NRL Round 1: Gold Coast Titans vs New Zealand Warriors

[DIEHARD]

Gold Coast Titans vs New Zealand Warriors

Sunday 14 March 2010 - Skilled Park

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v483/diehard2/titansvswarriors.jpg


MATCH THREAD

Tickets to this game can now be bought from Ticketek.

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS TO ROUND 1: TITANS vs WARRIORS (http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=TITANIND10&searchId=56ae02a3-7ee6-4c22-8b86-f14430fec354)

Running times:
Round 1 Warriors Sunday 14 March 2010

Box Offices Open: 10.10am
Gates Open: 10.40am
Under 20's Kick Off: 10.45am
Kick Off: 1pm

Titans
1. Preston Campbell
2. Kevin Gordon
3. Mat Rogers
4. Joseph Tomane
5. David Mead
6. Greg Bird
7. Scott Prince ?
8. Luke Bailey
9. Nathan Friend
10. Brad Meyers
11. Anthony Laffranchi
12. Mark Minichiello
13. Ashley Harrison

Interchange:
14. Matthew White
15. Sam Tagataese
16. Will Matthews
17. Riley Brown
18. Michael Henderson
19. William Zillman
20. Bodene Thompson

Warriors
1. Lance Hohaia
2. Kevin Locke
3. Brent Tate
4. Jerome Ropati
5. Manu Vatuvei
6. James Maloney
7. Brett Seymour
8. Sam Rapira
9. Aaron Heremaia
10. Russell Packer
11. Lewis Brown
12. Ben Matulino
13. Micheal Luck (C)

Interchange:
14. Wade McKinnon
15. Jeremy Latimore
16. Jesse Royal
17. Sione Lousi
18. Joel Moon

[DIEHARD]

Warriors to start season without Price

The Warriors are expecting to be without veteran prop Steve Price for the start of the new NRL season.

Price's heel injury is taking longer to heal than first thought.

The veteran prop had surgery late last year on his heel but an infection in the wound has forced additional surgery.

Warriors team doctor John Mayhew says he will be unavailable for the opening rounds of the season.

He says Price has shown in the past he is a quick healer and will hopefully only miss a couple of rounds.

Mayhew says other injured players, centre Brent Tate and new skipper Simon Mannering, will be fit to play in round one but may miss some of the trials

Source: http://tvnz.co.nz/rugby-league-news/

[Greg81]

After that stinking hot game against Newcastle in Rd 1 last year, I said I'd never go to a 1pm March game again.....I'll probably get a ticket for this game next week...lol

[titanstattman]

wen do the tickets go on sale?????

[quinn loves titans]

cant wait though, where meeting before game?

[DIEHARD]

wen do the tickets go on sale?????

I don't know but will keep you posted. I'm sure the club will let everyone know asap.

[titanstattman]

I don't know but will keep you posted. I'm sure the club will let everyone know asap.

16th of feb 9am go on sale.......


http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=TITANIND10&v=SKL&searchId=56af0e9f-bcd9-4632-9718-eee5059d3d81

[quinn loves titans]

on during school computer studies XD

[karnage]

Let me be the first to say this:


We will absolutely KILL the Warriors!!

[quinn loves titans]

no way really hahah i am really looking forward to both teams half combinations with bird and princey probs best in nrl and seymore and rising youngster maloney but yer it will be a flogging nz cant handle aussie weather and our team has to much depth to be beaten at home first game by the 2nd most likely team to get wooden spoon sorry warriors just stating the facs also cant wait for rest of linup especially centres:P

[GCT_07]

Lot of pressure on Bird for this game.... He ll know he has to make his football do the talking..... surrounded by screaming fans watching everything he does......

I for one am looking forward to seeing if he was worth all the cr@p and considering he s taking Mattys Jumper I ll be watchin REAL close.:censored:

[walley]

Lot of pressure on Bird for this game.... He ll know he has to make his football do the talking..... surrounded by screaming fans watching everything he does......

I for one am looking forward to seeing if he was worth all the cr@p and considering he s taking Mattys Jumper I ll be watchin REAL close.:censored:

Birdy will kill it

[titansrawesome]

Gold Coast Titans 42
New Zealand Warriors 12

[quinn loves titans]

gonna be a flogging a recken titans biggest win differntial evaaa!

[DIEHARD]

Mead vies for Titans opener

RUGBY LEAGUE: Lismore speedster David Mead can?t wait to get on the paddock with the new-look Gold Coast Titans for the opening clash of 2010.

Actually, he isn?t even sure if he will.

The Titans have bought so well in the backline that even last year?s incumbents aren?t assured of their spot, but one suspects the man who burst onto the scene with eight tries in 14 games should be safe.

Visiting Far North Coast schools as part of the NRL?s Eat Well, Play Well, Stay Well campaign, Mead told The Northern Star of the competition that is breeding within the Titans as they attempt to squeeze eight into four.

?Everyone is battling to be in the team come round one,? Mead said.

?There is a lot of competition from within; everyone is training the house down so that?s a great thing for the team.?

With Scott Prince, Preston Campbell and Mat Rogers the only backs to have a mortgage on a jumper there will be a mad scramble to fill the remaining positions with the March 14 opener as a deadline.

Mead will likely retain his spot on the right wing, but who will play inside him looks the most contentious selection of them all.

Joseph Tomane, Esi Tonga, Sam Tagataese and Clinton Toopi will be fighting for one centre position and although each is well credentialed, four ?Ts? don?t go into one.

Tomane was bought from the all-powerful Melbourne Strom in the off-season and can kick goals, Tonga burst on to the scene in ?08 and last year formed a lethal partnership with Kevin Gordon on the left flank, Tagataese shifted to the centres late last year with wrecking-ball effects and Toopi has played 14 Tests for New Zealand in the three-quarter line.

All are a chance but Mead was quick to establish where his loyalties lie.

?I?d love to have Toopi inside me,? he said. ?But he is my new roommate so maybe I am a bit biased.?

One thing that is certain, whoever does run on to the park for the opening match at Skilled Park, Robina, will know they are there ? the match is scheduled for 1pm, ensuring a heated encounter.

?We have been training in the heat all pre-season so we are ready for it,? Mead said.

The match represents the start of a big year for the 21-year-old, apart from club duties he will represent his beloved Papua New Guinea in the Four Nations at the end of the year after helping them qualify through to the 2009 Pacific Nations Cup.

?That is one thing that I really look forward to,? he said.

?There is nothing better than representing your country.?

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

[titansrawesome]

what about toopi @ center and tomane as bench? i don't know its too hard to choose a starter in this log jam, @ least we are covered for this year.

[quinn loves titans]

yer at leat we have talent is wat i say better to be choking on having to much talent then too little

[quinn loves titans]

kk just about to ask dad if i can go fingers crossed

[quinn loves titans]

Can Gooooooooooo Wooooooo!

[quinn loves titans]

just about to book tickets where do we sit

[Coaster]

Mead vies for Titans opener



?I?d love to have Toopi inside me,? he said. ?But he is my new roommate so maybe I am a bit biased.?


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

errr what?

Good to see there all getting along well:D

[Ryan]

errr what?

Good to see there all getting along well:D

Hahaha!
Unusually, I totally missed that one....
How long you been a mod for?

[Coaster]

How long you been a mod for?

Only a week or so mate, since Titans fan day

[quinn loves titans]

congrats on becoming one

[DIEHARD]

Tickets to this game can now be bought from Ticketek.

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS TO ROUND 1: TITANS vs WARRIORS (http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=TITANIND10&searchId=56ae02a3-7ee6-4c22-8b86-f14430fec354)

[DIEHARD]

Warriors trial with Manly ends in 16-16 draw

STORMING RUN: Warriors prop Sam Rapira leaves Manly defenders in his wake on a busting run during the pre-season trial at North Harbour Stadium, which ended 16-16.Relevant offers

Veteran centre Brent Tate came through his first match in 11 months unscathed as the New Zealand Warriors completed the National Rugby League trials programme with a 16-16 draw against Manly in Auckland today.

A late addition to the squad, Tate played the first 22 minutes of the game and returned for the last 23 minutes in his comeback from his second knee reconstruction in three years.

"It was great to be back after so long out of the game," he said, after playing in front of North Harbour Stadium's second successive crowd of 17,000-plus for a Warriors trial.

"The knee came through the game without any trouble all."

The Warriors emerged from their trials programme unbeaten ahead of their season-opening match against the Gold Coast Titans in Robina on March 14.

Also back on the field after missing last week's trial win against North Queensland was fullback Wade McKinnon, who replaced the starting fullback Lance Hohaia at halftime.

Winger Kevin Locke was replaced just before the break after a knock to his back but there were no concerns about his condition after the game.

Coach Ivan Cleary again found plenty to be pleased about.

"We have lots of areas we can improve in but we again defended very well in the second half, we got through with no new injury concerns and we have a lot of players who are putting their hand up and are playing good football at this stage," he said.

While there was constant activity on the interchange bench the intensity on the field belied the fact this was a trial.

For much of the second half the Warriors had to defend their line as Manly, after leading 16-10 at halftime, kept rolling at them from close range.

Every time, though, the home side defused whatever the Sea Eagles threw at them.

The work was rewarded in the end when in the 76th minute some slick short passing near Manly's line created space for new signing Jeremy Latimore to score under the crossbar, with Shaun Johnson converting for the draw.

Soure: http://www.stuff.co.nz

[quinn loves titans]

Yeh but Manly suck so no big threat.

[DIEHARD]

Titans face tight squeeze for spots

GOLD Coast Titans coaching staff can expect some long discussions around the selection table to find their top-17 for the season-opener against the New Zealand Warriors on Sunday week.

That's the summation from Nathan Friend, who said the competition for positions was the strongest it had been leading into the club's fourth season in the NRL.

Despite falling to the Cowboys 22-4 in their final trial in Darwin on Saturday night, finding the right mix for the Titans, whose pre-season included wins over Brisbane and South Sydney, will be a tough assignment for coach John Cartwright.

"There's battles for several positions amongst a couple (of players), so I would hate to be the coaching staff making those decisions," said Friend.

"You look at our roster and we have a fair few players capable of filling a few roles.

"But all we (the players) can do is train hard and hope we're there for that first game."

Friend, who will start the year in the No.9 jersey, knows he was one of the players facing strong competition, with recruit Riley Brown pressing his claims in the three trials.

While the back row of Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello and Ashley Harrison should start the year in their positions, the battle for spots on the bench is fierce.

It's a similar story in the backline, where former Kiwi international Clinton Toopi and Will Zillman head the list fighting their way into the team.

"Everyone has trained really well in the off-season and everyone has played strongly in the trials," said Friend.


"Despite the loss there were a few individuals that played well on Saturday again.

"Hopefully everyone gets through training over the next few weeks so by Round 1 we're all ready for kick off and ready to go."

Friend stressed there were no doubts concerning the Titans' muscle up front despite Saturday night's result.

Played in heavy conditions after a three-day deluge soaked the Northern Territory capital, the Cowboys pack led by man of the match Luke O'Donnell, Steve Rapira, Antonio Kaufusi, Matt Scott, Carl Webb and at times Willie Mason had the wood on their Queensland rivals.

But Friend insisted the Gold Coast's failure to build any real momentum after completing only a handful of sets from 18 first-half possessions was responsible for the Titans' downfall.

"The first 40 I think we probably completed one set and we struggled to get a kick in and get into an arm wrestle," said Friend.

"It's hard to win football matches if you're not completing your sets."

The Cowboys led 10-0 at the main break before winger Kevin Gordon closed the gap early in the second half.

With several chances at the Cowboys line, poor execution let the Titans down as they eventually let in two late tries, with the scoreline not reflecting the closeness of the match.

While the Cowboys' big men dominated, it was tough for the Titans to follow suit with Matt White ruled out before kickoff after being struck down with illness on Friday.

But with White, Luke Bailey (rested) and Michael Henderson (broken toe) expected to be right for the season opener with the Warriors at Skilled Park on March 14, Friend knows they will have more stability around their ruck.

"We struggled in that department on Saturday night and we couldn't seem to get any quick play-the-balls and when we did, we would let ourselves down by dropping the ball," he said.

"You need a few big guys who can cart the ball forward and get us on a bit of a roll.

"Getting those guys back will help us but there's not too much to worry about.

"Once we had a bit of ball in the second half we played well and showed some promising signs.

"But we've got a couple of games under our belt now.

"Yeah we lost (on Saturday) but I'm sure the individuals took a lot out of last night, so we're not too concerned."

