Gold Coast’s drug accused players want to get back on the field as early as this weekend, but a former official of the NRL club believe they have bigger things to worry about.

Lawyers for the five NRL players, including State of Origin stars Greg Bird and Dave Taylor, are pushing for their clients to play in Gold Coast’s round two fixture against Penrith in Bathurst.

But former Titans football manager Scott Sattler doesn’t believe the NRL club should be rushing them back into the side.

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Three of the five, as well as former players Ash Harrison and Joe Vickery, all appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Monday on a variety of possession and supply charges.

Their lawyer, Campbell MacCallum, indicated his clients intend to plead not guilty before their matters were adjourned until May 8, the same date set last week for teammates Beau Falloon and Jamie Dowling.

Mr MacCallum was seeking a meeting with the Titans board on Monday afternoon to put forward his case for the players to be reinstated and said he’d be “very surprised” if they weren’t made available to take on the Panthers.

“I’ve got mixed emotions about it to be quite honest,” Mr Sattler, football manager at the Titans from 2006 to 2008, told AAP.

“A lot of the contracts have a disrepute clause which mean you can stand them down pending a decision.

“But you’re going to be very cavalier if you want to take that approach because if legally down the track they are found to be not guilty there’s possible legal action against the club or NRL.

“Personally I don’t think they should be allowed to play. I just think that it’s a welfare issue. I think there’s far greater things on the mind of those players than playing rugby league.”

Bird, 31, simply said “I am” when asked by a large media contingent outside court if he was hoping to play this weekend.

Bird’s teammate Kalifa Faifai Loa added he was keen to play, whether it was in the NRL or with one of the Titans’ feeder clubs in the state-based Queensland Cup.

Representatives from the Rugby League Players’ Association (RLPA) were in court and spokesman Anthony Quinn told reporters the union would be seeking talks with all parties to restore players to their employment.

Titans chief executive Graham Annesley has previously stated the club has no plans to reinstate the players until they’ve assessed the evidence against them.

An NRL spokesman told AAP the decision to reinstate players largely rested with the club but they would be consulted before any action was finalised.

The Titans are expected to name their squad for the trip to Bathurst on Tuesday afternoon.

-AAP