Round 6: Gold Coast Titans vs St George-Illawarra Dragons

[DIEHARD]

Gold Coast Titans vs St George-Illawarra Dragons

Friday 16 April 2010 - 7:30pm QLD TIME - Skilled Park


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

TITANS

William Zillman
Kevin Gordon
Mat Rogers
Joseph Tomane
David Mead
Greg Bird
Preston Campbell
Luke Bailey
Nathan Friend
Brad Meyers
Anthony Laffranchi
Mark Minichiello
Ashley Harrison

Interchange from
Matt White
Sam Tagataese
Will Matthews
Riley Brown
Michael Henderson

DRAGONS

TBA

[DIEHARD]

This Friday the Dragons come to Skilled Park. Make sure you are there.

Bound to be a massive crowd, with all the Dragons fans in SEQLD.

[Steelers]

I'll be there! In the Away Supporters Bay though :)

[TITAN PETE]

Will be very close to a sellout :fist:

[patskE]

imo, bird to 12, mini to bench
rogers to 5/8 and bring in toopi or just put taga there, then when prince is back, campbell to 6 and rogers back to 3!

[DIEHARD]

Titan Pete is right, this will be a sell out or close.

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE! (http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=TITANIND10&searchId=56ae02a3-7ee6-4c22-8b86-f14430fec354)

[teke]

The far right 3 in our team need to get their act together this week cause all ball running traffic will be coming their way. Left side of the field will be copping the bombs.

[titansrawesome]

i think mead needs to mark up on the opposition winger, he was badly exposed against anthony quinn

[teke]

i think mead needs to mark up on the opposition winger, he was badly exposed against anthony quinnThere plan was to double team Inglis because of the week before with Tomane. Its a team effort that works from the inside out. I think he needs to stay on his man aswell but you gotta have your inside men working on their men. All good though, the more they get tested the better they will become :thumbsup:

[Tamwelg]

The far right 3 in our team need to get their act together this week cause all ball running traffic will be coming their way. Left side of the field will be copping the bombs.

I'm sure they'll get it right (hopefully sooner rather then later). They have shown they can tackle, I think it is more they need to get the unity and defensive reads right.

[AmericanTitan]

these Friday night games (Thursday for me) are killers because I have to seemingly wait all day to be able to watch. Thems the breaks of being a USA Titans fan though.


As far as the Dragons, I've seen them play once this year so far in their match against the Storm and they looked ok early but then faded away (obviously).

Being at home will do us big wonders and I think we'll beat them as we did the Storm.

Cheer loud everyone!

[DIEHARD]

Presto happy to hold the fort

The evergreen Preston Campbell has been a key reason the Gold Coast Titans have proved that a Scott Prince injury isn't a death sentence for the NRL club.

A regular showstopper in the number one jumper, Campbell has deputised admirably at halfback since his skipper Prince was sidelined with a fractured hand in round three.

But as soon as Prince returns, Campbell will be only too happy to return the number seven and move to the back, creating an interesting dilemma for the Titans given the handy form of William Zillman.

Campbell helped steady the Titans ship, rocked by a heavy round four defeat in Townsville, by guiding his side to a comeback 20-16 victory over premiers Melbourne at Robina on Friday night.

It was an upset win remarkably similar to one a little over 12 months earlier, in which the Titans toppled the Storm with Prince watching from the sidelines and Campbell calling the shots.

"I've played a lot of fullback over the past few years so I'd have to say that's my preference," Campbell said. "I've spent a lot more time there and I'm a lot more used to that.

"This will only be my third game since Princey was out last year, so it's really hard to play a position you haven't played for a while."

The upset win over the Storm took its toll on the Titans, with a number of stars rested from this morning's training run at Robina.

In-form backrower Anthony Laffranchi, Mat Rogers, Ash Harrison and hooker Nathan Friend sat out the session but coach John Cartwright is expecting all four to be fit to play the Dragons on Friday.

Meanwhile, Cartwright said he would meet with veteran centre Mat Rogers this week to discuss speculation Rogers, 34, may return to Cronulla next year to play out his career.

"It's a tough situation when you get down to the end of your roster and you've got to fit players in," Cartwright said.

"But I'll sit down with Matty and have a talk at some stage this week and see where he's at. The strength of us is that we've been able to nip these things in the bud."

Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/rugby-league/

[DIEHARD]

Weyman charged by judiciary

ST George Illawarra prop Michael Weyman is in danger of missing the clash against Gold Coast Titans on Friday after being charged by the NRL judiciary.
Weyman, 24, has been charged with a grade one striking offence after the Dragons 34-16 win against Brisbane last Friday night.

Unless he beats the charge he will miss one week of competition even with an early guilty plea.

http://www.theleader.com.au/

[DIEHARD]

Other things of note...

- Costigan likely to return

- Priddis to play his 300th

[TITAN PETE]

Weyman charged by judiciary

ST George Illawarra prop Michael Weyman is in danger of missing the clash against Gold Coast Titans on Friday after being charged by the NRL judiciary.
Weyman, 24, has been charged with a grade one striking offence after the Dragons 34-16 win against Brisbane last Friday night.

Unless he beats the charge he will miss one week of competition even with an early guilty plea.

http://www.theleader.com.au/

Great news for us as he's their go to man & Jeremy Smith is in doubt too :eyebrows:

[DIEHARD]

Good news, I think they have a few in doubt. Have to wait for tomorrow's team's with baited breath.

[Tamwelg]

Great news for us as he's their go to man & Jeremy Smith is in doubt too :eyebrows:

You can also add Matt Prior, Jarrod Saffy and Beau Scott to the in doubt list as well.

[Tamwelg]

Injury toll opens door to Neville Costigan


A mounting injury toll could see Dragons hard man Neville Costigan rushed into the line-up for Friday night's showdown with the Melbourne Storm-toppling Gold Coast.

After undergoing a shoulder reconstruction in the off-season, Costigan hasn't played since St George Illawarra were knocked out of the NRL finals series last year.

Coach Wayne Bennett was expected to allow Costigan to gain match fitness by playing in the NSW Cup competition with feeder team Shellharbour, but may be forced to select him in the team to take on the Titans.
Prop Matt Prior (knee), second-rower Jeremy Smith (knee) and interchange forward Jarrod Saffy (ankle) will all have scans today to determine the extent of injuries sustained in the 34-16 victory over Brisbane at WIN Stadium.

Prior and Smith are believed to have both damaged posterior cruciate ligaments and could be out for at least a month.

Adding to the injury woes, prop Ricky Thorby hurt his neck in Shellharbour's loss to North Sydney on Saturday.

It could see Nick Emmett or Beau Scott moved into the second row to cover Smith, or Costigan could be thrust straight into the team.

Prior played just 26 minutes of Friday night's win over the Broncos, while Smith did not return in the second half.

Young prop Trent Merrin is likely to be brought in for Prior, with Dan Hunt set to be named in the starting team, having regularly started despite being named on the bench.

Recruited from Souths, front-rower Michael Greenfield is another in the running for a call-up.

The Titans will be brimming with confidence after beating the Storm 20-16 in a hard-fought battle at Skilled Park on Friday night.

Costigan played 22 games last year and came off the bench for Queensland in State of Origin game three last year.

The Dragons already have star hooker Nathan Fien on the long-term injury list after breaking his ankle in the round one win over Parramatta.
Winger Peni Tagive (knee) and Bronx Goodwin (broken arm) are also sidelined for extended periods.

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/sport/rugby-league/injury-toll-opens-door-to-neville-costigan/1799623.aspx

[karnage]

With a coach like Wayne Bennet at the helm it won't matter who they run out they will now their job and contribute.