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

[DIEHARD]

Young forwards bidding for place in pack

Coach John Cartwright has a host of young forwards bidding for places in the Gold Coast Titans pack

ANOTHER off-season will only do wonders for the young forwards ready to break into the big league this season with the Gold Coast Titans.

And it's an added edge backrower Mark Minichiello has no doubt will give the club extra firepower in their bid to remain standing in the final week of the 2010 competition.

A week out from their fourth season in the NRL, coach John Cartwright will have his work cut out to select his top 17 for the season-opener against the Warriors on Sunday week.

While injury kept lock Ashley Harrison off the paddock through the middle of the season, few questions were asked when he was there alongside backrowers Minichiello and Anthony Laffranchi.

But with Will Matthews and Bodene Thompson getting a taste of the big league and another pre-season under their belts, competition for positions is fierce with Brad Meyers, Josh Graham, Luke O'Dwyer, Sam Tagataese and Riley Brown all vying for selection.

"It's always good that those younger guys get a season under their belt and they come back better for the experience," said Minichiello of the challenge being presented by Thompson and Matthews.

"I think our pack's pretty strong and with those younger blokes coming through it will add a lot of enthusiasm to the side and nobody's position is safe.

"It may cause him some headaches but Carty is actually in a good position because he has plenty of blokes there all ready to go."

The Titans arrived back on the Coast worn out and weary yesterday after a horror trip to Darwin over the weekend.

After a disappointing loss to the Cowboys in heavy conditions on Saturday night, Darwin's monsoonal weather and mechanical issues with their plane combined to delay their arrival back on the Coast by 15 hours.

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

[DIEHARD]

Keen prop deserves a better break

GOLD Coast Titans front rower Michael Henderson will let nothing hold him back when the NRL season kicks off after he was yesterday given the all clear to resume running after a broken toe.

Forced out of the Titans' trials with Souths and the Cowboys, the injury was yet another minor stumbling block for Henderson but he concedes it was nothing compared to the pain and frustration of the past three years.

It's not too often you find a prop describing his pre-season as enjoyable but that's exactly how Henderson has been feeling this summer.

Dealt a cruel blow when he broke his leg in horrific circumstances against the Broncos early in the Titans' inaugural 2007 season, Henderson forced his way back on the field a year later before returning to form again last season.

And he is confident he can carry that momentum into this season, starting with the Warriors on Sunday week.

"It's enjoyable just to be able to run instead of being stuck in the gym or on a bike," said Henderson of spending hours on limited training programs while his teammates were running.

"You get a good base in the pre-season with the running and I've lacked that by being limited in what I could do in the last few years.

"It has been a bit different and the training has changed a bit but while it was tough I was probably a little bit keener than a couple of years ago because it's been a while."

With doctors yesterday clearing Henderson of major damage on his toe -- which was broken when it was jarred into the ground during a drill -- the 25-year-old will be doing everything in his power to be there against the Warriors.

Averaging 41 minutes in his 21 games last season, the former Dragon said eliminating errors and adding more `go forward' to the side was more important than extra game time this season.


"Everyone would like to play more minutes but for me that is not the biggest concern," he admits.

"It depends on the system Carty (coach John Cartwright) has in place but as long as I'm playing consistently, I don't mind how many minutes I'm playing.

"I'm worried about quality over quantity."

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

[DIEHARD]

Mannering confident he'll be fit to lead for start of NRL

New skipper Simon Mannering is confident he will be fit to take the field when the New Zealand Warriors open their National Rugby League season next week.

A hamstring injury suffered six weeks ago means Mannering missed the Warriors' three trial matches, which have brought wins over the Sydney Roosters and North Queensland and a draw last weekend with Manly.

However, the second rower expects to be able to lead the side come the round one fixture away to Gold Coast on March 14.

"Fingers crossed I'll be right," he said today.

"I should be back training at the end of the week.

"It's been a little frustrating, after doing most of the pre-season and then missing out on getting a couple of runs under the belt before the season starts, but these things happen."

Mannering's elevation to the captaincy, which he took over from prop Steve Price, came as surprise when the club announced the move late last year.

He was enjoying the role, although the injury meant it had been a little more low key than normal.

"It would have been nice to run out with the side at some stage before the season kicked off," he said.

"It's been pretty quiet. I've missed out on the trials and I've just been doing the rehab stuff. Things will pick up once the season kicks off and I'm excited and looking forward to it."

Opting for Mannering, 23, as skipper was one of a number changes the Warriors made in the wake of a disappointing 2009, when they went from one of the pre-season favourites to failing to make the playoffs.

He said the team had put last year behind them and the focus was on the upcoming campaign.

"There's heaps of new faces and heaps of young guys, and guys that have come from Australia, and they were not part of that," he said.

"It's sort of a fresh start. There's a lot of enthusiasm in the side and everyone is keen to put their hand up for a spot."

http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/news/

[titansrawesome]

whos going to this one?? i have to get to some titans games this year.........

[DIEHARD]

Yea Im there, front and centre, behind the northern sticks. Love it. I've missed the footy so much!

[titanstattman]

Yeah im thinkin g about going

[quinn loves titans]

Already bought the tickets.

[titansrawesome]

i envy you guys, i went to a big fat 0 games last year, i defiantely need at least 5 home games this year.

[titanstattman]

i envy you guys, i went to a big fat 0 games last year, i defiantely need at least 5 home games this year.

Im over the 50 mark....

[Mushi]

Def going - have missed footy so much I am counting down the days until round 1 kicks off and wouldn't miss the first home game for anything :)

[titansrawesome]

Im over the 50 mark....

WOW do you just not work weekends or put things off or..........

[titanstattman]

WOW do you just not work weekends or put things off or..........

Just about every home game than u got the tail games nd iv been to alot away games only place i havnt been to is NZ.

Here is a link to thread to see how many games we all been too

http://forum.titans.com.au/showthread.php?t=11178&highlight=titans+games

[TITAN PETE]

I'll be there before gates open :D ...i only hope that the rumor of a Picket line does not eventuate :nope:

[DIEHARD]

That's one picket I'd cross.

[DIEHARD]

I think we are heading for a very healthy crowd. We just need to hope for forgiving weather.

[daveyk]

I'll be there before gates open :D ...i only hope that the rumor of a Picket line does not eventuate :nope:

whats this you say?????

[DIEHARD]

NRL scheduling issue concerns Warriors

An NRL scheduling issue is causing concern among Warriors players.

The Warriors are due to kick-off against both the Gold Coast Titans and the Brisbane Broncos at one pm local time in their respective round one and round three fixtures in Queensland.

Warriors coach Ivan Cleary believes player safety is at risk with temperatures likely to be high.

Centre Jerome Ropati agrees, but says they just have to try to manage the problem. He says it is something they cannot change so hopefully it will not affect them too badly.

The new season gets underway on March 12.

http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/

[patskE]

soft......

[Coaster]

They should be more worried about bringing Floaties with the weather we are having.

PS:
I had to change what i was going to say, when i remember poor Sonny Fai, the post wasnt supposed to be a jig at that

[DIEHARD]

That certainly didn't occur to me Coaster. Really sad the whole Sonny Fai thing. I was looking at my Sonny Fai commerative wristband they were selling at games and thinking how terrible it was.

We should always remember.

But yes, hope this wild weather holds off! I hate wet games and I'd prefer we didn' play in the wet either.

[Supergoose]

So this is it - I love Tuesday night - it's better than Christmas unwrapping your team for the first game of the season. So many questions about who will line-up where and not just for our team but all 16. So what do we think Carty is going to do and who is out for the first game (other than Tonga and Atkins)? Is Cannings out?
I'm thinking will go with something like this.

1. Campbell
2. Gordon
3. Rogers
4. Tomane
5. Mead
6. Bird
7. Prince
8. Bailey
9. Friend
10. Henderson
11. Laffranchi
12. Minichiello
13. Harrison
14. White
15. Meyers
16. Matthews
17. Zillman

[quinn loves titans]

So this is it - I love Tuesday night - it's better than Christmas unwrapping your team for the first game of the season. So many questions about who will line-up where and not just for our team but all 16. So what do we think Carty is going to do and who is out for the first game (other than Tonga and Atkins)? Is Cannings out?
I'm thinking will go with something like this.

1. Campbell
2. Gordon
3. Rogers
4. Tomane
5. Mead
6. Bird
7. Prince
8. Bailey
9. Friend
10. Henderson
11. Laffranchi
12. Minichiello
13. Harrison
14. White
15. Meyers
16. Matthews
17. Zillman

awesome full strength squad:thumbsup:

[amaline]

Titans forward Luke Bailey injures knee in training

GOLD Coast star Luke Bailey is in doubt for his club's first round date with the Warriors after suffering a flare-up to a knee injury at training.

In an untimely headache for the Gold Coast just eight days out from their season opener at Skilled Park, Bailey hobbled off the training paddock during contact work yesterday.

The ex-Test star now faces a nervous wait to learn if his troublesome knee settles down just eight days out from the 2010 season opener. Despite the concern, coach John Cartwright was last night upbeat his No. 1 prop would lead his engine room against a Warriors pack missing Maroons Origin veteran Steve Price.

"We're pretty confident he'll be fine, we don't think he's hurt his medial ligaments again, he just got a knock in the same area," Cartwright said. Bailey first suffered the ligament tear during the Gold Coast's pre-season trial win against South Sydney at Coffs Harbour.

The injury kept Bailey out of the Titans' final pre-season tune-up in Darwin last weekend.

"He was 100 per cent to play the Cowboys but we just rested him as a precaution," Cartwright said. "With the weekend off hopefully there's nothing in this knock and he'll be right to train next week."

The Titans are close to settling on an extended 19-man squad for their season opener against New Zealand.

With fellow frontline prop Michael Henderson also hoping to be fit after surgery on his toe this week, Bodene Thompson and Will Matthews are pressing hard for berths.

While Bailey and Henderson are in doubt, ex-Test forward Brad Meyers (sternum) is fit, as is Matt White, a late withdrawal from the Titans' final trial with a virus.

In other news, it is believed Melbourne Storm recruit Joseph Tomane has edged ex-Kiwi Test star Clinton Toopi for the right centre jumper. Tomane is set to link with Papua New Guinea Test flyer David Mead.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/titans-forward-luke-bailey-injures-knee-in-training/story-e6frep5x-1225837563831

[meter maid]

Off to Adelaide on Thurs night for the Clipsal 500, so will miss the first game grrrrr............
Can't even watch it on tv as it's live on Fox! W.T.H! South Aus is so crap that NO league game is broadcast on free to air (except sometimes around midnight). Also gonna miss my beloved Eels play fri night too!

Does anyone know if you can watch games on nine msn on a laptop? I don't just want score upgrades, but a whole replay?

[curly_11]

Today is D Day! Cant wait to see the official squad thats going to take the field :D

[GCT_07]

How weird is this...... started seeing ads on the TV for the footy show and friday night footy........ and it was like when your sick and someone cooks you your favourite meal :laugh:

Good to see Dell on the footy show line up as well...... :thumbsup:

[DIEHARD]

Is Dell on Nine and Fox Sports? LOL

[TITAN PETE]

Is Dell on Nine and Fox Sports? LOL

Channel 9 Footy Show ;)

[quinn loves titans]

awesome such an entertainer cant wait for first show:thumbsup:

[Ryan]

Is Dell on Nine and Fox Sports? LOL
Yeh, he has signed with fox - Its called NR'Dell on dellevision

[Boofhead]

Titans
1. Preston Campbell
2. Kevin Gordon
3. Mat Rogers
4. Joseph Tomane
5. David Mead
6. Greg Bird
7. Scott Prince ?
8. Luke Bailey
9. Nathan Friend
10. Brad Meyers
11. Anthony Laffranchi
12. Mark Minichiello
13. Ashley Harrison

Interchange:
14. Matthew White
15. Sam Tagataese
16. Will Matthews
17. Riley Brown
18. Michael Henderson
19. William Zillman
20. Bodene Thompson

http://www.titans.com.au/default.asp...splay&id=23195

Warriors
1. Lance Hohaia
2. Kevin Locke
3. Brent Tate
4. Jerome Ropati
5. Manu Vatuvei
6. James Maloney
7. Brett Seymour
8. Sam Rapira
9. Aaron Heremaia
10. Russell Packer
11. Lewis Brown
12. Ben Matulino
13. Micheal Luck (C)

Interchange:
14. Wade McKinnon
15. Jeremy Latimore
16. Jesse Royal
17. Sione Lousi
18. Joel Moon

http://www.warriors.co.nz/news/496/m...nst-gold-coast

[teke]

Warriors have a good side there. Good mobile pack and some real good class in the backline. Watch out for Lewis Brown, he will cause our right centre defence some big problems.

