HE has two metal plates reinforcing his cheekbone but Matt Scott is confident he can withstand a physical barrage from the star-studded Titans pack on Saturday night.

Tipped to miss up to eight weeks, the Cowboys’ chief enforcer will make his comeback in the Queensland derby after a six-week lay-off with a facial fracture.

Since shattering his cheekbone in Origin II, it has been a tough convalescence for Scott, who helplessly watched the Cowboys’ title hopes plummet as much as his playing weight.

The Maroons prop lost 5kg during his time on the sidelines amid fears the Cowboys’ No.1 metre-eater might not recover in time for the finals.

But after testing his cheekbone in tackling drills on Wednesday, Scott is back and bracing for a more brutal examination from Titans hardmen Greg Bird and Nate Myles, his Origin teammate.

“I’m really confident in it,’’ said Scott, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Wednesday.

“I wouldn’t be playing if I wasn’t.

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“I still have a bit of defence to do that will help me out and hopefully if I can get through that.

“From everything I’ve been told the bone heals in six weeks and it will be six-and-a-half when I play so I’m happy with how it feels.

“It’s now a matter of sticking my head in there against the Titans forwards and not worrying too much about it.’’

During his time in the casualty ward, Scott’s weight almost dropped under 100kg, but his physical rejuvenation has matched his side’s on-field resurgence.

The Cowboys co-captain averaged a staggering 148m a game before his injury and says his facial fracture won’t erode his self-belief charging through the rucks.

“The doctors are happy with how it has healed,’’ he said.

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“There’s two plates in there, they don’t do too much other than hold the bone position early on in the injury.

“Now they are just there not doing too much. I’m not too sure how many screws are in there, the surgeon did a good job of fixing it up so I shouldn’t have too many problems with it.

“I lost a fair bit of weight early on but I’ve been working hard in the gym to get back to the weight I was playing at.’’

Scott’s return comes at a perfect time for the Cowboys, who will move within striking distance of the top four by beating the Titans in Townsville.

“We’ve been under pressure for our away form so to beat the Bulldogs like we did last week, it was a crucial time of year to do it,’’ he said.

“Last year we probably left our run a little late but this year we have been better overall.

“We are still in a precarious position on the ladder (seventh spot) but in saying that we are playing our best footy at the right time of the year.’’