Getting up after last weeks emotional win will be tough so the crowd will need to get out and support them - the Dragons are sure to have an ENORMOUS contingent of the crowd.

Second only to the Broncos I would say...??

[Blunt_Beno]

i really think bird needs to be shifted to the backrow campbell back to 5/8 and zillman at the back when prince returns. i believe the team would benefit greatly from a few little positional changes. but all in all, they played great last week, and i cant ait for this game :)

[DIEHARD]

Getting up after last weeks emotional win will be tough so the crowd will need to get out and support them - the Dragons are sure to have an ENORMOUS contingent of the crowd.

Second only to the Broncos I would say...??

Absolutely, the Titans need our support and we need to lift a few levels. We can't control who the Dragons field or the performance of the Titans players, but crowd support is something we can do. Lifting them to make the 1% plays and to energise them when they are out of juice.

Get your tickets fast because they are selling faster than the Storm game!

[TITAN PETE]

Second only to the Broncos I would say...??

Thats only when the Donkeys are winning as their supporters will be quick to bail this year when they are Spoon Chasing :cry:

[kwigibo]

Weyman, the oldest looking 24 year old in the world

[Ryan]

Thats only when the Donkeys are winning as their supporters will be quick to bail this year when they are Spoon Chasing :cry:
Too true.
Every Broncos supporter I know will not even watch them let alone support them when they are losing.

[DIEHARD]

I think the Sharks game at Lang Park will test Broncos fans. Especially if they lose it. I hope for Rugby League's sake they stick by their team.

Lord never let Titans fans be bandwagoners, let us always dig deep, let us support how we expect our team to play, with total heart and committment.

[titansrawesome]

I think the Sharks game at Lang Park will test Broncos fans. Especially if they lose it. I hope for Rugby League's sake they stick by their team.

Lord never let Titans fans be bandwagoners, let us always dig deep, let us support how we expect our team to play, with total heart and committment.

another reason why i love supporting the titans is that no one ever gives us a chance and says we are pretty boys then when we show them up they're speechless.

[Coaster]

Weyman, the oldest looking 24 year old in the world

Agree, new nickname should be "40/20"

[Sydney Titans Fanatic]

Dragons set to lose four for Titans trip

ST George Illawarra are facing a big man crisis ahead of Friday night's trip to the Gold Coast with four first-choice forwards set to miss the match.

Props Matt Prior and Jarrod Saffy and Kiwis Test backrower Jeremy Smith are all facing extended stints on the sidelines after failing to see out Friday night's big win over Brisbane.

The Dragons were still counting the cost of the 34-16 win today with NSW Origin front rower Michael Weyman charged with grade one striking by the match review committee.

He is in line to miss one match whether he takes the early guilty plea or unsuccessfully fights the charge at the judiciary.

The club said it would wait until tomorrow before entering a plea.

While Weyman will definitely be available for the round six Anzac Day blockbuster against Sydney Roosters, Dragons coach Wayne Bennett will be without the other three for some time.

Smith and Prior were both diagnosed with strained posterior cruciate ligaments and will be out for 4-6 weeks while Saffy suffered a high ankle sprain and will be out for a similar period.

Offering some relief to Bennett is the expected return of Queensland Origin backrower Neville Costigan, who was expected to make his way back via the NSW Cup after off-season shoulder surgery.

Costigan is now likely to be rushed straight into the NRL side, while youngster Trent Merrin and former South Sydney prop Michael Greenfield will also be in line for call-ups.

Source: news.smh.com.au/

[AmericanTitan]

2 points are 2 points, sorry for the Dragons that they are losing the guys, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

[lonegull]

just heard on the radio that the titans are facing some injury concerns Laffranchi, harrison and friend and in doubt these players could leave a huge hole in the titans i hope this is not true and only media speculation

[DIEHARD]

just heard on the radio that the titans are facing some injury concerns Laffranchi, harrison and friend and in doubt these players could leave a huge hole in the titans i hope this is not true and only media speculation

Gold Coast Bulletin reports...


The spot fires keep coming, with backrowers Anthony Laffranchi (arm) and Ash Harrison (hip) and hooker Nathan Friend (thigh) in doubt for Friday's clash against the Dragons.

We can't afford to lose these three. They were three of our best last Friday. Especially on top of Scott Prince's absence.

[DIEHARD]

Gold Coast Titans: William Zillman, Kevin Gordon, Mat Rogers, Joseph Tomane, David Mead, Greg Bird, Preston Campbell, Luke Bailey, Nathan Friend, Brad Meyers, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello, Ashley Harrison.

Interchange from: Matt White, Sam Tagataese, Will Matthews, Riley Brown, Michael Henderson.

[DIEHARD]

We might be waiting a while for Wayne to release his Dragons team...

[titansrawesome]

We might be waiting a while for Wayne to release his Dragons team...

bennett is a turncoat and nothing more.

[Tamwelg]

Titans v Dragons
Referees: Tony Archer & Jason Robinson
Sideline Officials: Steve Chiddy & Gavin Morris
Video Referee: Steve Clark

[daveyk]

Titans v Dragons
Referees: Tony Archer & Jason Robinson
Sideline Officials: Steve Chiddy & Gavin Morris
Video Referee: Steve Clark

man i cant stand archer....

looks like we will waatching the screens for a while with clark in the box

[Tamwelg]

Dragons
1. Darius Boyd
2. Brett Morris
3. Beau Scott
4. Matt Cooper
5. Jason Nightingale
6. Jamie Soward
7. Ben Hornby (c)
8. Dan Hunt
9. Luke Priddis
10. Michael Weyman
11. Neville Costigan
12. Ben Creagh
13. Dean Young

Interchange:
14. Jon Green
15. Nick Emmett
16. Trent Merrin
17. Michael Greenfield
18. Ricky Thorby
19. Michael Lett

[patskE]

bench prob be same as last week? cant see Henderson missing out after last week's effort

[Dragons]

Dragons
1. Darius Boyd
2. Brett Morris
3. Beau Scott
4. Matt Cooper
5. Jason Nightingale
6. Jamie Soward
7. Ben Hornby (c)
8. Dan Hunt
9. Luke Priddis
10. Michael Weyman
11. Neville Costigan
12. Ben Creagh
13. Dean Young

Interchange:
14. Jon Green
15. Nick Emmett
16. Trent Merrin
17. Michael Greenfield
18. Ricky Thorby
19. Michael Lett

Where did you get this?

[Tamwelg]

Where did you get this?

I got it from here http://www.nrl.com/news/news/newsarticle/tabid/10874/newsid/58240/round-six-team-lists/default.aspx

[Tamwelg]

We will have to wait till tomorrow night to see if Weyman will be playing

Weyman to challenge striking charge

AAP Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:51:47

St George Illawarra prop Michael Weyman will challenge his grade one striking charge at the NRL judiciary.

Weyman was charged for raising his elbow whilst taking the ball up just after half-time during the side's 34-16 win over Brisbane on Friday.

The NSW representative will face a one-match ban if found guilty of striking.

Weyman's case will be heard from 7pm on Wednesday night at NRL headquarters, an hour after Manly's Brent Kite challenges his grade one careless high tackle charge.

Kite, like Weyman, is facing a one match ban if found guilty.

Weyman's charge comes on top of injuries to key props Matt Prior and Jarrod Saffy and New Zealand Test backrower Jeremy Smith who are all facing extended stints on the sidelines.

Smith and Prior were both diagnosed with strained posterior cruciate ligaments and will be out for four to six weeks while Saffy suffered a high ankle sprain and will be out for a similar period.

North Queensland hardman Luke O'Donnell's minute of madness against Wests Tigers will see him miss the Cowboys' next three NRL matches.

