Titans coach fined for approaching refs

[TITAN PETE]

By Laine Clark AAP Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:38:35

Gold Coast coach John Cartwright has copped a $10,000 fine from the NRL for being a "smart ****", according to Titans boss Michael Searle.

While Cartwright slammed the refereeing as "disgraceful" after their dramatic 40-32 finals loss to the Broncos on Saturday night, the Titans coach was fined on Monday for approaching match officials at half-time.

Searle said Cartwright had told him he would pay the fine out of his own pocket after admitting he had made a mistake immediately after the incident on Saturday night.

"Carty told me on Saturday that on the way down (to the dressing room) he saw the refs and made a comment, but he was being a smart alec more than anything," Searle told AAP.

"Clearly he was frustrated but he wasn't aggressive - he was just being a smart ****.

"Essentially he was fined $10,000 for being a smart ****.

"He expects players to pay (when they are fined) so he said he would cop this one, he will pay it - that's the sort of fella he is."

NRL rules state that under no circumstances are match officials to be approached, questioned, or harassed in any way by club officials either during or after a match.

"Coaches have ample opportunity to give reasonable opinions on refereeing decisions to the media and, in the days following, to the referees' coaching staff but it is unacceptable for them to approach the referee at the game," said NRL chief executive David Gallop.

"The rules governing this have been in place for a considerable time and all coaches are aware of them.

"The NRL has taken no action over comments made in the post-match press conference."

Searle sat in the press conference when Cartwright let rip at the officials.

He said he would rather see Cartwright's passion than "robots" at press conferences.

"He told me (before the press conference) that he was frustrated - everyone saw how emotional he was," Searle said.

"He had just come out of a dressing room where everyone was bitterly disappointed with the outcome.

"But I would rather see John Cartwright say that than a bland press conference where the coach says nothing.

"What the game needs is theatre, and Carty provides theatre.

"Carty speaks his mind, that's why the players, everyone, respects him.

"Robots don't last too long in this game."

It is Cartwright's second such offence.

He was fined $5,000 for a approaching a video referee at Brookvale Oval in his debut coaching season of 2007.

[daveyk]

i reckon a few members would be happy to chuck in a dollar and help out the big fella...... let rip carty anytime

[bigjim]

And what really peeves me off, is the refs don't have to answer for their decisions at all. You question decisions which are on many occasions clearly wrong and you get ignored or fined and in either case, given no explanation.

[DIEHARD]

No apologies from outspoken Titans

Gold Coast boss Michael Searle has made no apologies for the Titans' outspoken approach, dismissing critics who have branded them "whingers" in the fallout of their dramatic NRL qualifying final loss.

Website forums have sunk the boot into the Titans after Gold Coast coach John Cartwright slammed the refereeing following their 40-32 weekend defeat to the Broncos at Skilled Park.

Titans centre Chris Walker also came under fire for insinuating that Broncos and Australian captain Darren Lockyer took a dive to milk a penalty in the second half.

But yesterday Searle said he has taken the criticism with a grain of salt.

"It's Tuesday and the game is still being talked about, it clearly shows what a magnificent event it was," he said.

"Whilst we do not govern by popular opinion, we listen to our fans, and all our fan forums are firmly in our favour."

Searle also strongly defended Cartwright.

While the Titans mentor blasted the referees in the post-match press conference, he was fined by the NRL on Monday for approaching match officials at half-time.

Cartwright has already issued a public apology and revealed he will pay the fine out of his own pocket.

"I expect him to be a passionate coach, I don't want him not commenting at post match press conferences," Searle said.

"If people can't cope with that, then too bad.

"I would rather my coach have an opinion.

"That's what our club is always about.

"We are not concerned about media spin or populous decision making, we just say it how it is - isn't that refreshing?

"Maybe the media should be thanking John Cartwright rather then criticising him.

"Maybe the Brisbane media aren't used to coaches having an opinion.

"When we stop coaches having an opinion, it will be a very sad day for fans and for the news outlets."

Searle said he had higher priorities than sweating on critics' views on other teams' fan forums.

"This is all great stuff for our return bout (with the Broncos) next year but we are more concerned about beating Parramatta," he said.

When reminded that the Gold Coast are still on track to meet Brisbane again in the NRL grand final, Searle laughed: "Maybe that's what the Brisbane media should be talking about - moving the grand final to Queensland (rather) than bagging a coach for offering his opinion."