This game is going to be close

[lonegull]

pretty predictable side from Carty although the make up of the Bench still looks lik eit is undetermined, if Hendo is fit he will fill one spot but gee the other three spots are hard to decide, i hope Zillman scores a place on the bench after what i seen in the trials looks as though he has his speed back

[TITAN PETE]

I look forward to Bodene getting a run early in the season maybe ahead of Mathews

[curly_11]

I also think Zillman deserves a bench spot but i really think matthews deserves it more than thompson...he has some promise and i have a feeling we will start to see him shine.

Not sure on thompson but that purely because i havent seen him that much and from what i have seen i think he needs more size and we got smashed not due to him...

[DIEHARD]

Pretty much what I expected. Great to see Tomane get a run first up.

Hoping that Zillman will get a spot on the bench.

Warriors have named a dangerous team, with all the focus on the Titans I was surprised to finally read the team they have put together.

[GCT_07]

Titans
1. Preston Campbell
2. Kevin Gordon
3. Mat Rogers
4. Joseph Tomane
5. David Mead
6. Greg Bird
7. Scott Prince ?
8. Luke Bailey
9. Nathan Friend
10. Brad Meyers
11. Anthony Laffranchi
12. Mark Minichiello
13. Ashley Harrison
Interchange:
14. Matthew White
15. Sam Tagataese16. Will Matthews
17. Riley Brown
18. Michael Henderson
19. William Zillman
20. Bodene Thompson



OMG...... what a line up!!!!!!!!!!!

That is unreal......Love seeing White and Tagataese as impact off the bench.

If I wasnt already counting how many sleeps to go....... after seeing that line up......

Well I ll be on the train that will get to skilled between 10 and 10.30

Ormeau Railway Station
9:48am
Coomera Railway Station
9:53am
Helensvale Railway Station
9:59am
Nerang Railway Station
10:04am
Robina Railway Station
10:10am

[titansrawesome]

where the fu** is cannings grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Supergoose]

Cannings is recovering from off-season surgery I believe (knee or shoulder I can't remember which). I expect 2 of White, Matthews, Henderson and Thompson to play with Tagataese or Riley Brown in one spot and Zillman in the other. Carty will use Bird in the forward rotation and slot Zillman at the back and bring Presto up late in the halves or maybe just the last quarter of the match.

Brown is an excellent player but I reckon Carty might go for the Tagataese X factor and if Henderson is fit he will get one spot and I'm guessing White the other.

[TITAN PETE]

The early word is Hendo has been given the all clear to start running Wednesday so it will be up 2 Carty to determine if he's ready for round 1 & if not the team will probably start as 1 to 17 he has already picked ;)

[karnage]

Looks to me as though Carty has shown his hand and that 14-17 have the inside running.

I can see the value in having an extra forward utility on the bench in the shape of Brown given the likely conditions of a 1pm kickoff.

We have to win the game but we also need the boys to come through in good enough order to front up in Sydney the following Friday. Carty might see the value in giving Friend 15 or 20 on the bench to keep him up to the mark for Rd 2.

[titansrawesome]

im not fans of hendo and white though....
we seriously need a marquee prop next year.

[Supergoose]

This match will be won at the nine, seven, six and one. While the teams across the rest of the park are reasonably even (I think we have a slight edge) we are very dominant in those positions and should secure the win - white away jersey and all, very comfortably. Not sure the bench will matter but I will be surprised if Zillman's not on it. Tagataese, Harrison and Mini can play centre at a pinch releasing Rogers to cover other backline positions should injury strike but having Zillman their would prove less disruptive. I really think Carty is still not sure which way he will go just yet.

[TITAN PETE]

im not fans of hendo and white though....
we seriously need a marquee prop next year.

Hendo will become the marquee prop this season !

[GCT_07]

I m a fan of White...... It sort of feels like he s not steppin it up becuase he s not a 'key player' but I reacon that this year we will see a confidence change in him and he will step it up.

Having said that..................... I could be wrong...... I remember I was wrong once before....... a few years back.:D

[DIEHARD]

Cartwright calls on Laffranchi to prop up Titans

ANTHONY Laffranchi has no qualms about stepping into the Titans' engine room to help alleviate some of the pressure on the Gold Coast's big men in Sunday's NRL season opener against the New Zealand Warriors.

As the club sweats on the availabililty of hulking forwards Brad Meyers (sternum), Luke Bailey (knee) and Michael Henderson (broken toe), Titans coach John Cartwright yesterday named a 20-man squad to allow his key trio every chance to prove their fitness.

But with the match scheduled to kick off at 1pm and question marks over the fitness of the men up front, Laffranchi, named at second row, said he was happy to put his hat in the ring to fill any void.

"I've been there and done that before and my role won't change," said Laffranchi, who wore the No.8 for the Tigers in their 2005 grand final win over the Cowboys.

"If they need me to move up to the front row for a short period in the game to give the bigger guys a break, I'll be more than happy to."

An avid fan of Laffranchi's no nonsense work ethic, coach John Cartwright said it was a bonus knowing he could call on the Test and Origin forward to help fill the void.

"If we lost Bailey and Henderson and with Aaron Cannings unavailable, we would be a bit skinny in the front row," he said.

"But Boof's (Laffranchi) won a grand final in the front row so we have put him on notice that he may be there."

While much hinges on the fitness of the front row, three of the club's off-season recruits have won places in the squad for the opening round.

Storm signing Joseph Tomane has been rewarded for his impressive trials form and will start in the centres, with Greg Bird to partner skipper Scott Prince in the halves.

The versatility of Riley Brown will give the Titans an advantage, with Cartwright opting for the former Roosters utility on the bench.

"Riley has earned a spot on the bench and I think with the heat it's important we have back up for (hooker Nathan Friend)," said Cartwright.

"The beauty of Riley is that he covers so many spots, he can play back row, hooker, half, five-eighth and even centre if he has to.

"And with the conditions the way they are, we may need some extra back-up there."

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

[DIEHARD]

Titans v Warriors
Skilled Park Sunday 1pm (Qld time)

Before a ball has even been kicked in this first round match-up, the New Zealand-based side is crying foul ? and perhaps with good reason.

With the temperatures expected to soar around the 1pm kick-off time, the Titans have elected to wear their alternate white strip, forcing the Warriors into wearing their black outfits, which sparked some outrage across the ditch.

We say ?well played? Titans, as it is within their rights to do so? but at the end of the day it will just make the Warriors hungrier to grab their first win at Skilled Park.

The Titans shape up nicely for the new season after making the finals for the first time in 2009, with many predicting a stellar year should they remain injury-free. They defeated Souths 28-22 before falling 22-4 to the Cowboys in Darwin during the trials.

New recruit Joseph Tomane gets a crack in the centres and Greg Bird is officially five-eighth.

The Warriors, on the other hand, are a team people differ on, with some experts calling them finals bound and others predicting a wooden spoon.

They opened the trials with a 26-8 win over the Roosters, then backed it up with a 28-6 win over the Cowboys, before settling for a 16-all draw with Manly.

They are without new captain Simon Mannering and old captain Steve Price, leaving Micheal Luck to skipper the side.

Lance Hohaia is fullback, with Wade McKinnon on the bench, Brent Tate is back in NRL action after an injury-ravaged 2009, while the halves pairing is James Maloney and Brett Seymour.

Watch out Titans: The two wingers in black jerseys are contrasting but equally dangerous. Big Manu Vatuvei is back in business on one flank for the Warriors, and coming up against a smaller Titan backline would make the Kiwi monolith salivate. He averaged 135 metres a match last year and had 11 line-breaks, with 13 tries and 81 tackle breaks. Should he stay fully fit these figures will surely rise.

On the other wing is young speed machine Kevin Locke. Still building his way into NRL football, Locke has pace and skill to burn and can scorch the turf from long range. The Titans will be looking to stop the ball getting wide.

Watch out Warriors: Greg Bird has plenty to prove, even if he plays it all down in the lead-up. Bird has been the focus for all the wrong reasons in the past few years and now has the opportunity to do what he does best ? play footy.

He is a triple threat as a footballer. He can run through the line, he can pass before the line and he can offload in traffic. Gifted players like him become hard to defend against and with extra defenders on watch, Scott Prince will have the freedom to do even more. The Warriors shouldn?t get gun shy though; they need to pressure the halves pairing and force them into decisions. If they hold off, they?ll get smoked.

Where it will be won: Completion rates are the absolute key here. If it is as hot as many predict it might get, then we are guaranteed to get points scored off the back or errors and missed tackles.

Both teams will have lapses and the side that has more ball will get more chance to crack the weary defence. Last season, the two sides were almost identical in handling errors so there appears to be no lean either way in that regard.

However the Titans missed 51 more tackles over the regular season than the Warriors, so maybe the Kiwi-based side has a sniff? Well, if they are creating and finishing off more chances than last year they do. You see, the side only scored 28 tries direct from line-breaks last year, while the Titans managed 40. When you make a break, you have to finish it off.

Sadly for the Warriors, they allowed 48 tries from other teams? line-breaks so their scramble was the worst in the league.

The History: Played 5; Titans 3, Warriors 2. After the Warriors won the first two matches between the clubs the Titans have won the past three straight, including two matches last season.

At Skilled Park the Titans have won two of two, with the average winning margin being 14 points. In fact, the closest margin in all five previous meetings between the sides has been 12, so the precedent is there for a one-way result.

Conclusion: The Titans at home are difficult to tip against, especially when they front up against a Warriors side without their top two leaders. If it gets hot, the Warriors will melt, but the Titans have been acclimatising all summer. There is enough skill in the Warriors? unit to produce an upset? but it?s unlikely. Stick with the Gold Coast.

Match officials: Referees ? Matt Cecchin & Chris James; Sideline Officials ? Luke Potter & Adam Devcich; Video Ref ? Phil Cooley.

Televised: Fox Sports 2 ? Live from 2pm (AEDT).

Source: http://www.nrl.com

[timor 2]

This match will be won at the nine, seven, six and one. While the teams across the rest of the park are reasonably even (I think we have a slight edge) we are very dominant in those positions and should secure the win - white away jersey and all, very comfortably. Not sure the bench will matter but I will be surprised if Zillman's not on it. Tagataese, Harrison and Mini can play centre at a pinch releasing Rogers to cover other backline positions should injury strike but having Zillman their would prove less disruptive. I really think Carty is still not sure which way he will go just yet.

Hi Super goose, Will Zillman has been named to turn out for the Ipswich Jet Q-Cup side at Fullback on Saturday Night...

[DIEHARD]

Crowd pleaser fit for Warriors clash

BEARDED Gold Coast Titans forward Brad Meyers last night brushed aside concerns over his injured sternum to declare himself a certain starter for Sundays season-opening clash against the Warriors.

In a huge boost for the Titans ahead of the Skilled Park showdown, Meyers breezed through an opposed session against the club's under-20 side at Station Reserve at Robina yesterday.

"I will be playing," said Meyers after the session.

"It has just been precaution with the sternum, save stirring it up through the week -- we wanted to give it as much rest as we could."

Pack leader Luke Bailey also appears certain to line up after testing out his injured knee, while prop Michael Henderson (toe) -- the Titans' other main injury concern -- did not train.

The Warriors game will mark Meyers' 150th first-grade appearance and comes a decade after making his debut for the Brisbane Broncos as a 20-year-old against Canberra in Round 14 of the 2000 season.

Prop Matt White will also rack up his 50th NRL cap against New Zealand.

"It should be good (playing 150th), but I have to worry about playing good footy first," said Meyers.

"I never really thought much about milestones, I just wanted to play footy and that is what I am doing."

The red-haired Gold Coast crowd favourite, who celebrated his 30th birthday in January, is off-contract at the end of the year.


But Meyers, who manages his own affairs, has no plans to pull the curtains on his distinguished career.

The former Australia and Queensland representative, who also had a successful stint in the UK Super League, is hoping for a contract extension so he can remain on the Coast for at least the next two years.

"I am feeling good and had a good year last year, said Meyers.

"Hopefully I can continue that and get a couple more years.

"There is a lot of guys running around, who are still a bit older than me.

"I wouldn't mind hanging around ... but we will just wait and see.

"We have to get into the season first before we start worrying about that."

