Round 1: North Queensland Cowboys vs Gold Coast Titans

[DIEHARD]

North Queensland Cowboys vs Gold Coast Titans

[DIEHARD]

Sure is weird not playing at home in Round 1. But it is a Queensland Derby and the Cowboys deserve a go at hosting such an event. It'll be tough.

Not sure if I'll make it up or not. Depends on finance really.

[Mushi]

So great to come in and see the thread up already. I know we still have a little while to go but it makes it seem so much closer. Am very happy as I am heading away for this one and can't wait!!!!!

[DIEHARD]

So great to come in and see the thread up already. I know we still have a little while to go but it makes it seem so much closer. Am very happy as I am heading away for this one and can't wait!!!!!

Northern Legion! :thumbsup:

[TitansFan2020]

My birthday was yesterday and one of the gifts was 2 aeroplane tickets to townsville :)

[DIEHARD]

My birthday was yesterday and one of the gifts was 2 aeroplane tickets to townsville :)

Brilliant. Happy Birthday mate. Hope you had a great day. Looking forward to catching up in Section 30 soon!

Not sure if I'll make it up. Need to sit down and look at the draw. I'm a chance though.

[DIEHARD]

Don't forget that if you are an Away Legion Member, you can use your Membership for tickets to this match. If you are going, consider becoming an Away Legion Member for just $60.00 and receive a full range of Members merchandise.

Buy online at http://www.titans.com.au/default.aspx?s=membership

Every Titans fan should consider an Away Legion and all Legion Members should consider doubling up. Away Legion is even eligible for games against the Broncos at Lang Park!

[DIEHARD]

North Queensland $1.47
Gold Coast $2.65

http://www.tab.com.au

[Supergoose]

I think this price is fair at the moment but may come in during the trials. If you think we can sneak one over the Cowboys might be an idea to get it while it's hot!

[hammer]

Just searching around the JetStar website and I believe there is no direct flights to Townsville from the Gold Coast.

[TITAN PETE]

Just searching around the JetStar website and I believe there is no direct flights to Townsville from the Gold Coast.

They don't fly direct from the Goldy they all go via Sydney so it's much quicker & cheaper from Brisbane , I booked tickets just before Xmas & got $69 tickets :thumbsup:

[DIEHARD]

They don't fly direct from the Goldy they all go via Sydney so it's much quicker & cheaper from Brisbane , I booked tickets just before Xmas & got $69 tickets :thumbsup:

Oh well done mate. That is a fantastic price.

[Mushi]

Good price there Titan Pete - we got $99 tickets so happy with that. Can't wait!!!

[DIEHARD]

Good price there Titan Pete - we got $99 tickets so happy with that. Can't wait!!!

Yea I agree, that is a good price too. Should be a BIG Titans following up there to go along with our strong levels of support up north.

[DIEHARD]

Cowboys signing Robert Lui admits he's running out of chances

ROBERT Lui was the most controversial off-season signing in the NRL when the troubled young halfback linked with the North Queensland Cowboys.

There is no doubting the 21-year-old's terrific on-field talents and the word out of Townsville is he will almost certainly start at halfback in round 1 with Johnathan Thurston at five-eighth against the Gold Coast.

However, Lui comes with a bad-boy image and will face a court hearing in March on criminal charges alleging he assaulted his partner after the Wests Tigers' "Mad Monday" celebrations last September. A guilty verdict could threaten Lui's career and the NRL says it will monitor the situation closely.

While some have been critical of Lui's signing, the Cowboys insist he deserves a chance and has an extensive network of family support in north Queensland, including his parents and seven siblings.

While Lui cannot comment on the pending court case, he bares his soul in his first big interview since joining the Cowboys, speaking openly to The Sunday Mail about his hopes, fears and aspirations.

http://www.couriermail.com.au

[Titanic]

We just need to send every forward and most of our backs at this speed-bump ... can't wait.

[teke]

Speed bump no longer...boo hoo :D

http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/nrl-premiership/north-queensland-cowboys-playmaker-robert-lui-injures-knee-in-training-mishap/story-fn2mcuj6-1226255233773

[TITAN PETE]

Speed bump no longer...boo hoo :D

http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/nrl-premiership/north-queensland-cowboys-playmaker-robert-lui-injures-knee-in-training-mishap/story-fn2mcuj6-1226255233773

Whats the word i'm looking for...could it be "Karma" :laugh: , i hope its a season ending :p

[teke]

Whats the word i'm looking for...could it be "Karma" :laugh: , i hope its a season ending :pI hope so aswell :laugh:

[DIEHARD]

Update on Lui injury

Injured Toyota Cowboy Robert Lui does not require surgery following his training mishap on Friday but is still expected to miss North Queensland?s three scheduled pre-season trial matches.

Lui?s right kneecap was dislocated and he suffered a small ligament tear when he was hit in a tackle during the opposed session at the Townsville Sports Reserve.

Scans taken at the weekend confirmed the initial diagnosis that the halfback?s ACL was intact.

The average rehabilitation period for an injury of this nature is around six weeks, meaning Lui is only an outside chance of being available for selection for the Cowboys? round one home game against the Gold Coast Titans at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

He is definitely out of this weekend?s trial against Brisbane at Redcliffe and the clash with St George Illawarra in Perth on 11 February.