Meanwhile, Cartwright had a dig at the critics when he assessed the looming forward battle against Parramatta.

The Gold Coast forward pack came under fire ahead of the Broncos showdown, with ex-Brisbane hardman Gorden Tallis claiming they were too small to make a finals impact.

"Most games are won in the forwards and this game will be no different," Cartwright said on Tuesday.

"I thought we more than matched the Broncos.

"They had a lot more ball than us, we ended up missing a lot more tackles than they did.

"To do that against a side of that quality, I think our forwards answered their critics pretty well on the weekend."

Cartwright also kept Parramatta guessing over his final line-up.

William Zillman - back from a four-match ban for biting - was named on an extended bench with Preston Campbell at fullback and injury concern Mat Rogers (concussion) at pivot.

However, Cartwright refused to rule out slotting Zillman into fullback, Campbell into five-eighth and Rogers into the centres.

"We will train with all options then wake up Friday morning then make up our minds," he said.

Source: http://www.brisbametimes.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Zillman return timely boost as Eels loom large

STATE OF PLAY by Daniel Meers

The man dubbed the Titans' 'Total Package' and the bloke Michael Searle would be proud to call his son -- yes, that is true -- will get a start after a month on the sidelines after he supposedly used Jamie Simpson's arm as an entree.

Yes, I know everyone is talking about how the Titans were supposedly beaten by the referees and yes I know everyone wants to talk about whether Lockyer is a diver, but I'm over it.

In my view The Titans conceded 40 points, were beaten by a better side and need to get over it.

But if John Cartwright has an opposing view then let him have his say. Coaches get bagged for not saying what they really think and at least Cartwright had the conviction to say what he thought.

Now I'm moving on.

The Titans have a knockout match against the Eels and they'll have to lift a gear if they are any chance to remain in the competition.

A key ingredient to lifting a notch will be Zillman.

Despite being named on the bench there is every chance he may start at fullback with Mat Rogers moved to the centres.

It will be music to the ears of Zillman.

Touch wood, he has come through the first season in a long time with no major injuries, but aside from that it has been a frustrating year. He has spent a large chunk on the bench followed by suspension.

It's lucky Zillman is a class act, many players would be over eager to take off where they left off, but Zilly knows he has to crawl before he can walk again.

Some league fans have been critical of Zillman.

The speed he was famous for when he arrived on the first grade scene isn't quite there this season.

Of course it isn't.

After two knee reconstructions anyone who believed Zillman would run on to the park at full speed was kidding themselves. And if they expected Zillman would carve up the league -- a la the man who will be his opposite number on Friday night -- they were kidding themselves.

The former Canberra Raider is a long term investment.

That said, Zillman is definitely a key reason why the Titans are still around this deep into the competition.

He has given the club that much-needed depth.

Despite being on the road to recovery he is still a class above some of the players used last year.

If and when he takes the field on Friday it'll once again strengthen the Titans.

The club's top centre, Mat Rogers, can move to his best position rather then clog a hole at fullback.

Cartwright can make the Rogers move with the absolute faith that Zillman can do the job.

On Friday Zillman will do the job.

After what he has been through playing a semi-final is a remarkable feat. Anything else is a bonus.

Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Boof buries his blues

Anthony Laffranchi at Gold Coast Titans training yesterday in the lead-up to Friday night's clash with Parramatta in Sydney

He has one thing on his mind and that is to keep the Titans' season rolling by overcoming the red-hot Parramatta Eels on Friday night.

With the pain of his NSW State of Origin selection snub behind him, the Murwillumbah powerhouse admitted excitement ahead of the club's biggest match in its three-year history.

"Obviously there's disappointment in your footy career and that was one of mine this year," he said of losing his Blues spot. But I'm totally focused on the Titans' run to the finals.

"We've had game one and we missed out there by going down to the Broncos but I'm very excited about this game against Parramatta and that's my focus at the moment."

Much has been spoken of the Titans' clash with Dally M Player of the Year in Jarryd Hayne but if there is one battle that should not be missed it will be Laffranchi going head to head with fellow workhorse Nathan Hindmarsh.

Laffranchi said that apart from Hayne, Hindmarsh -- himself a victim of a representative selection snub -- was another key man the Titans would need to be wary of.