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

[DIEHARD]

Hot kick-off time confuses Warriors coach

Warriors coach Ivan Cleary describes the decision to kick off their season in the heat of a Queensland afternoon as "confusing" and his squad are taking precautions to counter the associated problems against the Gold Coast Titans.

A 1pm kickoff (4pm NZ time) at Skilled Park in Robina on Sunday will place added pressure on a new-look Warriors side as they come up against a Titans outfit in tune with the heat and humidity and keen to pick up from where they left off last year, finishing third in the NRL compared to the Warriors' 14th.

"It's early and it's a little confusing I suppose when you consider there are only two day games in the eight each week and they pick one in southeast Queensland in March," Cleary said of the early afternoon match.

"But I guess that's where today's game is – it's all based around TV and we just have to roll with it.

"It's definitely a tough start for sure. The Titans are very hard to beat up there and I'm sure they will be again this week. But we might as well get in and find out what's it's all about quickly."

The Warriors' waterboys are set for a busy afternoon. Rehydration will be a key factor.

"We have done a couple of things. It's not scientific ... it's just trying to keep the boys' body temperatures down as much as we can with some of the things they drink before the game and during the game and ice really," explained Cleary.

"You try to prepare as best as you can but in reality it's going to be hot. We know that and that's part of playing in the NRL in Australia."

After a successful preseason Cleary is itching to get the real stuff rolling.

"I'm excited to kick it all off. You can do all the preparation you want but I guess until you start your competition you are only guessing in many aspects or trying to predict. So it's nice to get out there and get it going."

Cleary said that if the Warriors stuck to their game plan he was confident they would be competitive in a championship he believes will be as even as ever.

"I look at every side and you would think every side has a good chance of having a good season. I guess that's the beauty of our competition – there's not a lot of difference between the top and bottom. It's a long hard year there are going to be plenty of ups and downs."

As the Warriors prepared to cross the Tasman, Cleary also spoke on the possibility of the talented Sonny Bill Williams joining the club.

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport

[DIEHARD]

Warriors can handle the heat

Micheal Luck and Lance Hohaia are playing down concerns about the Gold Coast heat in the Warriors opening game

The Warriors are playing down the heat factor as they prepare for the Gold Coast and Sunday's season opener against the Titans.

The club had expressed concerns to the NRL that the 1pm local kick off time for their two opening games.

The Gold Coast Titans have seized on this for Sunday's opening round match and have elected to play in their white strip, forcing the Warriors to play in either their black or blue jersey.

The Warriors are trying to rush through a new lighter, cooler playing strip for the match. However the temperature on the Gold Coast on Sunday afternoon is only expected to be in the early 20s.

Stand-in captain Micheal Luck feels the heat issue is a storm in a teacup.

"In my opinion it's the same as the Cowboys coming over here in the middle of July at four in the arvo when it's five degrees. It's just something you've got to deal with. We're not going to worry about it too much."

Fullback Lance Hohaia is not overly concerned either.

"There are games at 2.30 in the afternoon on Sundays I have played before here and in Australia. So in my mind it's not that big a deal, I mena obviously depending on what jersey we wear I guess it's going to be a little hot for us."

Source: http://www.radiosport.co.nz

[GCT_07]

I swear... if the Warriors dont stop the oh poor me cr@p I might have to meet them at the airport with a big box of tissues.

Anywayyyyy ......... Just got back from skilled........ Drums are all there ready to go as well as all the IRONED flags and banners.......... One thing I hate more than sewing the d@mn things in the first place is ironing them again............:censored:

Oh well.... all done.............

3 Sleeps to go

[hugebrianfan]

I'll be going, cant wait. it will be good woohoo

[DIEHARD]

Maloney gets a shot

New Zealand Warriors recruit James Maloney has been thrown in the deep-end with his new club and will start at half-back against a tough looking Gold Coast Titans side at Skilled Park on Sunday.

Maloney joined the Warriors from the Melbourne Storm in the hope of getting some more game time and has got his wish after a solid pre-season with his new side.

The 23-year-old said he is excited at being named in the starting team and is looking forward to kicking the season off this weekend.

'Like most of the boys, I'm over the pre-season and got the trials out of the way so this is a good part of the season,' he said.

'I'm personally pretty excited to get a starting spot which is what I've come here for so I'm looking forward to it.

'I've been pretty happy with it (pre-season performance). Obviously there's always thing to work on and I'll keep working on them during the year, but I'm definitely happy with my early-year form.'

Maloney will pair up with fellow newcomer Brett Seymour in the halves and has been happy to have dodged the spotlight due to Seymour's arrival.

Seymour, an extremely gifted player that looked to have thrown his career away in 2009 after a string off off-field misbehaviour, is looking revamp his career in a new club and a new country.

'It's probably good to fly under the radar a bit so I've just got to do what I do,' said Maloney.

'Hopefully on the field I can play well with Brett and we can get a win first up.

'He's obviously a very good player and he's played a lot of games so that makes him very easy to play with. It's (the combination with Seymour) is getting better each time we play together so we'll just keep working on it as we go and hopefully it'll be real good by the end of the year.'

Maloney, at just 81kg, is not the most imposing player in the club and looks tiny next to the likes of Warriors heavyweights Manu Vatuvei and Russell Packer but backs his ability to mix it with the big boys.

'I like to think my defence is pretty strong in the halves and also just providing options all over the park and taking the ball to the line and asking questions of their defence.'

http://bigpondnews.com/

[Coaster]

I hope Bird crushes the kid

[DIEHARD]

Scott Prince just said on Sky News. Along the lines of...

"It's a psychological advantage, they say black is slimming, so hopefully Manu will look skinnier."

White jersey looks great.

[quinn loves titans]

Cant Wait OMG! 1 more sleep til NRL WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP

[DIEHARD]

Titans to boast fresh look against Warriors
Adam Gardini

Premiership winning forward Anthony Laffranchi believes new recruits Greg Bird and Joseph Tomane will add an exciting new dimension to the Jetstar Gold Coast Titans in 2010.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s eagerly anticipated season-opening clash against the New Zealand Warriors at Skilled Park, Jetstar Titans forward Laffranchi said fans could expect a new look from the Titans this season.

With imposing defender Bird named to play at five-eighth and giant 19-year-old Joseph Tomane to play in the centres, the Titans will boast a noticeably bigger backline compared to recent seasons.

“Those guys add a bit of size on our edges which we probably lacked a bit last year,’’ said Laffranchi.

“Having Birdy on the edge adds a bit more size and with young Joseph Tomane in the centres – he’s a big lad, nearly one of the biggest at the club, so he’ll be great for us this year.”

Jetstar Titans coach John Cartwright rated Tomane as the club’s ‘most damaging player’ during three pre-season trial matches which netted two wins against the Broncos and Souths and a loss to the Cowboys in wet conditions in Darwin.

“He’s probably been our most damaging player,’’ said Cartwright.

“Even up in Darwin in the terrible wet conditions, he was still our most dangerous player so hopefully we get a fast track on the weekend as well.”

The Jetstar Titans will reveal their brand new white away jerseys for the match after the club opted to wear the lighter colour jerseys over the traditional blue home jersey due to the anticipated hot conditions.

Laffranchi said he hoped the weather stayed kind to the club ahead of the clash against the Warriors.

“I can’t pick the weather but hopefully its sunny and the stands are full of people,” he said.

“If it’s hot, everyone’s prepared for it. We’ve been training in it all summer and I’m sure it’ll be a good game against the Warriors.

“It’s great, I can’t wait. The off-season has been really good on the Coast and our squad has come together really well.

“Round 1 is always a good time and I love my footy so I can’t wait for it to come around.”

In team changes, prop Michael Henderson has been ruled out with a toe injury but fellow front rowers Luke Bailey and Brad Meyers have been cleared to play following injury concerns.

Emerging young forward Bodene Thompson has been given the green light to take his place on a four-man interchange bench which includes prop Matt White, backrower/centre Sam Tagataese and versatile utility Riley Brown.

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

[DIEHARD]

WARRIORS COUNTER ATTACK!

Warriors to don their Anniversary jersey this Sunday

The Warriors will don their 15 year anniversary jersey when they take on the Gold Coast Titans this Sunday at Skilled Park.

After initially being forced to wear their home jersey due to the Titans electing to run out in their predominately white alternative strip, the Warriors requested approval from the NRL to wear the special anniversary strip.

The NRL has granted approval for the club to wear the jersey, deeming that there is a sufficient contrast between the playing strips of both clubs.

The Warriors 15 Year Anniversary Jersey:
http://www.nrl.com/Portals/0/images/bigpond/warriors_anniversary.jpg

http://www.nrl.com/

[DIEHARD]

Thompson unleashed for Titans' physical challenge

GOLD Coast Titans forward Bodene Thompson loves the physicality of rugby league so he should find his Nirvana at Skilled Park this weekend after the 21-year-old was drafted into the NRL side to take on the hulking New Zealand Warriors forward pack in Sunday's National Rugby League season opener.

Forward Michael Henderson was yesterday declared a non-starter as he struggles to overcome a broken toe, prompting Titans coach John Cartwright to give Thompson the nod against a team he grew up supporting as a young kid growing up in Tauranga.

After impressing Cartwright during the pre-season, a leaner, stronger Thompson was excited yesterday by the prospect of getting in the thick of the action on Sunday.

"I always watched them (Warriors) growing up but that was the same for every kid in New Zealand I think," said Thompson, nicknamed Bo Shooter by his teammates.

"The Warriors are a big strong side and I like to play tough up front and I'll be challenging myself, so it will be good."

After three performances in the NRL before an ankle injury against the Raiders in Round 17 cut short his season short in 2009, Thompson admits he was still learning the game.

"I haven't played much so it was a big learning curve and I'm still learning heaps now," said Thompson, who only began playing rugby league at 16 when he moved to the Coast with mum Bridget.

"But Carty has been great and helped so much to get me to where I'm at now.

"I'm just glad I'm in the mix and now it's about playing strongly and trying to keep my place and that's where my focus is."

After initial doubts on the fitness of the front row, Cartwright confirmed Luke Bailey (knee) and Bred Meyers (sternum) would take their place after again getting through training unscathed.

While confident Henderson, who underwent surgery to remove a bone spur on his foot last week, would be fit for next week's clash with the Rabbitohs, Cartwright had no doubt Thompson would fill the void after a tireless pre-season.

"You like to reward effort and it's nice to be able to tell a fellow he's there for his effort (and) Riley Brown's in the same boat," said Cartwright of Thompson and Brown's selection on the interchange bench alongside Matt White and Sam Tagataese.

"Riley came here for an opportunity and Bodene was in a similar situation and they give everything they have got.

"There was a couple of tight decisions but we like to reward effort and no one has trained harder than those two guys."

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

[Coaster]

WARRIORS COUNTER ATTACK!

Warriors to don their Anniversary jersey this Sunday

The Warriors will don their 15 year anniversary jersey when they take on the Gold Coast Titans this Sunday at Skilled Park.

After initially being forced to wear their home jersey due to the Titans electing to run out in their predominately white alternative strip, the Warriors requested approval from the NRL to wear the special anniversary strip.

The NRL has granted approval for the club to wear the jersey, deeming that there is a sufficient contrast between the playing strips of both clubs.

The Warriors 15 Year Anniversary Jersey:
http://www.nrl.com/Portals/0/images/bigpond/warriors_anniversary.jpg

http://www.nrl.com/

haha great mind games, love it.

[DIEHARD]

Wade McKinnon out of Warriors first NRL game

The Warriors have suffered a blow ahead of their season-opener against the Titans with Wade McKinnon ruled out of the trip to the Gold Coast.

The fullback was only on the bench for Sunday’s match at Skilled Park in Robina but was set to play a major role with his impact in what are expected to be very hot conditions with the 1pm kickoff.

An infection has prevented McKinnon training this week and last night he was ruled out.

Joel Moon, originally part of a five-man bench, is now a confirmed starter on the interchange bench.

The Warriors left Auckland this morning for Brisbane with a squad of 17 players.

A Junior Warriors player will be added to the line-up as 18th man on Sunday following their NYC match against Gold Coast.

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/

[titansrawesome]

Wade McKinnon out of Warriors first NRL game

The Warriors have suffered a blow ahead of their season-opener against the Titans with Wade McKinnon ruled out of the trip to the Gold Coast.

The fullback was only on the bench for Sunday?s match at Skilled Park in Robina but was set to play a major role with his impact in what are expected to be very hot conditions with the 1pm kickoff.

An infection has prevented McKinnon training this week and last night he was ruled out.

