Ryley Jacks admits he was always a Gold Coast fan, despite growing up in Brisbane.

So it's no surprise the 26-year-old is nervous as he prepares to don the same No.7 Titans jersey worn by his idol Scott Prince on Saturday.

The halfback played 25 games for Melbourne before taking his chances with a move north this year.

It has only taken one NRL game for an opportunity to arise, with both Ashley Taylor (quad) and Tyrone Roberts (Achilles) on the sidelines.

In Jacks, coach Garth Brennan has a ready-made replacement keen to prove himself against Cronulla on Saturday.

"I don't know what's going to happen next week, so I'm going to be treating it like this is my one chance," Jacks said as he aims to cement a first-grade spot.

"It feels like I'm debuting again.

"It's a team I've followed since I was a kid watching Scotty Prince play and Preston Campbell ... (Prince was) someone that I loved watching and hopefully we can bring back that winning culture they had."

Jacks will partner AJ Brimson in the halves and plans on doing the groundwork required to let the speedy playmaker off the leash.

"AJ's looking for me to be that calm head out there and call a lot of the plays and that allows him to see what he sees in the defensive line," he said.

"(In Melbourne I learnt to) be calm, know what plays to call in certain times of the game - you get rattled if you're not thinking ahead."