"He's always there to tidy up and I suppose coming up against him as my opposite number you always take pride in trying to outplay him," said Laffranchi.

"But it's going to be a big challenge right across the park for us to stop a player like him."

Laffranchi said it would be silly of the Titans to target a player of Hindmarsh's stature; instead he felt it was important to limit his involvement.

And that goes for their entire pack.

"(Hindmarsh) seems to be everywhere on the park. If you try and chase him he will just tackle you anyway ... we'll just stick to our game plan and our preparation but I'm sure he will be somewhere in front of us.

"(But) all their forwards have been going well. They create a lot of room for their little guys like (Daniel) Mortimer and Hayne."

"(Nathan) Cayless, Hindmarsh and Fui (Fui Moi Moi) have been getting them going forward really well, but we have to be on our game to stop their go-forward and nullify the room their backs have.

The Titans welcome back William Zillman to the bench for the Eels clash to replace Josh Graham who will have a plate inserted to repair a damaged foot.

Will Matthews has again been named 18th man.

Coach John Cartwright said a decision on the make-up of the squad to battle the Eels would not be made until Friday morning.

"We've got Zilly (Zillman) back and only need three forwards on the bench most times," said the coach.

"But how we balance the bench, we will have to wait and see."

There is widespread speculation Cartwright will start Zillman at fullback and move Mat Rogers to the centres which would see Jordan Atkins move to the bench.

Atkins had long conversations with Cartwright at training yesterday.

The Eels will be bolstered by the inclusion of New Zealand international Krisnan Inu to the centres, after he missed their 25-12 victory over St George with a hamstring injury.

The Titans depart Gold Coast Airport tomorrow for Sydney and the club has encouraged fans to get out and send the players off in style at the Jetstar terminal 11.20am.

Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au

[DIEHARD]

The Axe says it would be a swing and a miss on Hayne

THEY called him `The Axe' for his ability to chop down any rival on a rugby league field but even Trevor Gillmeister is left scratching his head when it comes to stopping Eels superstar Jarryd Hayne.

Not a good omen considering he is defensive coach for the Gold Coast Titans who play Parramatta in Friday night's semi-final clash at the SFS.

Especially after the Titans conceded 78 points in their last two games, including their thrilling 40-32 finals loss to the Broncos last weekend.

Yet Gillmeister still managed a laugh when the ex-Test backrower was asked how he would go if he had to tackle Hayne in his day.

"I'm glad it's them and not me," said Gillmeister.

"He would have sidestepped me and put the ball near the posts before I got a chance to get off the ground. He's a freaky player."

While Titans coach John Cartwright has put the onus on halfback Scott Prince's kicking game to limit Hayne's opportunities, Gillmeister believed the Gold Coast forwards could also do their part.

"He (Hayne) is playing great footy but their forwards are really playing well too," said Gillmeister.

"He's doing some stuff out of nothing but a lot of it is on the back of some good go-forward from his forwards.

"If we can limit their opportunities and they are not getting a good roll on (with their forwards) hopefully that helps us."

Much has been made of the Titans' apparently leaky defence but Gillmeister wasn't concerned as they prepared to take on a rampaging Eels.

"Surprisingly enough I was quite happy with the defence (against the Broncos)," he said.

"(Brisbane had) three tries off kicks, one from our mistake and two intercepts.

"I think we had the ball 13 times in the first half, which is unheard of -- that's under-nines stuff. So for our blokes to burn that much petrol tackling in the first half and come back was sensational."

Backrower Mark Minichiello dismissed any concerns about their defence.

"For people who didn't watch the game they probably thought it was a game of touch," he said.

"But it wasn't that way at all. We scored some great tries and they scored tries off kicks and a couple of errors from us."

Minichiello sounded like a gushing fan when the inevitable subject of Hayne came up, describing the Dally M medallist as 'unbelievable'.

"He's a step above at the moment. We are really going to have to mark him if we are to have a chance," he said.

Gillmeister said the Titans did not have to be told they could never drop their guard against Hayne after he cut through the Dragons late in their 25-12 finals boilover on Sunday to score one of the season's great solo tries.

"The big thing is that blokes get tired at certain stages of the game, especially in the middle of the ruck," he said. "But on the flip side I think some of our blokes can expose some of their players (the same way)."

Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au