Joel Moon, originally part of a five-man bench, is now a confirmed starter on the interchange bench.

The Warriors left Auckland this morning for Brisbane with a squad of 17 players.

A Junior Warriors player will be added to the line-up as 18th man on Sunday following their NYC match against Gold Coast.

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/

they must all be scared to get their ass kicked,kevin locke and maybe tate will have the only decent games on their team.

[DIEHARD]

Friend, ready to fire against the Warriors

Pint size, Titans hooker Nathan Friend is ready to pick up from where he signed off in 2009.

Last years Paul Broughton medal winner, (awarded to the clubs best and fairest player) is one of the countries leading Dream team selections across all NRL fans because he regularly earns bonus points for his immense work load and high tackle count.

The quietly spoken number Nine promises nothing will change as he prepares to kick off his fourth season with the Jetstar Gold Coast Titans.

To watch an exclusive interview with Nathan Friend, please click on the Link below,

http://www.titans.com.au/default.aspx?s=titans-tv&vid=3575

There are still plenty of tickets available for Sundays round 1 clash against the Warriors, gates open at 10:40 with Kick off in the main game 1:00pm

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

[DIEHARD]

Bird warned to control aggression

FORMER Test and Origin firebrand Mark Geyer has warned Gold Coast Titans recruit Greg Bird to play down his `enforcer' tag and focus on `methodical destruction' as the controversial five-eighth prepares to make his long-awaited NRL comeback.

All eyes will be fixed on Bird when he runs out at Skilled Park in a Gold Coast jumper for the first time against the New Zealand Warriors tomorrow, his first competition game back in Australia since being punted from the Sharks in 2008.

In the wake of his high-profile court case and a forced sabbatical in the UK Super league, the 26-year-old is tipped to unleash 18 months of pent up frustration.

But Geyer urged Bird not to let the emotion of the occasion get the better of him.

"I think he should play down as much as he can being the enforcer and the aggressor because not only will fans be looking out for him, but referees, even if it is subconsciously, will be looking at him as well," said Geyer.

"I think below the radar should be his attitude and he should do his destruction in a methodical way.

"I love the fact that he is back in the NRL. But let's not beat around the bush, all that stuff to do with his girlfriend is going to be a good source of ridicule from opponents.

"Just how much he lets it get under his skin will have a lot to do with how much he helps the Titans have a successful season."

One of the most feared forwards of the late 1980s and 1990s, Geyer said Bird could not afford to be drawn into the expected barrage of on-field sledging and had to rise above the taunts or it would disrupt his game.

"He is the type of five-eighth who intimidates the opposition with his mere presence," said Geyer.

"But again it is how much he ignores the taunts that will determine how well he goes.

"Especially if his team is winning and he is playing a starring role, I think it is inevitable (he will get sledged).

"Maybe not so much from the New Zealand boys, perhaps they have been a bit more oblivious to what has been going on.

"But once he plays the Sydney clubs and away from his home ground, I definitely think the sledging and the taunts will be there.

"He has just got to turn the other cheek. I know it is hard to do, because trust me I have been there.

"But for him to make the complete 180 in his life, he has got to be able to do it."

Former Test and NSW pivot Bird has proved close to the model player since linking with the Titans.

Determined to resurrect his representative career, Bird has also sought out NRL cult hero Wendell Sailor for advice on winning back fans and appears to be doing and saying all the right things.

The reaction of the Skilled Park crowd tomorrow will be a litmus test of how much his early efforts have been successful.

"He is the piece of the jigsaw the Titans have been missing the past couple of years," said Geyer.

"There is no doubt that the three years in the competition they have been a success story but I think to go one step further they need a bloke of the calibre of Bird.

"He could end up playing State of Origin this year if he ticks all the boxes early.

"Out of the three Queensland teams I think they have got the best chance of winning the comp."

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

[DIEHARD]

Packer plans to 'just do my job'

Warriors prop Russell Packer is not likely to take anybody by surprise this season in the National Rugby League, but that doesn't bother him.

Foxton's top sporting export was one of the finds of the season for the Warriors last year and impressed in his first full year in the NRL, after debuting in late 2008.

An injury to Steve Price has opened the door for Packer to start against the Gold Coast Titans in Queensland tomorrow and he is not worried about the scouting that opposition sides have done on him.

"It doesn't bother me what anyone else thinks," he said. "I'll just go out there and play the best I can.

"Pricey's out this week, which is a lot of experience. I'll just try and take the opportunity, play the best I can and do my job."

The Warriors are also without new captain Simon Mannering and will be led by Micheal Luck, with some of the pre-match talk surrounding what jerseys the teams will wear.

The afternoon Queensland sun is likely to play a part in the game, which kicks off at 1pm local time. The Titans have opted to play in their away strip of white, forcing the Warriors into their black jerseys, which attract more heat.

Such things do not bother former Manawatu College student Packer.

"Everyone knows it's going to be hot," he said. "Everyone's playing on the same field. At the end of the day it's just a jersey. We've got to get out there and just play.

"If you play good enough, the heat won't matter."

Packer spent the off-season trying to work on his fitness.

Last season was a disaster for the Warriors after they were tipped to be title contenders and finished 14th, with comeback king Stacey Jones failing to fire.

They have recruited Australian Brett Seymour, who has a history of off-field issues, to fill the vacant halfback position and Packer said they were ready to perform.

"There's been quite a big turnover of players and quite a few new guys coming in in crucial positions," he said. "Everyone's looking forward to putting last year in the back of their minds.

"We are a new team and we are trying to show that on the field."

Former Warrior Clinton Toopi missed the opportunity to play against his old club when he did not make the match-day squad for the Titans.

Toopi has returned to league this season after a stint playing rugby.

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/

[DIEHARD]

Northern exposure for Brown

CUT by both Newcastle and the Sydney Roosters in the space of two years, you would imagine the decision to join the Gold Coast would have been straightforward for Riley Brown. But that would cut short a long, tragic story.

Brown raised his two younger brothers in suburban Newcastle after his father, Ross, was convicted of the murder of his mother, Judith, at Anna Bay 10 years ago. Brown and his brothers have always believed their father innocent and regularly visit him at Lithgow prison, where he is serving a 17-year sentence.

Which is why the prospect of a move north, while appetising for a rugby league player out of a job, was not without its difficulties. At the Knights, and even the Roosters, his father was a couple of hours away. Not so from north of the border. ''When I was in Sydney every Friday night game I could go see him on a Saturday or Sunday but now that I'm up here I'll probably just wait until the byes. He knows that as well,'' Brown said.

''I actually saw him last weekend gone. We had the weekend off so I flew down to Sydney and then borrowed a car and went and visited him for the weekend.''

Brown's father was delighted to hear the Titans had picked up his son, following a 2009 campaign in which he missed the first 20 rounds after breaking his forearm three times.

''He was stoked,'' said Brown, who will start from the bench against the New Zealand Warriors at Skilled Park tomorrow. ''It doesn't really matter where I am. He just loves seeing me playing well and in the NRL. He listens to the radio and reads the papers - he loves it. If we've got [free-to-air] TV games he can watch them too.''

Distance from his dad aside, the utility is thrilled at the fresh start he has been given on the tourist strip and, as a country lad born in Bundaberg and raised in Singleton, is lapping up the ''cruisier'' way of living, having swapped Bondi for Broadbeach.

He credits Craig Fitzgibbon with laying the groundwork for the move, revealing the departed Roosters stalwart recommended him to Titans coach John Cartwright. Soon enough his manager, Todd Buckingham, and the club were chatting. The result was a one-year deal. ''I enjoyed my time at the Roosters but I'm glad I'm out of Sydney because I'm originally from the country.'' Brown said. ''It was just so busy and hectic.''

Brown played 40 games in four seasons at the Knights before being discarded in 2007. Newcastle's trash became the Roosters' treasure, and in his first year in the eastern suburbs he became a fixture in Brad Fittler's side. However, a broken arm suffered in the qualifying final defeat to Brisbane that year cruelled his season and most of the next.

A new arrival at the Titans - albeit one who has garnered almost zero attention thanks to the focus on the Gold Coast's other recruits Greg Bird, Joseph Tomane and Clinton Toopi - Brown is upbeat about where the fourth-year club is headed.

He has made a quick impression on Cartwright, winning a place on the bench against the Warriors as the Titans' jack-of-all-trades at the expense of the highly regarded William Zillman. He is determined to repay the faith.

''They are a club on the rise. They've only been in the competition a few years and they got third last year,'' said Brown, whose 17-year-old brother Gene is also on the Titans' books. ''Now we just want to go that step further.

''We're playing at one o'clock [tomorrow] so we're expecting it to be pretty warm. Carty said 'expect to be playing anywhere'.''

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

[DIEHARD]

Geyer tells bird to cage his rage

FORMER Test and Origin firebrand Mark Geyer has warned Titans recruit Greg Bird to play down his "enforcer" tag and focus on "methodical destruction" as the controversial five-eighth prepares to make his long-awaited NRL comeback.

All eyes will be focused on Bird when he runs out at Skilled Park in a Gold Coast jumper for the first time against the New Zealand Warriors tomorrow, his first competition game back in Australia since being punted from the Sharks in 2008.

In the wake of his high-profile court case and a forced sabbatical in the UK Super league, the 26-year-old is tipped to unleash 18 months of pent-up frustration.

But Geyer urged Bird not to let the emotion of the occasion get the better of him.

"He should play down as much as he can being the enforcer and the aggressor because not only will fans be looking out for him, but referees, even if it is subconsciously, will be looking at him as well," said Geyer.

"I think below the radar should be his attitude and he should do his destruction in a methodical way.

"I love the fact that he is back in the NRL.

"But let's not beat around the bush, all that stuff to do with his girlfriend is going to be a good source of ridicule from opponents.

"Just how much he lets it get under his skin will have a lot to do with how much he helps the Titans have a successful season."

One of the most feared enforcers of the late 1980s and 1990s, Geyer said Bird could not afford to be drawn into the expected barrage of on-field sledging and had to rise above the taunts or it would disrupt his game.

"He is the type of five-eighth who intimidates with his mere presence," said Geyer. "But again it is how much he ignores the taunts that will determine how well he goes. Especially if his team is winning and he is playing a starring role, I think it is inevitable (he will get sledged).

"Maybe not so much from the New Zealand boys, perhaps they have been a bit more oblivious to what has been going on. But once he plays the Sydney clubs and away from his home ground, I definitely think the sledging and the taunts will be there.

"He has just got to turn the other cheek.

"I know it is hard to do, because trust me I have been there.

"But for him to make the complete 180 in his life, he has got to be able to do it."

Former Test and NSW pivot Bird has proved close to the model player since linking with the Titans.

Determined to resurrect his representative career, Bird has also sought out NRL cult hero Wendell Sailor for advice on winning back fans and appears to be doing and saying all the right things.

The reaction of the Skilled Park crowd tomorrow will be a good litmus test of much his early efforts have been successful.

"He is the piece of the jigsaw the Titans have been missing the past couple of years," said Geyer.

"There is no doubt that the three years in the competition they have been a success story but I think to go one step further they need a bloke of the calibre of Bird.

"He could end up playing State of Origin this year if he ticks all the boxes early.

"Out of the three Queensland teams I think they have got the best chance of winning the comp."

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

[DIEHARD]

Riley and Thompson deserve selection

Titans coach John Cartwright would have enjoyed breaking the news to utility Riley Brown and hulking young prop Bodene Thompson that they'd scraped into his 17-man squad to tackle the Warriors at Skilled Park on Sunday.

Most the time Cartwright delivers disappointing news to players who've just missed out.

In Brown's case, the former Roosters utility impressed with tireless work during the pre-season.

Thompson's cause may have been aided by the withdrawal of front-rower Michael Henderson, although Cartwright - a tough, creative forward for Penrith in the 1980-90s - had also been delighted with his early season commitment.

"I like to reward effort and Bodene and Riley Brown were in the same boat," said Cartwright, confident he could match the Warriors muscle up front.

"They give everything they've got.

"There were a few tight decision but nobody trained harder than those two guys."

Brown, whose past few years have been more like a theme park ride than a rugby league career, said he was grateful for the opportunity.

"I was surprised but it was a goal of mine," said the 25 year-old whose NRL journey started with the Newcastle Knights.

Brown broke his arm in the 2008 finals against Brisbane in 2008 and didn't play again until late in 2009 when the Roosters were going badly.

His work ethic, combined with his ability to play multiple positions, was a winner with Cartwright.

"I knuckled down, trained hard and trialled well and Carty has given me an opportunity on Sunday and I'm looking forward to it," he said.

