Three tough weeks to test Titans
Two tough weeks to test Titans
THEY will tell you every game is tough but the best indication of the Gold Coast Titans' mettle will come down to the next two weeks.
In a potentially season-defining fortnight the club will face-off against competition favourites the Melbourne Storm and St George Illawarra in back-to-back Skilled Park blockbusters which may ultimately determine whether the Titans are the real deal in 2010.
Bursting out of the blocks with victories over the Warriors, Rabbitohs and Raiders, the Titans' inability to hold the ball, and not the loss of skipper Scott Prince, brought about their downfall and first loss of the season in Townsville.
Hooker Nathan Friend admitted the daunting double followed by a road trip to Brookvale Oval against Manly would prove the ultimate litmus test for their premiership credentials.
"We won our first three but we have a fair run against us now," said Friend.
"If we can get one or two out of those three we will be happy."
Despite heading into the weekend again minus Prince, who could miss the next five weeks as he overcomes surgery after breaking his thumb against the Raiders, the Titans will take confidence after shocking the premiers without their skipper in Melbourne last season.
And with the home advantage, Friend, who will come up against his former club with whom he made 34 appearances before joining the Titans in 2007, was looking forward to taking on the side many believed was the front runner of the competition.
"It's always nice (to play at home), we beat Melbourne down there last year so to play them up here we will take some confidence from it," he said.
"But it's not just Melbourne, you really love playing against a quality side and it always seems to bring the best out in an individual."
Confident they had learnt a lesson from the case of `dropsy' that plagued them last weekend, Friend admits Melbourne will make them pay if it continues on Friday.
He added the team needed to create more room for acting playmaker Preston Campbell.
"We didn't have too many attacking sets on their line and the couple we did we scored," he said of the 32-18 loss to North Queensland.
"If we can complete near 70 or 80 per cent this weekend I think we can go close."
Opting against a tough week on the training paddock to ensure they were fresh for Friday night, coach John Cartwright was confident back-rower Anthony Laffranchi would be fit after he was a late withdrawal last weekend with a back complaint.
"We won't do much, we will get the two sessions in," said Cartwright, adding prop Brad Meyers should be ready to go despite suffering a minor calf strain against the Cowboys.
"We know what's in front of us and we knew this was coming but we get a seven-day turnaround after this."
Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au