Focus on defence for AKP
Titan irons out deficiencies
Alofiana Khan-pereira is the NRL tryscoring sensation who doesn’t want to be known for scoring tries.
Khan-pereira has made a sizzling start to life in the NRL and is on track to smash all sorts of records this year.
The Titans flyer went into round 22 with a three-try buffer at the top of the NRL’S top tryscorer leaderboard, having crossed 19 times in 15 games this season.
Broncos speedster Deine Mariner, Khan-pereira’s rival at Cbus Super Stadium today, was second with 16 tries from 17 games this year.
Khan-pereira, 22, is on track to break the Gold Coast season tryscoring record (20) he set last year in his debut NRL campaign. And with 39 tries in just 38 NRL games, he is closing in on 60 years of history.
Not since Dragons winger Johnny King bagged 40 tries before his 40th game in 1962 has there been such a prolific start to a first grade career.
Khan-pereira admits he has never had trouble finding the line, but he went into his first season under new Titans coach Des Hasler intent on fixing up the other side of his game.
“Yeah, I did (score a lot of tries as a junior). Having that pace behind me leads to a lot of tries,” he said.
“I’ve always backed myself but I wasn’t really too worried about the tries coming into this season.
“I was more worried about my defence and that has led to the tries and outcome of my season. I’m doing well but I’m more worried about my defence.
“When I first came into the NRL, attack was my main focus.
“I didn’t think too much about the defensive side of things.
“Des is a defensive coach. He is big on that. Working with him has brought something I never thought I could believe in myself or unlock what I have.”
Hasler echoed Khan-pereira’s sentiments.
“It’s a wonderful achievement but he knows where his priorities lie,” the coach said.
‘Lofi’ has netted five doubles this season and bagged four tries in Gold Coast’s 66-6 thrashing of the Warriors.
The Broncos will be on high alert for one of the NRL’S fastest players, who isn’t short on confidence and said there was a constant battle between his parents, who gifted him his speed.
“I’d be breaking records in the sprint (if I tried for the Olympics),” Khan-pereira said with a smirk.
“I was never really into track and field. Footy was always closest to my heart. I played soccer until I was 10 and thought that was a big dream of mine but one thing led to another and I ended up in rugby.”
While he was born and raised in Lismore in northern NSW, ‘AKP’ is eligible for Queensland’s State of Origin team, given he moved to the Gold Coast before his 13th birthday and played for the Burleigh Bears.
If he continues his blistering form he will be in the mix for Origin selection next year.
But once again his focus is on making sure he isn’t a defensive liability for the Titans considering he was dropped last year by former coach Justin Holbrook during a prolific run of tryscoring.
“Origin is definitely a for me next year,” he said.
“I don’t want to think about (the records) too much. I’m focused on other parts of my game like my defence.
“This year was to get my defensive reads right.”