O'Donnell entered an early guilty plea to a grade two dangerous contact charge for an ugly grapple tackle on Beau Ryan in the 40th minute of last Saturday's 23-16 loss at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

The charge came during a manic period where the NSW Origin backrower gave away three penalties within 80 seconds and confronted referee Gavin Badger over the calls.

O'Donnell will miss the Cowboys' clashes with Newcastle, Parramatta and Melbourne but is still available to play if selected by Australia for the May 7 Test against New Zealand.

South Sydney's Ben Lowe will miss one match after taking the early guilty plea on a grade two careless high tackle charge, as will Eels winger Joel Reddy, who entered a guilty plea for a grade two striking charge from Monday night's 24-14 loss to Canberra.

Newcastle's Junior Sau entered a guilty plea on his dangerous contact charge but will escape any ban over the incident.

nrl.com

[Steelers]

Got an email today from the Titans.


Jetstar Gold Coast Titans team to play the St George Dragons


The Jetstar Gold Coast Titans have announced their team to face the top of the table St George Dragons at Skilled Park this Friday night.

Make sure you click on the link below to see the team and hear from assistant coach Steve Murphy

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

Paul Broughton medal points for round 5 have also been awarded with a few surprises, check out Titans TV for all the latest club news,


Cheers,
Jason

Jason Sintome
Production & New media Manager

Bit disappointed to see that after 10 years, Jason Sintome fails to realise that the Dragons are a merged entity.

[TITAN PETE]

Gold Coast Bulletin reports...



We can't afford to lose these three. They were three of our best last Friday. Especially on top of Scott Prince's absence.

They had minor injuries after Fridays match & were rested from Mondays field training but they all did weight training behind closed doors ;) ..maybe Boof has started working for the Bulletin :laugh:

[Boofhead]

They had minor injuries after Fridays match & were rested from Mondays field training but they all did weight training behind closed doors ;) ..maybe Boof has started working for the Bulletin :laugh:

Please... I would only lift their reputation haha!

[DIEHARD]

Priddis thrilled to be back on deck

Dragons hooker Luke Priddis will wear his heart on his sleeve in his 300th career game, but yesterday he revealed it was nearly broken the day Wayne Bennett told him to retire.

Priddis will reach the major milestone when the Dragons clash with the Gold Coast Titans at Skilled Park on Friday night, with both teams wearing blue armbands to support autism, a condition suffered by his eight-year-old son Cooper.

But joining the 300 club almost never happened after an offseason meeting with Bennett, who advised him to hang up the boots, had left him shattered.

"I'd probably be lying if I said there wasn't," Priddis said when asked if he had bitter feelings about Bennett's call to retire.

"At the end of the day he's the coach and his career is based on making those hard decisions as well.

"Telling me to retire wouldn't have been the first time he's done that, he tapped Wendell (Sailor) on the shoulder as well."

While Sailor called time on his illustrious career, Priddis was eager to make amends this season after languishing with NSW Cup feeder club Shellharbour last year.

His NRL opportunity came earlier than expected, when New Zealand international and Dragons first-choice hooker Nathan Fien was injured in the opening round.

And Priddis has seized the chance, playing the past five games to reach 300, including a starring role in St George Illawarra's triumph over Brisbane at WIN Stadium on Friday.

As he prepares for the battle against the Gold Coast, Priddis admitted he had seriously questioned if his remarkable career revival was possible.

"You do get those doubts in the back of your head," he said.

"When you've got a coach like Wayne telling you he doesn't think that you're up to it, the little man on your shoulder starts thinking about it."

Priddis rates his two premierships as career highlights, winning the first with Bennett at Brisbane in 2000, before he was released by the master coach at the end of the following season.

His second came with Penrith in 2003.

Turning 33 today, Priddis admitted the chance to raise money and awareness for autism made Friday's occasion extra special.

"April is world autism awareness month and it's no secret that (Gold Coast centre) Matty Rogers' young fella has autism, so that fits in as well," he said.

"Other (charitable causes like) breast cancer get a lot of publicity, but autism falls down the bottom a little bit.

"So if this promotion can raise awareness a little bit, not only in NSW and Queensland, but across Australia, then we can hold our heads high."

Priddis is at present holding his high enough that he is determined to keep the No 9 jersey even if Fien returns to full fitness later in the season, as the Dragons pursue their second straight minor premiership.

He even hinted that this year may not be his swansong.

"Whether this is my last year or not I haven't quite decided yet," he said.

"I've got to 300, but I'd like to keep pushing to 320 if I can keep playing well and it would be great to finish off with the fairytale (premiership), but we've got the Gold Coast this week and we'll need to put in a good performance."

Illawarra Mercury

[Boofhead]

Surprised Priddis is still running around - he has been out of form for a long time. He has shown glimpses of improvement the last few weeks but we shouldn't have any trouble shutting him down.

[DIEHARD]

Just smash Soward!!!

[daveyk]

bird will break him in half... if not him... our roving assasin taga will get him

[TITAN PETE]

Just smash Soward!!!

Exactly mate & it should be big Tag's job just like he did to Cronk last week :fight:

[karnage]

Taga is a gem isn't he.

He would make any 17 that we could possibly put together with all our topliners on deck because he just brings that raw aggression that we have lacked so noticeably in the past.

[Tamwelg]

Kite, Weyman hit with one-game NRL bans

AAP Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:10:26

There was no love for the big men at the NRL judiciary on Wednesday night with rival props Brent Kite and Michael Weyman both failing in their bids to beat one match bans.

Clive Churchill medallist Kite was found guilty of a grade one careless high tackle while St George Illawarra's Weyman has left his Dragons side even more short-handed for Friday night's clash with Gold Coast after being found guilty of striking Brisbane utility Ben Hunt.

The loss of Weyman leaves the Dragons without four first-choice forwards for the trip to the holiday strip, with Jeremy Smith, Ben Creagh and Jarrod Saffy out with injury.

Ricky Thorby - who was named on an extended bench - is now likely to get a run.

Weyman attempted to convince the judiciary panel of Mal Cochrane, Ian Roberts and Sean Garlick he was just attempting to fend Hunt away, with his legal counsel Geoff Bellew SC claiming the act was not highly reckless.

"My main intention there was to bump the player off and then offload," Weyman said.

Judiciary counsel Peter Kite claimed Weyman failed to show a duty of care, with his forearm striking Hunt on the throat.

"This is not an intended strike (but) Weyman has adopted a technique with his fend which is highly reckless," Kite argued.

Meanwhile Sea Eagles front rower Brent Kite will miss the clash against Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Monday night with a verdict Roberts described as one of the toughest he has had to come up with as part of the judiciary panel.

That was of little consequence to Kite.

"I'm very disappointed," said Kite, who like Weyman, had little to lose by contesting the charge given they were both facing one-match bans with early guilty pleas.

"I thought we had a good case, but it wasn't going to be my night.

"I was pretty pumped up for that one (against Melbourne)."

Kite - who was also represented by Bellew - said he was attempting to hit Cronulla winger Blake Ferguson with his shoulder, arguing his swinging arm never got past the horizontal.

"I thought I got him on the ball," Kite said.

"Ideally I would have liked to hit him with my shoulder but with Joey (Joe Galuvao) cutting him (Ferguson) in half, his head dropped a fair bit."

Bellew claimed it would be 'unrealistic' to have expected Kite to avoid contact with Ferguson's head.

"The drop of the Cronulla player is about 45 degrees," Bellew said.

"That's not minimal, it's not slight, and it's the sole reason Brent Kite made contact with the player's face."

