His World Cup may have ended in disappointment, but after a number of strong tournament showings for Tonga, Gold Coast Titans prop Moeaki Fotuaika is ready to bounce back to his best for his club in 2023.

Fotuaika has returned to pre-season a week early as he looks to establish a routine and catch up to the intense levels of fitness already being demanded of Justin Holbrook's playing group.

“I had two weeks off when I got back (from England) and also a week off after the World Cup in the UK and that three weeks was enough for me,” Fotuaika told club media.

“I'm the sort of person who needs to be in a routine. I was around locally and I just thought I'd come in and have two weeks before the Christmas break so when I do get back in the new year, I've got the k's in the legs and am ready to go.”

After a season that proved more difficult than anticipated, Fotuaika believes that a healthy competition for spots will help him – and his team-mates – perform to a higher standard in the new season after a disappointing 2022 campaign.

“My main focus at the moment is to start every game, but I recognise that there is a lot of competition there,” he said.

“It's great for everyone in the forward pack, especially for myself because I wasn't too happy with my year this year – although I did manage to finish the season well.

“It's given me extra motivation for next year, to come in and hopefully play well throughout the trials and go from there.”

2023 will provide another challenge for Fotuaika in the form of increased leadership responsibility. Despite being just 22 years old, he's already played over 100 NRL games, making him one of the team's most experienced members. As a result he'll be expected to offer guidance to the next generation of Titans coming through.

“It's a bit weird now, considering I've always come in and not been one of the oldest. But it's a good challenge for myself as well as the other forwards my age too.

“We've got a lot of young forwards coming through the grades and we have to show them around and lead the boys around as well.

“We've got Tino (Fa'asuamaleaui) there who's the head of it, and he's doing a great job for us. I'll just help out wherever I can.”