 'The more we practised we realised that the only position the guy plays at eight is at scrums, which happens maybe 13 or 14 times a game. 'General play is probably what happens most and having guys like Pieter, Marco and Siya on the field we really feel Australia is a threat at the breakdown. They really fight hard at the breakdown, and those guys clean out well at the breakdown, and we feel we are going to need that. 'It's just at scrumming where he is eight. I know I said a couple of weeks ago that Siya is a six and not an eight, but we came to the conclusion that we actually need him there and have Kwagga [Smith] on the bench.' The world champion Springboks are seeking a fifth successive win against the Wallabies. Eramus lauded the Wallabies form in the Lions series, and said there were threats from Australia across the field and said the high altitude conditions in Johannesburg could prove beneficial to the visitors. 'If you go through, [Taniela] Tupou, [Rob] Valetini and [Will] Skelton, and those three loose forwards, are pretty impressive. They scrummed really well in the second half against the Lions as well but I think there will be an aerial battle,' Erasmus said. 'At altitude the ball flies a mile so distance kicking will be a thing. Also they've got great guys in the air; you know [Joseph-Aukuso] Suaalii, the young boy [Max] Jorgensen, the other winger [Dylan Pietsch] is a really fiery winger who is really competitive, the inside centre [Len Ikitau] is really competitive. 'I don't think it's going to be a kicking competition but I think the aerial battle will be a vital one.' The Springboks have earned headlines for rolling on as many as seven forwards from their bench – which is known as the 'Bomb Squad' – but Erasmus opted for a traditional a 5-3 split between forwards and backs. Loading The coach did say he would add another forward if the Wallabies go with a 6-2 split when they name their side on Thursday. 'They [Australia] are a physical and well-coached team, and we'll certainly not underestimate how much those performances [against the British & Irish Lions], combined with their motivation to bounce back strongly against us after the last few results between the teams, and win their first match ever at Ellis Park, will inspire them,' Erasmus said. South Africa team: 15. Aphelele Fassi, 14. Edwill van der Merwe, 13. Jesse Kriel, 12. Andre Esterhuizen, 11. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10. Manie Libbok, 9. Grant Williams, 8. Siya Kolisi, 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6. Marco van Staden, 5. Lood de Jager, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Wilco Louw, 2. Malcolm Marx, 1. Ox Nche
Herald Sun
7 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Ezra Mam and Briton Nikora out, Tino back
The second week of head-to-head finals is here and there's plenty of team news to make-or-break your season. Ezra Mam (hamstring) and Briton Nikora (suspension) are out, while the return of Tino Fa'asuamaleaui is set to shake-up the 2RF and FRF positions. Join Mark Barnes from NRL All Stars and SuperCoach Editor Tom Sangster for the lowdown. All the latest SuperCoach news and articles: Chapters: To come Hosts: Tom Sangster: @TomSangsterSC /X Mark Barnes: @NRLAllstarsPodcast / Youtube Produced by Frank Ienco Recorded 5pm Tuesday Aug 12, 2025
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Burns ready to step up in Sharks' finals fight
Second-rower Billy Burns knows he hasn't got much time to show Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon why he's worthy of a starting jersey in the battle for NRL finals berths. But Briton Nikora's suspension has opened up a spot for the 26-year-old to step up for the Sharks. After signing a contract extension until the end of 2026 on Friday, Burns has been thrust into the starting lineup against last-placed Gold Coast on Saturday. He knows it's a big game for the seventh-placed Sharks, who need to bounce back after an upset loss to St George Illawarra that dealt a major blow to their top-four hopes. Nikora won't be available ahead of the finals after dealing a high-shot on Corey Allan last Saturday, but Burns wants to ensure he is not missed too much. "Hopefully not, mate. I'll be filling in for him," Burns said. "I've got to step in, do my job, and that'll help the team go forward and get the win. "I just want to get some consistency and build some good relationships and connections with the boys around me. "I don't have much time to get that going, but I've been with these boys for the last two years now, so I'm ready to go." Burns admitted Cronulla went into the