It is not yet known who will come into the Manly side for Kite.

nrl.com

[DIEHARD]

Too bad Kite didnt get TWO! ;)

[titansrawesome]

Too bad Kite didnt get TWO! ;)

i'd prefer tony williams get suspended.

[robbo_31]

Is it just me or is it the fact that Michael Henderson has been named on the bench for Tweed Heads suggest he won't be playing for the Titans this weekend???

2010 Queensland Cup: Round 6 Souths Logan V Tweed Heads

Sunday 18 April, 3pm
Davies Park

Souths Logan Magpies


1. David Milne 2. Michael Brophy 3. Wade Liddell 4. Bradley Cross 5. Reece Robinson 6. Marc Herbert 7. Michael Picker 8. Troy Thompson 9. Eliakim Uasi 10. Kieran Whalley 11. Josh White 12. Jarrad Kennedy 13. Phil Dennis (c) 14. Quentin Laulu-Togagae 15. Justin Carney 16. Nick Skinner 17. Lewis Balcomb
Coach: Mark Beaumont

Tweed Heads Seagulls


1. Shannon Walker 2. Cameron White 3. James Wood 4. Josh Graham 5. Dominique Peyroux 6. Brad Davis 7. Tim Maccan 8. Brock Hunter 9. Ryan Simpkins 10. Jake Leary 11. Matt O?Reilly 12. Selasi Berdie 13. Cody Nelson 14. Shaun Carney 15. Michael Henderson 16. Kingi Akauola 17. Richie Barrett
Coach: Ben Anderson

[karnage]

Hendo is a damn sight better than either of Brock Hunter or Jake Leary. Surely if he was going to play for Tweed he would be in their run on side.

[Ryan]

Is it just me or is it the fact that Michael Henderson has been named on the bench for Tweed Heads suggest he won't be playing for the Titans this weekend???

2010 Queensland Cup: Round 6 Souths Logan V Tweed Heads

Sunday 18 April, 3pm
Davies Park

Souths Logan Magpies


1. David Milne 2. Michael Brophy 3. Wade Liddell 4. Bradley Cross 5. Reece Robinson 6. Marc Herbert 7. Michael Picker 8. Troy Thompson 9. Eliakim Uasi 10. Kieran Whalley 11. Josh White 12. Jarrad Kennedy 13. Phil Dennis (c) 14. Quentin Laulu-Togagae 15. Justin Carney 16. Nick Skinner 17. Lewis Balcomb
Coach: Mark Beaumont

Tweed Heads Seagulls


1. Shannon Walker 2. Cameron White 3. James Wood 4. Josh Graham 5. Dominique Peyroux 6. Brad Davis 7. Tim Maccan 8. Brock Hunter 9. Ryan Simpkins 10. Jake Leary 11. Matt O?Reilly 12. Selasi Berdie 13. Cody Nelson 14. Shaun Carney 15. Michael Henderson 16. Kingi Akauola 17. Richie Barrett
Coach: Ben Anderson
Yeh, and more to the point they've only named a 17 man squad as if they are not considering him as an option at all. It's actually against the rules to play QLD Cup and NRL in the same week, but then again - the QLD cup match is after the NRL match so we still cant rule him out....

[titanstattman]

IN the first half of Friday's match against the Melbourne Storm, the Gold Coast Titans had conceded three tries down David Mead's side of the field.

Most youngsters would have dropped their heads, not Mead.

He sat down with centre partner Joseph Tomane and coach John Cartwright and they worked out the solution was simple -- they need to talk more.

In the following 40 minutes the right side of the field was like a vault, nothing got through and the Storm didn't look like scoring.

That's why the quietly-spoken Papua New Guinean international will succeed.

Mead is naturally talented and speedy. More importantly, though, he is a listener.

The 20-year-old doesn't get caught in his own hype or looking at himself in the mirror. He plays to improve his game, not to be famous.

"It gave me a lot of belief that we can pretty much do anything if we believe in ourselves," said Mead of Friday's second half against the title favourites.

Mead, who could potentially become a superstar for the Titans, has continued to work hard with Tomane this week.

"We're getting better, we just need to talk a bit more," he said.


Last week Mead faced off against Greg Inglis and Anthony Quinn. This week it is Brett Morris and Matt Cooper.

"I was nervous about Inglis last week. I think defending against him gave us more confidence for this week though," he said.

Mead is one of the great success stories. If he were to walk down the streets in his native Papua New Guinea he would get mobbed like a superstar.

"I don't really want to say anything," he laughed when asked about his popularity.

"Not many people from PNG play in the NRL, all the people at home look up to all the players even the Queensland Cup players, it is so big. All the little kids are saving their money to buy Rugby League Week over there."

Playing in the NRL is a massive step for a young kid but Mead has taken it in his stride.

"I'm having the best time of my life. Life's good at the moment, I can't really complain," he said.

Coach John Cartwright is equally as happy with his pupil.

"He is a tremendous young fella, he works very had and has a long future in the game," he said.

Some struggle with the fame of NRL but Cartwright said Mead was keeping level-headed.

"He's got a good support network here and not much gets to his head."

That's why Mead will be a keeper.

www.goldcoast.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Mead set for Morris

Brimming with confidence after last weekend's win over the Storm, young Titans flyer David Mead says that communication will be the key to stopping in-form St George Illawarra star Brett Morris on Friday night.

Gold Coast's right corner has been scouted as a potential weak spot by teams this year, but Mead pledged to step up his defensive game with partner Joseph Tomane as the Titans look to fortify their home ground reputation.

"He's (Brett Morris) been scoring a fair few tries at the moment and he's a good player too, so we've worked hard at training and Joey and I have been working on our defence because we've let some points in, but we're looking forward to the challenge on Friday night," Mead said after training at Robina.

"We're getting better we just need to talk a bit more, that's the main issue."

"In the first half last week, we let three tries within 30 minutes and that was from not talking, but in the second half they didn't go through so I think we found out what it was."

While the four-point win over Melbourne did nothing but good for the 22 year-old's confidence, Mead admitted there was some early nerves as he tussled with Queensland Origin star Greg Inglis and winger Anthony Quinn.

"I was pretty nervous, although I had Quinn I was more nervous about Inglis last week, but I think defending against him gave both Joey and myself a lot more confidence so we're looking forward to defending against Matt Cooper and Brett Morris," he said.

"Personally, the win over Melbourne gave me a lot of belief that we can do anything, we just have to believe in ourselves and grind out the game for the full 80 minutes."

One of only three Papua New Guinea players plying their trade in the NRL, Mead has come a long way since growing up in Port Moresby but a massive following back home suggests that in the future more young stars could be making their way over to Australia.

"It's that big over there and they love rugby league, all the little kids save their money to save for Rugby League Week (magazine) each week, so it's massive over there," he said.

"There isn't many NRL players from Papua New Guinea only myself, Paul Aiton (Sharks) and Neville Costigan (Dragons), so they look up to all their players and even follow the Queensland Cup."

"It's been a big journey and it's still getting bigger."

"I'm having the best time of my life playing first grade and life's good at the moment. I always look up at the crowd and it's such a good feeling playing in front of the cameras."

The Titans have named an unchanged line-up for Friday night's clash, and the Dragons are sure to be cautious of John Cartwright's in-form side after losing 24-28 at Skilled Park back in Round 13 last season.

Source: http://sportal.com.au/

[DIEHARD]

Come on David, your banner is ready to rock!

[titanstattman]

Come on David, your banner is ready to rock!

Wat wat did u say:banana:

[daveyk]

Come on David, your banner is ready to rock!

am glad i am sitting down if this is true.... :laugh:

[DIEHARD]

Wat wat did u say:banana:

I'll post pics tonight. :thumbsup:

[DIEHARD]

NRL on FOX 3/4 panelists pick Titans.

