Blocker weighs in on Tino's self-declared poor start

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui has declared he is in the midst of the worst form stretch of his career, conceding his aggression is below par in the opening three rounds with his stats also reflecting a lacklustre performance.

"That aggression is what I'm known for," Fa'asuamaleaui said.

"That's what I pride myself on. To not be doing that during a game has been real frustrating for myself. It's been real upsetting too after games. I probably haven't strung three disappointing games together in my entire career."

Fa'asuamaleaui has averaged just 93 metres per game and missing a combined seven tackles, pointing to a disrupted pre-season as part of the reason for his sluggish start, but made clear he knows what needs to change.

"I started late in the pre-season with my injuries and didn't get a lot of time with the team, but as I start nailing that aggressive role I can see my minutes going back up."

It has been a difficult opening to the season for the Titans more broadly, with the club yet to taste victory through three rounds. For a player of Tino's calibre and standing, the personal frustration cuts deeper knowing his side need him firing.

NRL great Steve 'Blocker' Roach beleives Tino is far from alone as the game's bigger forwards struggle to keep pace with the speed of the modern competition.

Speaking on Big Sports Breakfast on Thursday morning, he said the numbers were a reflection of a broader problem across the competition rather than anything specific to Tino.

"The game's changed a lot now," Roach said.

"Good back rowers will go onto the front row. Have a look at Ford for the Warriors, he's gone enormous.

"Just a little bit lighter, can get around the park a lot better. There's six-again now."

A key factor remains the six-again rule and the pace it generates. Roach highliugjted the enormous physical demands on bigger forwards who thrive on the grinding, set-piece footy that has largely been squeezed out of the modern game. When fatigue sets in and sets keep coming, the cracks show.

"If you're fatigued and you get three sets against you and you're a big bloke, blokes are going to poke their nose through," Roach continued.

"How are you going to stop them?"

"Halfway through the season, the weather gets a little bit cooler. Early in the season, I think it's going to take them a bit longer to get up to speed because it's so fast."