Dragons game "unconsciously" concerned too much about the ladder. He said this week's training has been about refocusing on the rest of the season. After Gold Coast, the Sharks have a bye before facing Newcastle and Canterbury. Burns was adamant they would not take the cellar-dwelling Titans lightly, noting they recently beat the Warriors and forced hot shots Penrith to golden point. "We did that (maths) and if we win this game, we'll be well entrenched in there (top eight)," Burns said. "Anyone can beat anyone, that's been shown lately with all the bottom eight sides beating top eight sides. "You can't take them (Titans) lightly at all. "They've got Jayden Campbell, who can do anything. They've got Kieran Foran, who's been there, done it all." Second-rower Billy Burns knows he hasn't got much time to show Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon why he's worthy of a starting jersey in the battle for NRL finals berths. But Briton Nikora's suspension has opened up a spot for the 26-year-old to step up for the Sharks. After signing a contract extension until the end of 2026 on Friday, Burns has been thrust into the starting lineup against last-placed Gold Coast on Saturday. He knows it's a big game for the seventh-placed Sharks, who need to bounce back after an upset loss to St George Illawarra that dealt a major blow to their top-four hopes. Nikora won't be available ahead of the finals after dealing a high-shot on Corey Allan last Saturday, but Burns wants to ensure he is not missed too much. "Hopefully not, mate. I'll be filling in for him," Burns said. "I've got to step in, do my job, and that'll help the team go forward and get the win. "I just want to get some consistency and build some good relationships and connections with the boys around me. "I don't have much time to get that going, but I've been with these boys for the last two years now, so I'm ready to go." Burns admitted Cronulla went into the Dragons game "unconsciously" concerned too much about the ladder. He said this week's training has been about refocusing on the rest of the season. After Gold Coast, the Sharks have a bye before facing Newcastle and Canterbury. Burns was adamant they would not take the cellar-dwelling Titans lightly, noting they recently beat the Warriors and forced hot shots Penrith to golden point. "We did that (maths) and if we win this game, we'll be well entrenched in there (top eight)," Burns said. "Anyone can beat anyone, that's been shown lately with all the bottom eight sides beating top eight sides. "You can't take them (Titans) lightly at all. "They've got Jayden Campbell, who can do anything. They've got Kieran Foran, who's been there, done it all." Second-rower Billy Burns knows he hasn't got much time to show Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon why he's worthy of a starting jersey in the battle for NRL finals berths. But Briton Nikora's suspension has opened up a spot for the 26-year-old to step up for the Sharks. After signing a contract extension until the end of 2026 on Friday, Burns has been thrust into the starting lineup against last-placed Gold Coast on Saturday. He knows it's a big game for the seventh-placed Sharks, who need to bounce back after an upset loss to St George Illawarra that dealt a major blow to their top-four hopes. Nikora won't be available ahead of the finals after dealing a high-shot on Corey Allan last Saturday, but Burns wants to ensure he is not missed too much. "Hopefully not, mate. I'll be filling in for him," Burns said. "I've got to step in, do my job, and that'll help the team go forward and get the win. "I just want to get some consistency and build some good relationships and connections with the boys around me. "I don't have much time to get that going, but I've been with these boys for the last two years now, so I'm ready to go." Burns admitted Cronulla went into the Dragons game "unconsciously" concerned too much about the ladder. He said this week's training has been about refocusing on the rest of the season. After Gold Coast, the Sharks have a bye before facing Newcastle and Canterbury. Burns was adamant they would not take the cellar-dwelling Titans lightly, noting they recently beat the Warriors and forced hot shots Penrith to golden point. "We did that (maths) and if we win this game, we'll be well entrenched in there (top eight)," Burns said. "Anyone can beat anyone, that's been shown lately with all the bottom eight sides beating top eight sides. "You can't take them (Titans) lightly at all. "They've got Jayden Campbell, who can do anything. They've got Kieran Foran, who's been there, done it all."