"I can play a few positions and the prediction is for very warm weather so that's why Carty said I'm there."

Riley can toil in the back row but is also capable of slipping into dummy half should hooker Nathan Friend need a spell which, given the forecast, seems very likely.

"I don't think anyone can go 80 minutes in heat," conceded Cartwright.

Warriors strike player Wade McKinnon has joined new skipper Simon Mannering and former skipper Steve Price on the injured list but Titans captain Scott Prince is wary of rival No.7 Brett Seymour and the return of Brent Tate from a serious knee injury.

Prince and Seymour jostled for playing time at the Broncos before Prince joined the Wests Tigers and then linked with the Gold Coast.

"Brett will give them structure and he has quite a good kicking game," said Prince.

"I played with him at the Broncs and he was part of he reason why I left.

"I've got a lot of respect for him and let's hope we can counteract him."

Tate is another former Bronco teammate rated highly by Prince.

"He's suffered a bit over the last few years with his injuries," said Prince, who battled to overcome his own injury demons at Red Hill.

"He's all class and definitely a player we will have to watch closely."

Source: http://www.nrl.com/

[DIEHARD]

Running times:
Round 1 Warriors Sunday 14 March 2010

Box Offices Open: 10.10am
Gates Open: 10.40am
Under 20's Kick Off: 10.45am
Kick Off: 1pm

[Blazertaser]

Ill be getting there around 10:40 :)
See you all there

Blazer:thumbsup:

[Blazertaser]

DIMINUTIVE Gold Coast fullback Preston Campbell will try to run over the top of 112kg New Zealand Warriors winger Manu Vatuvei at Skilled Park tomorrow if he feels it will lift his teammates.

Campbell inspired the Indigenous team with a kamikaze charge at giant English forward Sam Burgess in the inaugural All Stars match at Skilled Park last month.

Burgess, 112kg, drove 76kg Campbell into the turf, but the Titans veteran quickly jumped up to play the ball.

The Warriors' biggest men are Vatuvei and prop Russell Packer, both 112kg, and Campbell says he is not afraid to take them on.

"It just depends on the way the game goes," he said. "Obviously I don't do that for me, because I wake up sore the next day. I do it for my teammates. Just those small, little things inspire your teammates.

"The fact we're a little bit smaller than other sides means we have to look for advantages in other areas. I'm not the biggest bloke. Sometimes it can be a disadvantage, but only if you think like that.

"I've been able to play in the NRL for 12 seasons and I've got over 200 games and that's not from being negative.

"In the All Stars game we didn't have the biggest or most experienced side, but we were confident in each other."

Campbell said he did not think his return to Skilled Park following the sold out All Stars match would be an anti-climax.

"I went into the All Stars game really excited," he said. "But I'm also excited about the start of the season.

"The Titans have had some great support and the fact we just fell short last year makes it a little bit more exciting for our fans. We're hoping they will want to be there with us willing us to go that little bit further."

The Warriors have suffered a blow with interchange back Wade McKinnon forced out with an infection.

Former Bronco Joel Moon, originally part of a five-man bench, is now guaranteed an interchange role. Moon was criticised by former Kiwi international Richie Barnett in his newspaper column this week, claiming he had struggled at five-eighth last year.

The Warriors will go back in time in an effort to avoid being cooked out at a potentially sweltering Skilled Park.

After the Titans elected to wear their predominantly white away strip to counter the conditions, the Warriors were facing the prospect of wearing their black home strip. But the visitors yesterday received a slight reprieve with the NRL granting approval to wear their 15-year anniversary jersey.

Source: www.couriermail.com.au

[Blazertaser]

RECRUITS Greg Bird, Joseph Tomane and Riley Brown are set to make their club debuts for the Gold Coast Titans in Sunday's round one clash against New Zealand Warriors at Skilled Park.
Coach John Cartwright named Bird at five-eighth in a new-look halves combination with captain Scott Prince while former Melbourne Storm flyer Tomane, 19, has beaten ex-Kiwi international Clinton Toopi for the vacant centres spot.

Former Sydney Roosters utility player Riley Brown has forced his way on to the interchange bench.

Titans squad:
Preston Campbell
Kevin Gordon
Mat Rogers
Joseph Tomane
David Mead
Greg Bird
Scott Prince
Luke Bailey
Nathan Friend
Brad Meyers
Anthony Laffranchi
Mark Minichiello
Ashley Harrison
Interchange:
Matthew White
Sam Tagataese
Will Matthews
Riley Brown
Michael Henderson
William Zillman
Bodene Thompson (three to be omitted).

Source: www.couriermail.com.au

[Mushi]

1 more sleep to go!!!!!!!!! Can't wait for the game tomorrow. Will be nice to dig out all my titans gear ready to go.

[DIEHARD]

I'm really interested in Brown now that I've learn he grew up in Singleton.

Got family there.

[karnage]

Are you guys aware that we have never racked up 40 points in a match in our 3 year history.

(We are the only team in the comp not to have hit 40 points in this time. In fact, if we had done it once we would have been the only team to do it once...)

Most of the teams have probably managed to rack up 50 at one stage or another but I didn't look into that.

Just something I was looking into when assessing the Titans as a betting proposition - especially at the line which the Titans, even when winning never seem to cover.

We should be able to give 40 a nudge agaisnt the Warriors tomorrow for a few reasons:
1. They, along with the Raiders, are the worst travelling team in the comp.
2. They turn up without their captain, or even their ex-captain.
3. Starting without other injured players - including their influential fullback Mckinnon.
4. 1pm kickoff would not suit them, even in NZ.

40 points. Let's do it boys!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[titanstattman]

Are you guys aware that we have never racked up 40 points in a match in our 3 year history.

(We are the only team in the comp not to have hit 40 points in this time. In fact, if we had done it once we would have been the only team to do it once...)

Most of the teams have probably managed to rack up 50 at one stage or another but I didn't look into that.

Just something I was looking into when assessing the Titans as a betting proposition - especially at the line which the Titans, even when winning never seem to cover.

We should be able to give 40 a nudge agaisnt the Warriors tomorrow for a few reasons:
1. They, along with the Raiders, are the worst travelling team in the comp.
2. They turn up without their captain, or even their ex-captain.
3. Starting without other injured players - including their influential fullback Mckinnon.
4. 1pm kickoff would not suit them, even in NZ.

40 points. Let's do it boys!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah i was thinking about this last week... we hav come close but just havnt got there yet i do belive we will this year

[titansrawesome]

well the comp is going to be the closest its ever been this year soooo the only chance we can put 40 on someone is probably against the raiders @ skilled park

[DIEHARD]

Which also happens to be our 2nd home game of 2010.

If we get a run on, we'll start the 40 chant. Fingers crossed. We got the strike power to do it.

[Adelaide Titan]

i think the boys will get over the line tomorrow. Have a far stronger team and the Warriors dont really look much of a threat with their line up. Plus the fact its at Robina will help a lot. And this whole black jersey saga...big deal! Looking forward to seeing Greg Bird in action for us for the first time as well. Bird and Prince is a lethal combo to have

Titans by 12+ is my tip. Will be watching this game for sure!! :)

[DIEHARD]

Welcome back to the Titans Forum Dim! Look forward to having your support from Adelaide.

[Adelaide Titan]

its great to be back mate, talking league in 2010! :)

Go Titans!!!

[titansrawesome]

dont quote me on this this but isn't afl the sport for south australia?

[Adelaide Titan]

maybe so but its very under-estimated how many people actually follow the NRL down here in Adelaide. Lots of people play for local clubs as well so dont think we know nothing about NRL, thats not at all the case.

[titansrawesome]

thats good, hopefully one day Adelaide will get a nrl team that they will support.

[Adelaide Titan]

i hope we get a team one day as well, but i'd stick to the Titans!
but it woud be great to have a team here, id go out and watch even if the Titans werent playing just to support the game here. Round 18 i think is Bulldogs vs Storm at Adelaide Oval...i'll be at that and if we can draw 10k to the match i think thats a promising sign.

[titansrawesome]

i ditched the roosters and broncos after 2006, but still have soft spots for them. but now that roosters jersey is covered in cob webs

[Adelaide Titan]

i wouldnt ditch the Titans but would hope the Adelaide based team did well fr the good of the sport in this city.

[DIEHARD]

Im going to head to bed soon, get a good rest before heading to the game.

Got to leave a bit earlier to get to the Gold Coast from Brissie.

I'm so excited. I hope I sleep.

[DIEHARD]

Titans v Warriors

GOLD Coast Titans will start short-priced favourites against the Warriors and deservedly so.

John Cartwright's Gold Coast outfit remains largely intact, with the only change on the interchange bench where rookie backrower Bodene Thompson replaces Will Mathews. Prop Luke Bailey was troubled by a knee injury last week, but he ran freely at training yesterday.

Meanwhile, things go from bad to worse for the Warriors. Already reeling from the loss of captain Simon Mannering (hamstring) forward leader Steve Price (heel) and backrower Jacob Lillyman (foot), they have also lost Wade McKinnon from their interchange bench. Joel Moon has been promoted

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s

[Adelaide Titan]

Enjoy the game mate! Hope to come up one day and watch the boys!

[DIEHARD]

Enjoy the game mate! Hope to come up one day and watch the boys!

If you ever do, you will be guest of honour in Section 30, front row, behind the Northern sticks. NIGHT ALL!

[kwigibo]

Lucky everyone's wearing summer tones, I know we'll all be melting in that rainy, windy 26C weather tomorrow. The white strip'll just be harder to get the grass stains out of.

[Adelaide Titan]

If you ever do, you will be guest of honour in Section 30, front row, behind the sticks. NIGHT ALL!

that would be an honour mate! will definitely let you know when i come up. cant say it will be this season but very possibly next year!

[TITAN PETE]

Expect annoying rain throughout the day so come prepared :(

[DIEHARD]

Well Im off to the game, see you there.

[Blazertaser]

So lucky skilled is walking distance from my house
Ill still probs head on over about 10
Get all the gear and ticket

Rain throughout i guess, come prepared :)

Blazer:thumbsup:

[patskE]

its raining the toyota cup atm but sun starting to break through

[Adelaide Titan]

Sitting back on my lounge with the game on.... :D

Would be so much better if i was there!

LETS GO TITANS!!!

[titansrawesome]

titans are playing terrible, why are our big men trying to benji marshall magic pass? manu leaped above tomane and mead to score

[titansrawesome]

still playing terrible 0 minutes in, ref isn't great and we are making millions of handling errors.

[titansrawesome]

12-0 to warriors, i can't believe this is happening.

[titansrawesome]

18-6 to warriors

[Adelaide Titan]

this is an absolute disgrace so far...thats all i can say. Bird has been average and Campbell dropping that bomb was very costly. I dont see the Titans winning it from here if they keep playing like they are, simply not good enough and credit to the warriors so far...just shows what guernsey you wear isnt a big deal!!!

[titansrawesome]

Half Time

Warriors 18(Vatuvei 2 tries,Locke try)
Titans 12(Tomane,Laffaranchi tries)

[titansrawesome]

Tomane is so far my performer of the day for the titans

[Adelaide Titan]

i agree. thank god we got that one back just before the break! Cmon boys...LIFT!!!

[titansrawesome]

i think our completion rate is 9 from 18 sets, which is very poor.

[Adelaide Titan]

yeah its not been good so far and it has been costly. but the titans have shown they can turn their performance round in the 2nd half. Also have had some SOFT penalties against us i think.

[titansrawesome]

yeah, i wasn't thrilled that we had a ref with only 15 nrl games under his belt officiating us, we always seem to have bad luck with rookie refs.

[Adelaide Titan]

need to keep big Manu quiet this half!

[patskE]

wow, wat a poor game, almost changed channels
needed to use mead n Gordon speed a bit more
least all 3 of there try's were off kick's
good defense

[titansrawesome]

Warriors 18(Vatuvei 2, Locke tries,Locke 3/3 goals)
Titans 24(Mead,Laffranchi,Tomane,Campbell tries,Prince4/4 goals)

Titans played horrible with 25/45 completion rate, Tomane,Campbell,Mead,Gordan,Tagatese,Friend and Prince were the only decent titans players.

I have to wrap Tomane on his performance and his flick pass to Mead and Mead's extrodinary put down for the game tying try.

[titansrawesome]

i agree patske, i almost changed channels too.