Dragons are favourites $1.80 Titans at $2.00

[DIEHARD]

Ashley Harrison has been cleared to play on Friday.

[teke]

Scrum on the Titans 20-30mtr line, titans feed ball comes out and thump!! it is kicked deep down into the oppositions half ----> this was a team tactic they talked about doing to Warriors last year because Manu defends up and in tight.

I reckon it should be a goer for tomorrow night, get the flyers on the edge involved :eyebrows

[DIEHARD]

Titans: We're no one-man team

To the outsider looking in, the Gold Coast Titans' last round come-from-behind NRL victory over premiers Melbourne was a major upset.

For the Titans players though, it confirmed what they suspected all along - they are definite premiership threats, even without their talisman Scott Prince.

And the Gold Coast are licking their lips at the prospect of adding ladder leaders St George Illawarra to their growing list of high profile scalps at Skilled Park on Friday night.

Titans captain Luke Bailey said his side enjoyed a new-found self belief following the 20-16 win over the Storm despite inspirational skipper Prince (thumb) not likely to return until at least the next round.

"I definitely think so. Just looking at the boys celebrating after the game - we knew we could actually do something without Princey," he said after the Gold Coast won for just the fifth time in 14 games without their halfback.

"But in saying that we beat Melbourne last season and we still underperformed throughout the year - let's hope this is a stepping stone towards what we want to achieve this year."

Titans coach John Cartwright also hinted that his side wanted to make a premiership statement on Friday night.

"Last time we played them we beat them - that got the monkey off the back," he said, referring to their sole victory against the Dragons in round 13, 2009 - also at Skilled Park.

"We are coming off a good win and we want to gain a bit more confidence.

"To be able to beat the two competition favourites in two weeks would be a big achievement."

The Dragons appear vulnerable after Michael Weyman (suspension) became the fourth top line forward to be unavailable for the clash - Jeremy Smith, Matt Prior and Jarrod Saffy are already on the injury list.

But the fact that the Dragons could slot in Maroons enforcer Neville Costigan - his first game since overcoming pre-season shoulder surgery - added weight to Bailey's praise for ex-club St George-Illawarra's depth.

"They adopt the same approach as Melbourne, when someone is out they fill the hole really well," he said.

"I don't think anyone is looking at who is in or out - just playing at 100 percent."

Cartwright agreed: "They haven't lost any of their playmakers.

"Their one, six, seven and nine are the same. That's what you look at - they are the guys who dictate the play.

"But I am not concerned with who is in or out, they all know their job."

The Titans would be forgiven for feeling quietly confident though, considering their home record.

They have won 14 of their last 16 at Skilled Park.

Meanwhile, the Titans on Thursday cleared Ashley Harrison (corked thigh).

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

[DIEHARD]

Titans v Dragons Preview
Skilled Park - Friday 7.35pm

Okay, hands up: has anyone really gotten warm to the Titans? chances as a premiership hope in any of their first three seasons? Wow, not exactly a sea of hands showing?

But you have to admit that will all change if they manage to defeat the Dragons this week and add that scalp to the Storm?s from last week, that sees them flying as competition co-leaders.

John Cartwright?s boys slogged out a tough win over the Storm last week. The 20-16 victory was particularly gratifying given they chased down the premiers? 12-point halftime lead and ran away with the competition points ? albeit controversially given the penalty imposed on Cameron Smith for time-wasting. Still, a win is a win ? and victory here would set them up perfectly heading towards the halfway stage of the season. Next week they play the Sea Eagles at Brookvale, before some ?softer? competition looms in the form of the Panthers (home), Knights (away) and Broncos (away), before their bye leaves them refreshed leading into Round 12.

Cartwright knows wins over the next fortnight are imperative for his side to build momentum and confirm their status as legitimate front-runners.

Yes, Scott Prince remains sidelined with his broken thumb, but the skipper aside, they are injury-free and have retained the 17 who performed so stoutly last week.

Meanwhile the Dragons face a defining period. They have the luxury of a 4-1 record to date but key injuries and the upcoming representative season will surely test their depth.

Out from the side that accounted for the Broncos last week are prop Matt Prior and tackling dynamo second-rower Jeremy Smith, while their other bookend Michael Weyman needs to successfully challenge his striking charge at the judiciary tonight (Wednesday) in order to take his place.

Former Queensland Origin rep Neville Costigan makes his 2010 debut, taking Smith?s back-row spot, while Jon Green, Nick Emmett, Trent Merrin, ex-Rabbitoh Michael Greenfield, Ricky Thorby and Michael Lett make up an extended bench of 19.

Watch out Titans: Brett Morris is destined for high rep honours this year. His numbers show he?s among the biggest threats in the NRL: averages 129 metres a game, equal highest try-scorer (7), best good chases (10), fifth most tackle-breaks (27). The key for the Titans is to bustle the Dragons? inside men into error before they have a chance to execute their plays for Morris. Or at the very least, ensure the plays are rushed so that Morris is forced into error ? he does have six so far, the second most in the team behind playmaker Jamie Soward?s seven.

Elsewhere, Luke Priddis has really warmed into the no.9 jersey following Nathan Fien?s season-ending injury in Round 1; he has three try assists and his forwards are lining up to feed off his direction.

Also, this week NRL.com expert analyst Peter Sterling rated Priddis? pass at the advantage line the best in the NRL!

Watch out Dragons: Nathan Friend may not get the headlines and he may never be destined for the representative ranks, but he?s the sort of contributor that will be remembered by his club long after he hangs up his boots.

The no.9 thrives on involvement and his direction of his strong-running back-rowers in particular will prove crucial here. His 539 touches are the most in the NRL and a whopping 57 more than next busiest, the Sea Eagles? Matt Ballin. Friend has three try assists, so any lack of cohesion by the injury-depleted Dragons forwards in defence will be exploited.

Also, the Dragons might need to be on the lookout for aerial threats. They are good at defusing most attacking kicks ? except for cross-field bombs. While they have cleaned up 16 of 17 grubbers for 94 per cent effectiveness, they are a little scratchy in the air on the edges, defusing at just 25 per cent. Brett Morris and Jason Nightingale can expect Preston Campbell to direct some aerial raids their way.

Where it will be won: Organisation and execution.

Given the changes to the Dragons? pack, expect the Titans to try to play through the centre of the ruck. If the Dragons second-guess any plays they will pay for it, with the likes of Mark Minichiello (27 tackle-breaks) and Anthony Laffranchi (17 tackle-breaks) steaming onto short balls, breaking the game open for wider runners like Joseph Tomane (27 tackle-breaks).

Meanwhile, surprise would seem to be a good weapon for the Dragons. They have the most potent left-side attack in the NRL (they?ve scored 11 tries on the left compared to four on the right and five in the middle of the field) but to dismiss their right side would be foolish.

Last week against the Broncos their first few good, structured attacking plays were focused to the right ? and it led to points when Beau Scott crashed over for their first try. Later, Priddis combined to put Nightingale over in the right corner.

Elsewhere, the Titans need to make good reads on opposition fullback Darius Boyd (29 tackle-breaks, five try assists). He as much as any player is the fulcrum of their left-side attack. His pet play is the double cut-out, giving Morris a passage on the outside of opposition wingers ? he did it last week for Morris? first try. But he can also suck in the outside defenders and go himself ? as he did last week ? setting up long-range attacking raids and four-pointers.

The history: Played 6; Dragons 5, Titans 1. A formidable advantage to the visitors ? although the two games to date at this venue have been close encounters. The most recent time they met the Titans won 28-24, while the Dragons won the only other clash at Skilled Park 26-22 in 2008.

