The 23-year-old played only 19 times for the Sharks in three seasons, including five last year. On Saturday he will play his fifth for the Warriors but in the background is Thomas Leuluai, who is working his way back to full fitness from a long-term groin injury.
Townsend will once against start at five-eighth with Leuluai coming off the bench but Leuluai's influence on the side is considerable and it can't be long before he returns to the starting side. He's an adaptable player, and last week slotted into the back-row, but his most obvious position in the current squad is at five-eighth.
"If I'm playing good footy and we are winning, then I'm very happy," Townsend said. "I know I need to keep improving to hold down a spot. I think it's good having competition in the side because it brings out the best in people.
"All I can do is worry about my own game and let my performances do the talking. Tommy is a class player. When he comes on he adds mongrel, spice and also a bit of skill in the middle. I thought we worked well together last week."
Most things worked well last week for the Warriors in their 42-18 defeat of the Wests Tigers and it has seen minimal changes in the lineup to face the Sharks.
"Chad is holding Tommy out of the team and that's a pretty big rap," coach Matt Elliott said. "He's going to have to continue to play well to do that.
"I'm really happy for Chad. It's still early in his NRL career and I see him being part of this club for a fair while."
Townsend always thought that would be with the Sharks. He grew up in the Shire and came through the Cronulla system but a lack of opportunities and a desire to experience something different helped bring about a move to the Warriors in the off-season.
It will be a bizarre experience returning to Shark Park tomorrow to face his old club for the first time. He's quickly realised the pressures of playing for the Warriors, and the scrutiny the team comes under in New Zealand, but it's nothing compared to what the Sharks players were subjected to throughout 2013 as a result of the Asada investigation into the use of drugs at the club.
"It was like nothing I have experienced before," Townsend said. "Sometimes guys came in for training and just didn't want to talk. Others didn't even turn up to training some days because they wanted to stay home and be with their families.
"It was a really tough time and something we spoke about daily. It was about sticking together. Our mentality was, once we crossed that line, there were no excuses because, no matter what happens, we still have a game of footy to win.
"I would be lying if I said it didn't affect some of the performances. It was tough. When I went to bed at night, the last thing I thought about was what was going to happen to our club."
It seems the demands of the past 18 months are catching up with the Sharks. Not only do they have a long injury list, including influential captain Paul Gallen, but they are playing without the passion and intensity they did last campaign. That was no better illustrated than in their 30-0 defeat to the Knights last weekend, their fourth loss from four starts.
The Warriors have a poor record at Cronulla, having won only four of 14 matches there - the most recent a 37-10 win in 2010 - and have been too inconsistent throughout history for fans to get complacent. Townsend certainly can't afford to be.
- By Michael Brown of APNZ