[titansrawesome]

sorry it was brett seymour with the goals

[Adelaide Titan]

what a ****ing game that ended up being!!! Great turnaround by the Titans, you could see rom the start of the 2nd half that it was going to happen. great defence towards the end as well. Gordon and Tomane were great. Bird was fairly average. This round has had some great games and this caps it off for me!


GO YOU TITANS!!!

[titansrawesome]

bird was good in defence, below average in attack

[Adelaide Titan]

some crunching hits and tackles were made by him. he couldnt control the damn ball though up in attack. 2 pts to start off the season...CMON!!! :D:D:D

[titansrawesome]

im starting to think that we should invest in russell packer next year for prop.

[Blazertaser]

First half : abismal, reffing decisions a disgrace and to many mistakes by the titans
Second half : Verry good in defence, Reffing decisions still a disgrace but he a least gave titans a couple of well deserved penalties and great comeback by the almight titans!!!

All in all, we had an average game to how we would usually perform, but thats mainly due to the wetness of the ball and the w**ker of a ref. Hats off to presto, great game for him, sad that he got a concussion towards the end. Showing he is such an excellent player, everyone was wondering where he was when it happened. Keep it up boys, love ya work!

Blazer:thumbsup:

[Adelaide Titan]

Referees were some comic relief today...CLOWNS!

[titanstattman]

It was a tough game from the very start we started really slow the Kiwi's owned our ass's in the 1st 40.. But wen the fans started to rev it up in the 2nd half i also think the team did aswell they rally lifted it up to another level...

Well done boys

[hammer]

Sign of a good team...winning when they play poorly!
Lots of improvement to be had by next week...the Rabbitohs will be very hungry after their below par performance today!

[GCT_07]

WOW.... tough crowd..........:ugh:

Personally I was quite happy with the boys. The Warriors had extra players on the field (wearing pink) but the boys hung in there. The ground was drenched and the ball very wet. We have some significant new signings that do need to settle into the team and play comfortably off the other players. For the first round IMO i think the boys can take alot from the game today. The boys showed today that under terrible conditions they did not hang their head like they have done in years past..... they stood firm and kept going.

To everyone who was there soaking wet just like the players...... huge well done to you as well.............takes a dedicated supporter to stand in pooring rain and still yell and scream their team on to victory. We might all have pnemonia next week but hey.... it was worth it:thumbsup:

[Blazertaser]

WOW.... tough crowd..........:ugh:

Personally I was quite happy with the boys. The Warriors had extra players on the field (wearing pink) but the boys hung in there. The ground was drenched and the ball very wet. We have some significant new signings that do need to settle into the team and play comfortably off the other players. For the first round IMO i think the boys can take alot from the game today. The boys showed today that under terrible conditions they did not hang their head like they have done in years past..... they stood firm and kept going.

To everyone who was there soaking wet just like the players...... huge well done to you as well.............takes a dedicated supporter to stand in pooring rain and still yell and scream their team on to victory. We might all have pnemonia next week but hey.... it was worth it:thumbsup:

Call in sick for work the next week, Titanemonia has struck the gold coast, all for a good cause :)

Blazer:thumbsup:

[TITAN PETE]

When u play that way & get the 2 points ya gotta be happy...:?) ..there were some very good points out of the game though
Tomane had a great debut but did drop a couple of passes

Bodene Thompson had a very solid debut

Bird easily the Biggest Hitter on the park & i think we've found the Mongrel we lacked & i'm not worried about how many times he dropped the pill as that will all change as the combinations start to jell :thumbsup:

Friendy had a Man of the Match performance with 2 try assists & 50 Tackles :clap:

[teke]

Ordinary game but I was happy to see Titans professionalism in the 2nd half come through. Bird had great defence but needs to play wet weather footy a bit more. Tomane played alright, could be a bit fitter, he was cramping and blowing hard at the 47th min. He still did something Delaney never did all last year and that was instinctively pass to the winger.

Great base to build on, this team is going to hammer someone this year you can just feel it.

[TITAN PETE]

By Wayne Heming AAP Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:41:00


Match-winner Preston Campbell had no recollection of his key role in the Gold Coast's 24-18 NRL win over the Warriors at Skilled Park on Sunday.

Down 12-0 at the time, Campbell caught the Warriors' defence napping from the re-start with a sneaky short kick-off, regaining possession and leading to centre Joseph Tomane scoring in the same set of six.

But Campbell remembers little of the match-turning play, having copped a knee to the head late in the game.

"I don't remember much of the first half of the game," said Campbell in the Titan's dressing rooms.

"Just the last bit, I remember knocking the ball out of big Manu's (Manu Vatuvei) hands, that's about it."

Campbell, who plays in headgear, was a little concerned by the head knock because he said he felt "strange" when it happened.

"Usually when you cop a head knock you're a bit dazed," he said.

"But I got the wobbly boot and even fell over a couple of times.

"It was funny, I knew where I was I just couldn't get up.

"I'm still a bit light headed and I got bit of a headache but it make me feel better we've won the game."

Campbell's short kick ploy was one of three huge plays by the 76kg fullback, who'll be kept under close observation in the build-up to next week's clash with South Sydney.

Apart from flying onto Nathan Friend's grubber in the 74th minute for a try that broke an 18-all deadlock, Campbell pulled off another game-saver a few minutes later, stripping the ball from 112kg giant Vatuvei when the Kiwi international was headed for the try line.

The game didn't reach any great heights for the 16,112 fans or for star Titans recruit Greg Bird, whose first appearance at Skilled Park was forgettable.

Bird played with his usual aggression and left a few Warriors sore and bruised but he turned over a lot of football in the greasy conditions.

"It wasn't one of his best games," said Cartwright, who was prepared to put Bird's fumbles down to trying too hard.

"He's a ball player and he goes hard at the line so he's going to make mistakes at times.

"What I liked about it was I don't think I've seen aggression on defence like he brings in my time at the club."

The Warriors looked good early with wingers Vateuvei and Kevin Locke scoring off well-weighted kicks in the corners for a 12-0 lead.

Halfback Brett Seymour pleased coach Ivan Clearly with his kicking game and general play after a tough week of media engagements about his comeback after being sacked by Cronulla last year.

He and Orange-born James Maloney, who was in everything in the first half, looked a good fit while fullback Lance Hohaia twice went close to scoring late in the game.

[titansrawesome]

i think rogers was very quiet, bailey didnt go forward, tomane was great and i think we should be hannant and packer next year.

[karnage]

Good result but not a great performance.

There were large periods where it was obvious that the combinations are a long way off but that will come.

If we keep most of those boys on the park we will give this comp a shake.

[Blazertaser]

i think rogers was very quiet, bailey didnt go forward, tomane was great and i think we should be hannant and packer next year.

Summed it up in a nutshell

Blazer:thumbsup:

[Felicity]

How goooooooooooood was it! :)

Woooot so happy footy is back!

I nearly had a heart attack at the end when Warriors nearly got the ball from our scrum, what happened there lol!

Titans undefeated <3

[Boonarga]

I was against Bird coming here but he went ok today. The refs allowed Warriors to lay all over him in tackles and work him over trying to get him to retaliate. The only time he did get a quick play-the-ball he got penalised!! WTF was that??
The only downer was that I had Laffranchi to score for the double. Argh!!

[titansrawesome]

if bird plays like he did today all season i say we need to shift him to lock and put minichello on the bench

[Ryan]

i think rogers was very quiet, bailey didnt go forward, tomane was great and i think we should be hannant and packer next year.
WTF????

Rogers was brilliant, made alot of 1 on 1 tackles and made alot of good defensive decisions by coming in and shutting down plays. He also made 82 meters and 6 tackle breaks.

Bailey made 133mts and 33 tackles in 60minutes of play - which is more than any other forward! And like always, done alot of the dirty work like kick chases, tidying up the defensive line and covering missed tackles.

The whole team made alot of handling errors, but much can be excused considering the slippery conditions and being 1st match of the year.
I loved heavy defense from Taga, Bird and even Tomane at times. Those three boys are gonna be real weapons for us in attack and defense...

[Steve]

Was listening on the radio to this one. I wasn't worried even in the first half, and as soon as they came out for the second it sounded like a different side.

Other than the dropped bomb, sounds like Presto had a great game, and Boof got through a lot of work too. They were saying most of our turnovers came from Bird, either through his bad handling or his usual penalties. Won't be long until he leaves us a man down in a game.

Hopefully the injuries out of it aren't serious! Did Gordon go to fullback when Presto came off? I gotta say, it sounded like almost a blessing in disguise. From what I heard on the radio the Warriors were close to leveling but Gordon got there just in time. Not sure Presto would have had the pace.

[amaline]

Hopefully the injuries out of it aren't serious! Did Gordon go to fullback when Presto came off? I gotta say, it sounded like almost a blessing in disguise. From what I heard on the radio the Warriors were close to leveling but Gordon got there just in time. Not sure Presto would have had the pace.

Mead went back to full back which makes Gordon's effort that much more impressive. He came in from the wing to beat Hohaia to the ball.

[curly_11]

WTF????

Rogers was brilliant, made alot of 1 on 1 tackles and made alot of good defensive decisions by coming in and shutting down plays. He also made 82 meters and 6 tackle breaks.

Bailey made 133mts and 33 tackles in 60minutes of play - which is more than any other forward! And like always, done alot of the dirty work like kick chases, tidying up the defensive line and covering missed tackles.

The whole team made alot of handling errors, but much can be excused considering the slippery conditions and being 1st match of the year.
I loved heavy defense from Taga, Bird and even Tomane at times. Those three boys are gonna be real weapons for us in attack and defense...

Could not agree more!!! Except i think friend yet again deserves some praise too! Absolute work horse! :thumbsup:

Maybe a few of you got carried away watching from the stands but apart from 2 shocking decisions (prince copping a shoulder to the head whilst kicking and the bird quick play of the ball) The refs werent that bad. There was a lot of inconsistency with the calls and thats because Game 1 of the season and 2 referees (the second i think is a joke!)

I think we are all remembering what we were like at the back of last season and not realising its game 1 of the season. Of course things are going to be rusty. Theres a lot to improve on like halves combinations, errors and line speed but what im proud of, is that after a shocking display we still got the 2 points!

Looks like Zillman will be in the No.1 jumper for friday against the bunnies who are going to be fired up!

[TITAN PETE]

Was listening on the radio to this one. I wasn't worried even in the first half, and as soon as they came out for the second it sounded like a different side.

Other than the dropped bomb, sounds like Presto had a great game, and Boof got through a lot of work too. They were saying most of our turnovers came from Bird, either through his bad handling or his usual penalties. Won't be long until he leaves us a man down in a game.

Hopefully the injuries out of it aren't serious! Did Gordon go to fullback when Presto came off? I gotta say, it sounded like almost a blessing in disguise. From what I heard on the radio the Warriors were close to leveling but Gordon got there just in time. Not sure Presto would have had the pace.

Bird dropped the ball 5 times which was probably a combination of wet weather & trying too hard , he gave away 1 penalty when he played the ball quickly but was pulled down by the tackler & the ref got it wrong :nope: , but u may be 1 of the supporters who are hoping he does get in the Shyte by your comment ;)

[Blazertaser]

Bird dropped the ball 5 times which was probably a combination of wet weather & trying too hard , he gave away 1 penalty when he played the ball quickly but was pulled down by the tackler & the ref got it wrong :nope: , but u may be 1 of the supporters who are hoping he does get in the Shyte by your comment ;)

Theres mix talked about bird coming on the titans, personally i beleive he did really well to counter the conditions yesterday plus his return to the nrl premiership:)
The ref got a ridiculous amount of calls wrong, thus resulting in warriors being able to score there 18 points. 1 try wasnt the result of a mistake due to wet weather or a bad reffing decision:doh:
I think the boys can take a lot from their first game, and have got to step it up a notch for the rabbits game on friday night. The boys have got what it takes, and at least send themselves down to nsw with a win under the belt, unlike the rabbits:salute:

Blazer:thumbsup:

[shamus]

I thought Presto was fantastic once again. Except for the 30 metre leap in the air which wasn't necessary, but we can put that down to some extra enthusiasm. What I did notice though is he never ran the ball once (from what I recall) he passed every time. He did say pregame that his wingers wanted to see more ball so he certainly didn't disappoint there.

Next week Presto.....can you run the ball yourself a few times. You are simply just magic to watch!

[titanstattman]

if bird plays like he did today all season i say we need to shift him to lock and put minichello on the bench

As much as i dont like the guy... He should be in the 13.......