Conclusion: This is one of those games where home ground advantage comes into play.

The Dragons have been ultra-impressive, and if they were at full strength it would be difficult to tip against them. While they have some strong back-up available, at some time inexperience and a lack of depth is likely to tell. The errors will mount, the crowd will lift, and the Titans will steam home.

Go the home side by six.

Match officials: Referees ? Tony Archer & Jason Robinson; Sideline Officials ? Steve Chiddy & Gavin Morris; Video Ref ? Steve Clark.

Televised: Channel Nine ? Live 7.30pm (Qld), delayed 9.30pm (NSW); Fox Sports ? Delayed 1am.

* Stats: NRL Stats.

Source: http://www.nrl.com

[titanstattman]

SALARY cap auditor Ian Schubert may have cleared the Gold Coast Titans of rorting but he almost spoilt the party for Dragons hooker Luke Priddis.

The veteran rake will celebrate 300 first grade games when he runs out for St George Illawarra at Skilled Park but he's had to dig into his own pockets to get his family to the Gold Coast after the NRL knocked on the head a plan for the Dragons to pick up the tab.

"St George Illawarra asked the NRL whether they could pay the fares up there but it was a case of Fuifui Moimoi in that it would have had to be included under the salary cap," said Priddis, clearly hurt by the league's `scrooge' mentality.

"That's a little bit disappointing to think that there's not too many blokes that have played 300 games that they might have made an exception.

"But at the end of the day I'll pay the cash and have the family up there and hopefully we'll get away with a win and have a good weekend."

And it won't be just wife Holly and their four children: Steven, Cooper, Amber and Kaia in the Priddis camp.

His dad Michael and mum Patricia will also make the trip as the Dubbo-born hooker brings up the triple ton after stints at the Raiders (1997-98), Broncos (1999-01), Panthers (2002-08) and now Dragons (2009-10).

The 'have boots will travel' mentality taking him up and down the east coast and bringing with it Test honours and State of Origin jumpers for the Blues.

"It's just part and parcel of the business of football these days I suppose,'' said Priddis of the four-club career.

"When I first started with Canberra I thought I would have been a one-club man but that wasn't to be. I only lasted two years there and got the flick but I've just been privileged to play this long.


"I didn't think I'd get to 300 after the episodes of last year but I suppose the big fella upstairs is shining a bit of light on me and I finally got there," said Priddis.

The 'episodes' Priddis talks about are his axing to park football with the Dragons feeder club Shellharbour and getting the tap on the shoulder from coach Wayne Bennett to pull the pin. He resisted and inspired by park footballers who play purely for the love of the game he fought his way back.

"I always thought I was good enough to still be playing first grade this year," said Priddis, who's back in the top grade after Nathan Fien suffered an ankle injury in the season opener.

"I mean bad luck to 'Fiensy' with injury but that's part and parcel of the game. I think I've shown over the last couple of weeks I'm still good enough to be playing footy and playing some good footy."

He'll wind back the clock tonight when he tackles his one-time apprentice in Gold Coast Titans hooker Nathan Friend.

Priddis was Top Dog at the Broncos when Friend was his understudy with Brisbane's then feeder club Toowoomba.

"I think he did have a little mullet back in those days too," said Priddis of Friend, who like himself had to get on his bike to make the top grade with Brisbane and Melbourne before getting the job at the Titans.

"A lot of players come through the great clubs and they've had (bits of) success for that club means that even if players can't stay there they can get their rewards by getting picked up by another club.

"I mean `Friendy' has done that by going to Melbourne and now he's probably one of the key players up there at the Gold Coast at the moment."

Despite the experience Priddis will take into tonight's game he says the Dragons will be underdogs against the Titans.

"They should by all rights be starting favourites," he said.

"They beat Melbourne last week which was something we couldn't do the week before and we've got probably three to four blokes out with injury so they're going to be starting on a high."

Priddis just wants to finish on one in what's shaping as a special night but despite the 300-game mark he says the celebrations can wait until the final whistle.

"If you go out there thinking about personal goals and achievements well you've half lost it already."

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2010/04/16/208505_gold-coast-titans.html

Hahaha u got to be kidding me right.......

[DIEHARD]

I see the Dragons as one of our msst hated arch nemesis'. So I look forward to destroying them tonight.

I'd better get ready, gotta hit Bunnings to get some sticks for my Mead banner.

SEE YOU AT THE GAME! There are still tickets left, for those that wanna rock up. Just make sure you wear blue, gold and white!

[titansrawesome]

horrible record we have against dragons but i rekon we'll get the points 2nite.

[gotitans101]

Well after taking a bit of a break from these forums (after having a ridiculous rant about Titans/Bird) I'm back. I've been really impressed with him so far, and it's great to see him staying out of the 'bad side' of the media, good on him.

Regarding tonight's game, I'm pretty confident, however the main thing I'm worried about is one man - Brett Morris. We need to contain the guy, the Dragons LOVE the long pass down to him so we need to be aware of this and shut him down. Anyway looking forward to what hopefully will be a great game!

[amaline]

Well after taking a bit of a break from these forums (after having a ridiculous rant about Titans/Bird) I'm back. I've been really impressed with him so far, and it's great to see him staying out of the 'bad side' of the media, good on him.

Regarding tonight's game, I'm pretty confident, however the main thing I'm worried about is one man - Brett Morris. We need to contain the guy, the Dragons LOVE the long pass down to him so we need to be aware of this and shut him down. Anyway looking forward to what hopefully will be a great game!

Glad to have you back. :)

[titansrawesome]

damn dragons and titans are both penalised heaps and theres heaps of drop ball.

Half Time Dragons 6 (cooper Try,Soward goal, soward 0/1 field goals
Titans 0

[titansrawesome]

titans are ****, they suck so bad, tagatese is the only one with some flair, and our defense sucks

[titansrawesome]

horrible, bird threw about 5 forwards passes. the defense sucked, the offense sucked even more and rogers is probably out for a while. lucky prince is back next week. This game gave me a headache

[RobJ]

Sorry but tonight we were crap!!!!! No attack, dropped ball, soft defence, sloppy garbage all night, so bloody frustrating. Finals are a dream if we keep that up. Soooo pi$$ed off :(

[daveyk]

well well well.... seriuosly, with an effort like that tonight, i was very ready to leave with 15min to go... i did however stick it out to see us atleast get some points on the board...

looks like rogers may be out for 4-6weeks... will have to wait for scans to know the complete damage...

as for the rest of the game....

CRAP

[squirrell]

ordinary performance...more dragons fans than titans fans it seemed they at least had something to cheer about...17 errors!!!!!! unbelievable amount it seemed every set we made 1. 8 penalties and 26 missed tackles nightmare with manly away next week...

[daveyk]

ordinary performance...more dragons fans than titans fans it seemed they at least had something to cheer about...17 errors!!!!!! unbelievable amount it seemed every set we made 1. 8 penalties and 26 missed tackles nightmare with manly away next week...

agreed... with the loss of rogers... i do hope that prince is back

[DIEHARD]

Dire performance and... at home as well... Really missed Scott Prince, no direction in attack. We were harmless in attack. Too many errors and penalities.

We had our chances. Zillman nearly scoring. Tags if he passed to Gordon. But we didnt deserve it.

Gonna hit the sack, say more tomorrow.

But well done to the Titans fans for sticking by the team and we got rewarded with a late try. We are defined in victory AND defeat as a fanbase.

Also well done to everone who donated to the Cancer Council Relay for Life, we collected nearly $300.00 alone tonight.

