jenny
26-10-07, 09:16 AM
Skilled Park to host Titans trial on March 1
Luke Turgeon
26Oct07
THE Gold Coast Titans will kick off next season with trial matches in Ipswich, Cairns and their new home at Skilled Park.
With the Titans squad returning to full-time training Monday week (November 5), the club has all but locked in the three games set to ignite their 2008 campaign.
The Titans will take on the Penrith Panthers in Ipswich on February 16, before travelling north to clash with the Cowboys on February 23 and returning home to Robina to line up against the West Tigers on March 1.
There are a few small administration details still to be confirmed for the Ipswich game but it will almost certainly go ahead as planned.
"We had two trials in the Northern Rivers catchment area last year, which was Coffs and Lismore, so that was important in our first year," said the Titans football manager Scott Sattler.
"In year two, it is even more important for the Titans to go to our other areas at the other end of the band, which is Ipswich.
"We are trying to supplement all of our areas we concentrate on."
Adding spice to the second trial against the Cowboys is the fact it will be the first time North Queensland have played another maroon-grown team in a pre-season clash.
It is also shaping as an important game for the Gold Coast, who will open the season proper against the Cowboys in round one.
"It is first time the Cows have trialled against another Queensland team which will be a promoters dream for them up there," said Sattler.
"Then three weeks later we play them in round one.
"It is just the way it has worked out, we didn't know what the draw was going to be and we just went ahead and organised our trials.
"But the way it has worked out is a real appetiser for that first game three weeks after that trial."
Sattler said the club was eagerly awaiting their chance to christen the new stadium against the Tigers.
Following the final trial against Wests Tigers, the Titans will travel to Coffs Harbour for a week-long training camp.
"That first official NRL trial against the Cowboys we will do what we did against Parramatta (last year in the second trial) and make sure that everyone in the squad of 25-30 gets a run of some sort.
"It is a matter of trying to find those combinations. The final trial against the Tigers, you would like to think would be the side that would continue through to round one."
The Titans' Wests Tigers recruit Ben Jeffrey, an explosive young winger, arrived on the Gold Coast yesterday.
Former Penrith prop Matt Cross and former Cowboys winger Brenton Bowen will be flying in on Monday.
Sattler said it was exciting seeing next year's squad start to take shape.
Backrower Luke Swain, Luke Bailey and hooker Nathan Friend have been back in the gym training hard ahead of the official start of the pre-season on November 5.
GC Bulletin
Luke Turgeon
26Oct07
THE Gold Coast Titans will kick off next season with trial matches in Ipswich, Cairns and their new home at Skilled Park.
With the Titans squad returning to full-time training Monday week (November 5), the club has all but locked in the three games set to ignite their 2008 campaign.
The Titans will take on the Penrith Panthers in Ipswich on February 16, before travelling north to clash with the Cowboys on February 23 and returning home to Robina to line up against the West Tigers on March 1.
There are a few small administration details still to be confirmed for the Ipswich game but it will almost certainly go ahead as planned.
"We had two trials in the Northern Rivers catchment area last year, which was Coffs and Lismore, so that was important in our first year," said the Titans football manager Scott Sattler.
"In year two, it is even more important for the Titans to go to our other areas at the other end of the band, which is Ipswich.
"We are trying to supplement all of our areas we concentrate on."
Adding spice to the second trial against the Cowboys is the fact it will be the first time North Queensland have played another maroon-grown team in a pre-season clash.
It is also shaping as an important game for the Gold Coast, who will open the season proper against the Cowboys in round one.
"It is first time the Cows have trialled against another Queensland team which will be a promoters dream for them up there," said Sattler.
"Then three weeks later we play them in round one.
"It is just the way it has worked out, we didn't know what the draw was going to be and we just went ahead and organised our trials.
"But the way it has worked out is a real appetiser for that first game three weeks after that trial."
Sattler said the club was eagerly awaiting their chance to christen the new stadium against the Tigers.
Following the final trial against Wests Tigers, the Titans will travel to Coffs Harbour for a week-long training camp.
"That first official NRL trial against the Cowboys we will do what we did against Parramatta (last year in the second trial) and make sure that everyone in the squad of 25-30 gets a run of some sort.
"It is a matter of trying to find those combinations. The final trial against the Tigers, you would like to think would be the side that would continue through to round one."
The Titans' Wests Tigers recruit Ben Jeffrey, an explosive young winger, arrived on the Gold Coast yesterday.
Former Penrith prop Matt Cross and former Cowboys winger Brenton Bowen will be flying in on Monday.
Sattler said it was exciting seeing next year's squad start to take shape.
Backrower Luke Swain, Luke Bailey and hooker Nathan Friend have been back in the gym training hard ahead of the official start of the pre-season on November 5.
GC Bulletin