[lonegull]

As much as i dont like the guy... He should be in the 13.......

totally agree presto to 6 and zillman in the 1 jersey, but who to leave out of the backrow? maybe minichello to the bench

[bigjim]

I had no problem with refs except Prince getting hit after kicking. Warrior player didn't try to tackle Prince, he just put a shoulder into him. Ref made a blatant mistake there.
My problem with the game as a whole, was we won on the back of individual brilliance and not as the well disciplined and well-oiled machine I know they are.
The Gods were with us yesterday but that won't always be the case. They had better get their defensive patterns and combinations sorted quick smart or it's going to be a long season.

[titanstattman]

totally agree presto to 6 and zillman in the 1 jersey, but who to leave out of the backrow? maybe minichello to the bench

Yeah i would say mini to breach.... said from day one if he did come here he should say in 13 thats where he played in SOO nd in test so keep him there...

[TITAN PETE]

If Presto is out for Fridays match Zillman & Walker both had man of the match performances in their respective games but Zillman is a long way ahead of Shannon

[DIEHARD]

We looked destined to lose our first game in the first half. Nothing was going right. And our completion rate was awful.

Luckily I think we do have a never say die attitude and being at home has it's advantages... harder to get complacent. That try 2 mins before half time was critical.

The Titans penalty that should have gone to the Warriors was a stroke of luck. Luck was on our side yestrerday.

Preston Campbell was everywhere and had a fantastic match. I hope he is ok, that looked like a nasty head knock. Luckily we have a player the class of William Zillman up our sleeve.

Luke Bailey had a great game, did alot of good tackling and tried to make every metre he could.

Friendy at his usual best.

Tomane, he is certainly all I hoped. I think he is a perfect centre, strong and with the ability to score a try and support his wingman in equal portions.

Have to agree, I think Rogers had a good game.

Packer for the Warriors was always a danger and was impressive.

Defence on the day was good, with many tries coming from kicks.

[DIEHARD]

Titans v Warriors, Round 1, Post match presser
Jason Sintome

The Jetstar Gold Coast Titans got home for their first win of the season yesterday, in trying conditions against the New Zealand Warriors at Skilled Park.

Post match, the Captains and Coaches from both teams had plenty to say about the game and the way it unfolded.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE POST MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE (http://www.titans.com.au/?s=article-display&id=23436)

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

[DIEHARD]

Bird high in Carty's first-up appraisal

THERE weren't too many moments that will make it to a career highlights reel but Gold Coast Titans coach John Cartwright saw plenty of promise in Greg Bird's debut.

With only three trial games together, Bird's partnership with Titans skipper Scott Prince was never going to be an instant success but passages of yesterday's victory over the Warriors gave Cartwright cause for optimism in his new halves combination.

Relieved to have claimed the points after trailling for 63 minutes, Cartwright left Skilled Park a happy man.

Happy not only for the win but safe in the knowledge Test and NSW star Bird's rusty debut for his new club produced the odd flash of class that when polished, would only give the Titans a greater advantage in 2010.

"It wasn't one of his best games," said Cartwright of the 26-year-old.

"Birdy's a ball player and he goes hard at the line and it wasn't the conditions that suited him.

"But what I liked about him was how he reacted to it.

"I don't think I've seen an aggression in defence like he brings and guys like that never die wondering -- they go hard."

With Prince conceding the pair still had plenty to iron out, Cartwright stressed it was too hard to be critical of Bird's efforts in his first NRL match since August 2008.

He stressed the former Sharks playmaker, who has spent just as much time in the courtroom fighting to clear his name as he had on the football field in the past 18 months, would only get better with every game.

"(Greg's) very similar to Preston (Campbell), you have your good and your bad days but it's how you turn up after it," he said.

"While Birdy made some errors with the ball, he certainly shortened a few of them up (in defence) at crucial times.

"He's very competitive, he tried too hard and I've watched him for a while and he does that regardless.

"But I don't mind because you know his next effort is going to be better than the one before."

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

[DIEHARD]

Head injury a concern for Titan ace Preston Campbell

GUTSY little Gold Coast fullback Preston Campbell last night admitted he was worried about the latest in a long line of head knocks that have cast a shadow over his playing future.

Campbell, who is likely to be rested from Friday night's match against Souths in Sydney, said he had little memory of yesterday's 24-18 win over New Zealand Warriors at Skilled Park, where he scored the matchwinning try in the 70th minute.

The 32-year-old Gold Coast foundation player brought gasps from the crowd when his legs gave way as trainer Ron Palmer helped him to his feet after he misjudged a front-on tackle on Warriors youngster Kevin Locke in the 75th minute.

Just two minutes earlier Campbell had stolen the ball one-on-one as giant Warriors winger Manu Vatuvei steamed on to a James Maloney kick and looked set to score his third try of the match.

Campbell, who wears headgear, said he usually came good soon after taking a knock.

"But I've never felt like that before," he said. "I got the wobbly boot and fell over a couple of times. It was funny. I knew where I was, but I just couldn't get up.

"Normally you get a sting to the head and you come right. These sort of ones worry you a little bit. I feel a bit light headed, there's a bit of a headache and I just want to have a rest now. It makes you feel better that we won the game.

"I only remember the last bit, knocking the ball out of big Manu's arms. The doc said he was pretty happy with the way I am, but to go home and have a rest and he will see me in the morning."

Titans coach John Cartwright said the club would strictly adhere to its protocol in relation to head knocks.

"As long as Presto jumps through all the hoops, he'll be fine. If he doesn't he won't play," Cartwright said.

"It's too short a turnaround and he has a history of head knocks which is a bit of a concern. Not so much last year, but the year before he had a run of them. He'll have to pass all the tests."

Campbell provided many of the highlights, including the ball steal on Vatuvei, the matchwinning try and a short kick-off after the Warriors went to a 12-0 lead in the 23rd minute.

Campbell retrieved the ball himself from the kick-off and four tackles later the Titans opened their account with centre Joseph Tomane scoring his first try for the club.

Titans skipper Scott Prince also had little memory of the game after being taken late by Maloney when he put in a kick in the third minute, followed by a head clash with teammate Ash Harrison.

Cartwright had an issue with the late shot, saying referees were tough on such incidents last year and he thought there should have been a penalty at least.

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

[TITAN PETE]

Two other players - Warriors pivot James Maloney and the Gold Coast's Bodene Thompson - were charged with making dangerous contact with a kicker.

Neither will be suspended if they accept the early guilty plea.

[titansrawesome]

i think we should buy hannant and packer next year for props, they would be great and they go forward and run hard. Here is my new looking team after what i have seen in round 1:

1.William Zillman
2.David Mead
3.Joseph Tomane
4.Mat Rogers
5.Kevin Gordan
6.Preston Campbell
7.Scott Prince
8.Luke Bailey
9.Nathan Friend
10.Brad Meyers
11.Anthony Laffranchi
12.Ashley Harrison
13.Greg Bird
14.Mark Minnichello
15.Bodene Thompson
16.Sam Tagatese
17.Riley Brown/Clinton Toopi

[Supergoose]

Can someone please tell me what our record is with Campbell in the number 6? My recollection is that it isn't that great. I thought bird was alright except for his handling but he wasn't the lone ranger there. He made space for Rogers and tomane to work in and was defensively very good. I thought tomanes hands let him down a little too. Mead was inconsistent. He'll need to gain that consistency otherwise he'll find himself in q cup with toopi and zillman breathing down his neck.

We put pressure on ourselves and in general came through. We held our line through repeat sets and backed up after dropping ball to defend well.

Friend was by far our best, as for the rest, there is plenty of improvement. I did enjoy the ferocity in our defence that has been missing in past seasons thanks to messrs bird, tagataese and tomane.

[DIEHARD]

I think we will and should persist with Bird at 6 now we have decided to go that way.

[teke]

Can someone please tell me what our record is with Campbell in the number 6? My recollection is that it isn't that great. I thought bird was alright except for his handling but he wasn't the lone ranger there. He made space for Rogers and tomane to work in and was defensively very good. I thought tomanes hands let him down a little too. Mead was inconsistent. He'll need to gain that consistency otherwise he'll find himself in q cup with toopi and zillman breathing down his neck.

We put pressure on ourselves and in general came through. We held our line through repeat sets and backed up after dropping ball to defend well.

Friend was by far our best, as for the rest, there is plenty of improvement. I did enjoy the ferocity in our defence that has been missing in past seasons thanks to messrs bird, tagataese and tomane.Im struggling to find how Mead was inconsistent, made the most kick return metres, most runs tackle breaks and scored a pearler of a try. There is no chance Zillman or Toops getting his wing spot cause those 2 have shown they cant play wing.

Taga was just taga on the weekend. There wont be a game where he is in where he wont drop the ball or smash somebody, its a fact of life for him and we should get use to it :laugh:

Tomane is a baby faced assassin, Ive never seen anyone stop Manu dead in his tracks and dump him on his butt. As he gets match fitness that side of the field will tear shreds off opposing teams.

[GCT_07]

I ll put my hand up and say that I was one of the many that voted against Bird in the poll...........but said all along that I trust Carty and Searle.

I watched Bird all game........ cause he took Mattys number 6 and I wasnt to impressed with that...........I have to say he did well. Yes there was the occasional fumble but show me a play maker who takes risk on pulling off something out of the blue who doesnt occasionally fumble it. Its a split second thing not an organised set play.......sometimes they come off sometimes they dont. Let him get his groove with the club and I think we will find that the titans decision makers got this one right.

As for the rest of the team...... I loved the line up........... couple of games in and I think we are really going to have a team that gels and really puts pressure on the whole competition.

I reacon without a doubt we have a premiership team this year.:thumbsup:

[hugebrianfan]

I know I am probably a bit slow but I have only just been able to get on here. I quite enjoyed watching the boys play. i must admit i was a bit worried and wasmt sure if they were gonna come back but it was great when they did :) I met Scott Price and Preston campbell after the game, got photos with the both of them. I must say that Preston is really nice and probably the nicest footballer i met. Also where are the best places for me to sit for the home game? I was in section 15, it seemed full of warrior fans, there were some titans fans there but not many, i was pretty surrounded by warrior fans.

[Supergoose]

Just one example of mead being inconsistent is his miss on vatuvei for the easiest of tries. Not sure what he was doing but it seemed a brain explosion. He wasn't outmuscled or outweighed he just didn't tackle him when he had the chance to. He mixes the sublime with the downright ordinary and it will be good if he can remove the ordinary. Toopi would come in,in the centres with tomane to the wing. I'm not saying he should be dropped this week but his place in the side must be the least assured of all of the backline positions due to his lack of consistency.

[GCT_07]

I met Scott Price and Preston campbell after the game, got photos with the both of them. I must say that Preston is really nice and probably the nicest footballer i met. Also where are the best places for me to sit for the home game? I was in section 15, it seemed full of warrior fans, there were some titans fans there but not many, i was pretty surrounded by warrior fans.

Totally agree..... Presto is one of the most down to earth guys out there and certainly breaks the 'image' that footballers have.

As for where to sit..... well IMO there is only one awesomely fantastic place to sit.......... that would be section 30 right behind the posts and infront of the big THE LEGION sign :thumbsup:

[teke]

Just one example of mead being inconsistent is his miss on vatuvei for the easiest of tries. Not sure what he was doing but it seemed a brain explosion. He wasn't outmuscled or outweighed he just didn't tackle him when he had the chance to. He mixes the sublime with the downright ordinary and it will be good if he can remove the ordinary. Toopi would come in,in the centres with tomane to the wing. I'm not saying he should be dropped this week but his place in the side must be the least assured of all of the backline positions due to his lack of consistency.FAir enough, I just saw it as him trying to get on a much bigger bloke fast before he got momentum. Manu did a nice step and the rest was history, hes not the 1st bloke to miss a tackle on Manu. Toopi wont be coming into the team especially if he keeps repeating games like he did on the weekend for the Bears.

[DIEHARD]

Tomane will be such a deadly defensive weapon. He also seems to be able to score and set up tries in equal portions.

Rogers, Kevvie, David and Tomane... we have a deadly set of centres and wingers.

[teke]

Tomane will be such a deadly defensive weapon. He also seems to be able to score and set up tries in equal portions.

Rogers, Kevvie, David and Tomane... we have a deadly set of centres and wingers.He hit Manu with a corka of a tackle and dropped a few others on their behinds aswell. I will be interested to see how he copes with attackers with good footwork like Jennings.

[Sydney Titans Fanatic]

It was good to see we got a few good hits in the "Round 1 best defensive plays" video on the nrl video section of the nrl.com website....Greg bird and joesph tomane were the titans best defencsive plays