[DIEHARD]

Titans fall to Dragons in rare home defeat

The Jetstar Gold Coast Titans have suffered a frustrating 19-6 defeat at the hands of the St George Illawarra Dragons at Skilled Park tonight.

A week after celebrating a gritty comeback win against premiers Melbourne, the Titans were made to pay for mistakes and poor discipline in front of a crowd of 21,336.

The loss marked the Titans first defeat in four matches at Skilled Park this season.

It was a tough night for the Titans who clearly missed the experience and attacking brilliance of injured captain Scott Prince, as they were only able to score one barge over try to interchange prop Michael Henderson in the 78th minute.

The injury woes continued tonight as centre Matt Rogers was forced to leave the field in the 27th minute with a suspected medial ligament strain.

Titans coach John Cartwright was disappointed with the result but not the effort and attitude shown by his side.

“The effort was there tonight but the penalty count and bounce of the ball went against us,” said Cartwright.

“We created plenty of opportunities to produce points but our timing was out.

“We turned up and made some crucial defence plays but ran out of juice to mount a second half come back.

“There were patches of play in the second half we were very strong and probably only needed one try to get us back in the game, but it wasn’t to be.”

The Dragons led at halftime and took a 12-nil lead after 49 minutes when second rower Ben Creagh somehow managed to hold on to a Jamie Soward bomb and score a miraculous try next to the posts.

A knock on from the kick-off sparked a succession of goal line drop outs for the Titans, but the home side were unable to turn their opportunities into points.

“We had a good sniff in the second half but out defence started to struggle and they tore us apart up the middle,” said Titans stand-in Captain Luke Bailey.

“We were flat in attack and a bit off the pace tonight, with a little bit of luck the momentum could have shifted in our favour but we weren’t able to fight back in time.”

A converted try to Soward gave the Dragons a commanding 18-0 lead, with 17 minutes of play remaining.

Both teams looked to be out on their feet in the 74th minute as Soward added salt to the Titans wounds with a sneaky field goal taking the score to 19-0.

The Titans never gave in as Henderson barged his way over the try line narrowing the margin to 19-6, as Campbell converted in the 78th minute.

Earlier it was the Dragons who drew first blood when centre Matt Cooper strolled his way over from dummy-half, five metres out to score the easiest of tries.

Soward nailed the sideline conversation as the Dragons took a 6-0 lead.

The Titans were struggling to find any rhythm in attack when things got worse in the 27th minute when centre Mat Rogers was forced to leave the field for the rest of the match with a knee injury.

The Dragons roll on continued until some brilliant defence by hooker Nathan Friend brought them undone five metres out from the Titans try line as the arm wrestle continued into half-time break.

St George Illawarra Dragons 19 (M Cooper, B Creagh, J Soward tries; Soward 3 goals and field goal) defeated the Gold Coast Titans 6 (M Henderson try; P Campbell goal).

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

[teke]

That was one of the worst performances i have seen by a club this year :laugh:

Woeful in attack and woeful in discipline.

Im gonna say it....

Greg Bird has got to go from 5/8, the backline is flat and the ball is not hitting the edges like it is with every other team. I have watched every titans game on tele this year and every commentator (sideline & studio) has said the same thing.

Carty knows it :poke:

[DIEHARD]

Game "high"lights - http://bigpondvideo.com/nrl/254122

[DIEHARD]

Bulletin Photo Gallery is pretty dodgy this week. Only 46 pictures and all too many of Rogers injury and half a dozen of Priddis' family in the stands.. And no Legion.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TITANS V DRAGONS PHOTO GALLERY ON GOLDCOAST.COM.AU (http://tools.goldcoast.com.au/photo-gallery/photo_gallery_popup_preview.php?splash=1&category_id=14855&group_id=16)

[karnage]

We started well before Zillman BOMBED that try in the SE corner - it was the exact play we put on for our opening try against Souths. If we make that play its a completely different ball game.

It was a woeful game but there were a couple of positives.

Bull was good and so were White and Henderson.

Man we were bad without Prince though and it is performances like that will see the 'No Prince = No Chance' attitude prevail.

We will be lapped at Brookvale if we put up a performace like that again.

[Supergoose]

I agree with the bull and Henderson comment but White dropped too much ball in the first half to get too many platitudes. He played better in the 2nd half.

[TITAN PETE]

Nothing to say except well done to the Dragons their defence was awesome but remember it's round 6 not 26 so don't right our boys off just yet !

[Supergoose]

I agree with the sentiment already expressed, we aren't showing discipline or holding onto the ball and we aren't even being expansive in attack. The attitude seems to be that it's alright to drop the ball as long as you tackle and run hard. Zillman was terrible last night and we need to work more plays to get our wingers involved. Kevin gordon had a saloon passage at one stage but the taga held the ball up and Gordon was left jogging alongside. I want to know when the standards are going to be raised. Cartwright must start sending the message that you won't start the game if you are dropping too much ball or giving away silly penalties. Our backrow was dominated last night and that was against an undermanned pack. We are using them too much close to the line. The first man play should be a surprise option but the dragons were waiting for us on nearly every occasion. Despite bird throwing a couple of forward passes, I thought he tried harder to play like a 5/8, he just wasn't good at it. It will be interesting to see what options Carty comes up with but if he doesn't make a change we will get more of the same. I think we have played well for a game and a half this season and that's not good enough.

[titansrawesome]

BIRD to Lock, prince is supposed to be back next week, cartwright needs to tell them to start doing proper offloads at any chance like the warriors and give it to the backs at least once every 2-3 sets, no wonder why warriors and tigers get 100 meter tries, last night we were down 12-0 and 18-0 and all we still did was pass it to meyers, then laffaranchi, then bull, then white then kick.

[Boonarga]

Terribly frustrating. I was in the south west corner for the first half surrounded by Saints wankers. I normally don't mind opposition fans but these people were morons. Moved down the other end above the legion for the second half.

For the first 20 minutes I thought we were in it. Cooper strolled over and we dropped the bundle. Bird MUST go to lock to get more involved in the defence.

In the last 10 minutes I was hoping we wouldn't score as I had the double. They even screwed that up!

How crap was the pre game singer? The voice wasn't so bad but the song was awful.

[DIEHARD]

We had every opportunity to win, but ultimately did no deserve to. Zillman was close to scoring and Tags just had to look to his left for support. Bailey was our best out there and tried his heart out, Hendo as well. We really lack organisation, kicking and creativity. I don't believe that Bird is the type of 5/8th our team needs.

Our wingers are one of our best weapons, yet we have seen very little of them in 2010. We also need to work on better kicking, get repeat sets and pile the pressure on the opposition.

Losing at home, is a shot to the heart. That's for sure!

[DIEHARD]

NRL match stats -> http://live.nrlstats.com/matches/nrl/match3187.html

[titansrawesome]

hope prince is back next week, we are screwed without him because we cant score, we need offloads and pass the ball to the backs every 2-3 sets, i heard that o dwyer is ment to be back next week too.

[Sydney Titans Fanatic]

bloody dragons supporters walking around in surfers paradise with there red and white gear on...Cavill ave looked like bloody woolongong

[GCT_89]

hope prince is back next week, we are screwed without him because we cant score, we need offloads and pass the ball to the backs every 2-3 sets, i heard that o dwyer is ment to be back next week too.

we seemed fine last week.....

[Sydney Titans Fanatic]

Salary cap dramas that threaten to derail the club and bury them under mountains of debt and legal documents, the Titans can manage. A wall of white-and-red jumpers that weren't letting them through under any circumstance? That's another story.

This should have been the night of the Titans. Last Friday, they sucker-punched the champs, beating an off-key Melbourne Storm that, for once, failed to hold onto a half-time lead.

Then came the news the club had been waiting for, although managing director Michael Searle insists he knew it was coming all along. The stain of the salary cap accusations, which involved co-captain Scott Prince, a grumpy builder and a mysterious house, was lifted after the NRL cleared the Titans of any wrongdoing.

With another premiership fancy coming to Skilled Park, formerly known as the "Temple of Boom" in another rugby league marketing ploy gone wrong, the stage was set for a triumphant end to the affair.

The Dragons of St George-Illawarra weren't in on the act. Fresh from beating the Broncos meted out last week, they polished off south-east Queensland's remaining side with poise and polish to the dominating tune of 19-6.

The almost-clean sheet will impress Wayne Bennett as much as another two competition points. Only occasionally did the Titans threaten to turn a bulge in the wall into an incursion of any dangerous proportions.

When they eventually did, three minutes from the end, it was a bash-and-barge effort by prop Michael Henderson from just a few metres out. The crowd of 21,336 fans cheered. Titans coach John Cartwright just thundered down the steps towards the sheds with a grim look on his face.

If last weeked proved the Titans don't need Scott Prince to win, this week showed how much easier it is when he's around. The brilliant number seven is nursing a broken hand and not due back until May 3, when the Panthers head to the Gold Coast.

He can't mend fast enough. Preston Campbell is an able deputy and will try until they turn out the lights. But Prince's finesse comes in handy and the Titans are battling without his astute and decisive kicking game. And then there is Mat Rogers' injury, sustained in the 26th minute against the Dragons.

Greg Bird is learning the art of the five-eighth but one try assist in six games shows his strength is running, not passing. He tried desperately to bash his bulky body through the wall at Skilled Park and was met with the stiffest of resistance every time.

Perhaps more concerning for the Titans are the empty seats in the stands. A massive contingent of Dragons supporters made most of the noise at the southern end, drowning out what little the home supporters had to cheer about.

The two best sides in the NRL in consecutive weeks has failed to fill Skilled Park. For a part of Queensland that was bereft of a side for years and is now blessed with a very good one - that plays in the second-best stadium in the game - the Coast punters should learn to appreciate what they have in their midst.
smh

[Sydney Titans Fanatic]

[/B]The two best sides in the NRL in consecutive weeks has failed to fill Skilled Park. For a part of Queensland that was bereft of a side for years and is now blessed with a very good one - that plays in the second-best stadium in the game - the Coast punters should learn to appreciate what they have in their midst.[/B]
smh

have to somehow agree with this comment

[DIEHARD]

I certainly agree. Anything under 24k for that game isn't good enough. I don't understand how we only got so few more than last week.

[titansrawesome]

we seemed fine last week.....

we got lucky, trust me the sea eagles are already laughing at us, we need to do that stuff i said before in attack, thats why teams hate defending against the tigers and warriors every year, you saw the game right? no one was deep, we looked bunched up, the commentators said we looked crap with the ball and too bunched up. This is the nrl's tightest year ever so we need to fix these problems, if the reds can do it then we should be able to as well.

[Supergoose]

You're comparing us with the Reds? I don't think things have ever been that dire for the Titans. We are losing the stat that matters most and which has the biggest impact on the final score and that is errors. If you look at the stats we had less completions but made more metres than the Dragons. We made fewer tackles. The stats don't show that the Dragons dominated us, it showed we handed it to them. If we can hold on to the ball we will win. There are far too many pressurized passes being thrown where the heat is on the ball recipient to make a catch under the glare of one and two defenders. This shows that the passera and runners aren't even considering what defence is in front of them. Prince fixes this a little, but we need to give ourselves some more depth and let the ball sing a little more to ease the pressure on the blokes who have to make a catch.

[bigjim]

If it wasn't clear before it certainly is now.
We are officially the Storms bogey team and the Dragons are ours.:gossip:

[titansrawesome]

You're comparing us with the Reds? I don't think things have ever been that dire for the Titans. We are losing the stat that matters most and which has the biggest impact on the final score and that is errors. If you look at the stats we had less completions but made more metres than the Dragons. We made fewer tackles. The stats don't show that the Dragons dominated us, it showed we handed it to them. If we can hold on to the ball we will win. There are far too many pressurized passes being thrown where the heat is on the ball recipient to make a catch under the glare of one and two defenders. This shows that the passera and runners aren't even considering what defence is in front of them. Prince fixes this a little, but we need to give ourselves some more depth and let the ball sing a little more to ease the pressure on the blokes who have to make a catch.

you completely failed to understand what i was saying, ii know we have never been as bad as the old reds, and even when we do hang on to the ball we cant score, dan hunt knocks on from restart, we waste the whole set with a lousy kick at the end, one point we had 3 consecutive sets on dragons line, waste the whole 3 sets and they go down the other end in one set and soward scores.

[Dragons]

I certainly agree. Anything under 24k for that game isn't good enough. I don't understand how we only got so few more than last week.

Cost! it getting to expensive for the average family to go to a game or two. Blame that on Titan's management. Lower the price and get rid of the ridiculous food and drink prices. More people will come to the stadium and the crowds will be bigger. Just read the people's comments in the Bulletin and you will see it the price that keeps them away. I'm not looking forward to when the other game starts here next year.

[Steelers]

I can't believe how many Dragons supporters were there. It seemed like it was very close to a 50/50 crowd. And a dominant performance (greatly helped by a poor performance by the Titans) further helped to silence the Titans contingent.

We could have easily racked up a cricket score but made errors. Thankfully you guys didn't offer much resistance so our errors weren't too crucial.

[daveyk]

the prices may seem high... but also dont foget that the price of the ticket also includes your transport to and from the game...

food and drink prices are high but you get that even at say the ekka or gc show...

[TITAN PETE]

the prices may seem high... but also dont foget that the price of the ticket also includes your transport to and from the game...

food and drink prices are high but you get that even at say the ekka or gc show...

The food & drink prices are in line with almost every 1st Class sporting venue in the country, they are all high :(

I think the major problem with the crowd was the media especially Sea FM who had been saying all week the game was going to be a sellout so many people didn't even attempt to buy tickets :boo:

[daveyk]

The food & drink prices are in line with almost every 1st Class sporting venue in the country, they are all high :(

I think the major problem with the crowd was the media especially Sea FM who had been saying all week the game was going to be a sellout so many people didn't even attempt to buy tickets :boo:

i totally agree pete... that what i was saying... any sort of festival aswell has the same prices... and i can see the prices to continue to rise in the future...

its crap but not much we can do about it

[DIEHARD]

I think by and by you need to either bring in some home made stuff or eat brfore you enter the stadium.

Most people only attend a game for the NRL, so that is about 2 hours. Im sure people can have some food to tide them over.

I hate the prices and quality as much as anyone but you gotta try and work around it. The prices of food at the Relay for Life were massive too, although I think procedes were donated. $3 for a can of drink at a charity event is sus.

[titansrawesome]

the superdogs at skilled taste awesome, the only stuff thats really expensive at skilled is the drinks but if you've been to indy you'll know that drinks are pricy at every special event

[Dragons]

the superdogs at skilled taste awesome, the only stuff thats really expensive at skilled is the drinks but if you've been to indy you'll know that drinks are pricy at every special event

It's not the drinks alone it all expensive for everthing. Come on we want to bring the prices down so families can come and watch the game not just single blokes and there mates or guys with girlfriends. I thinks the Titans need to make it a more family enviroment.

[titansrawesome]

maybe they cant bring it down because they wont make a good enough profit, but then again maybe there would be sellouts if the stuff was cheaper.

[Steelers]

I am assuming the high costs are due to high ground hire fees that the Titans have to fork out to actually play there.