Lui said while he was disappointed his first pre-season with the Cowboys had been interrupted by the knee injury, he was grateful the problem wasn?t more serious.

?I felt a click and I knew straight away something was wrong,? he said.

?Thank God it wasn?t a PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) or ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) where I could have been out for the whole season.?

Lui completed upper body weights work under the guidance of strength coach Steve Hooper while the remainder of the NRL squad went through a tough conditioning session at training on Monday afternoon.

http://www.cowboys.com.au/

[TitansFan2020]

we will just tackle a little lower the usual all day to him, and then when we verse NQ later on in the year we sstill dont have to verse him

[Titanic]

I can't for the life of me understand why big Sam hasn't smacked this grub into next century.

[DIEHARD]

Anybody have any idea when tickets go on sale?

[Boofhead]

Can't seem to find ticket sales for any Cowboys games. Taking the piss, luckily the Titans game should be a sell out game regardless.

[DIEHARD]

Can't seem to find ticket sales for any Cowboys games. Taking the piss, luckily the Titans game should be a sell out game regardless.

Yea it is moronic, specially when Cowboys fans travel large distances and would like to wrap up their preparations early.

[MightyTitans]

Just read this on twitter

Scans on Titan Kevin Gordon have revealed no damage to his reconstructed knee.

http://twitter.com/#!/danielmeers (apparently gc bulletin journo)

[DIEHARD]

Just read this on twitter

Scans on Titan Kevin Gordon have revealed no damage to his reconstructed knee.

http://twitter.com/#!/danielmeers (apparently gc bulletin journo)

It's fantastic news! Just read it on twitter as well from KG.

[Mushi]

So as said on FB - tickets for round one vs the cowboys go on sale (according to email from cowboys membership dept) on 22/2/12 - VERY LATE!!!!!!

[DIEHARD]

So as said on FB - tickets for round one vs the cowboys go on sale (according to email from cowboys membership dept) on 22/2/12 - VERY LATE!!!!!!

Very very late. Maybe they think it'll sell out, but they are still jerking around the loyal fans.

[DIEHARD]

Well as previously posted Tate got injured last night, so is in doubt for Round 1.

[Titanic]

This will be a cracker of a game ... I wouldn't be taking too much out of last night.

[teke]

Cowboys are a tough first up start but Im confident of a win.

[Princey's Titanz]

Cowboys are a tough first up start but Im confident of a win.

We did beat them even with Thursto and Bowen in the team. That has got to be something special right?

[teke]

We did beat them even with Thursto and Bowen in the team. That has got to be something special right?Not really cause we did the same thing last year. We will beat them in round 1

[Smakked]

Titans by 6
Cant wait for the season to officially start.

[DIEHARD]

Cowboys match tickets on sale 9am Wednesday

The wait is almost over ? individual match tickets for all 2012 North Queensland Toyota Cowboys' home games go on sale from 9am Wednesday through Ticketek.

The Cowboys have worked hard selling memberships up until this point and almost 8,000 new members have joined to ride under the Cowboys star so far this season.

There's still plenty of time to secure your membership, but if you would prefer to buy tickets for individual matches, this is your chance to make sure you?re at Dairy Farmers Stadium to cheer on your team.

The Cowboys have a very attractive list of home matches on their 2012 schedule, starting with the Queensland derby against the Gold Coast Titans at Dairy Farmers in less than a fortnight ? Saturday night, 3 March.

We also know that we?re playing the Parramatta Eels at home on Saturday 17 March and the Cronulla Sharks on Saturday 24 March.

Although actual dates and times of the remaining nine home matches are yet to released by the NRL, you can still buy tickets for those games from Wednesday morning.

The schedule includes blockbusters against the St George Illawarra Dragons (round nine), the Brisbane Broncos (round 15) and Wests Tigers (round 20) which are sure to attract plenty of interest.

?The day our match tickets go on sale is a big one for the club each year. It?s a sign to everyone that the season is just around the corner,? Cowboys CEO Peter Jourdain said.

?There were plenty of wins for everyone to enjoy at Dairy Farmers last year and we?re confident we?re in for at least the same, or even better, in 2012.

?If you want to guarantee yourself the seat you want, the best idea is to buy a membership or get in early and buy your match tickets.?

You can buy your Cowboys home game tickets by visiting a Ticketek outlet, logging on to www.ticketek.com.au or by calling 132 849.

http://www.cowboys.com.au/

[psmitty]

This is the team I think Carty will pick for this weekend


1. William Zillman
2. Steve Michaels
3. Jamal Idris
4. Beau Champion
5. David Mead
6. Jordan Rankin
7. Scott Prince
8. Luke Bailey
9. Kayne Lawton
10. Luke Douglas
11. Nate Myles
12. Greg Bird
13. Ashley Harrison

INTERCHANGE

14. Matt White
15. Mark Minichiello
16. Bodene Thompson (If not then Luke O'Dwyer)
17. Matt Srama

[Princey's Titanz]

This is the team I think Carty will pick for this weekend


1. William Zillman
2. Steve Michaels
3. Jamal Idris
4. Beau Champion
5. David Mead
6. Jordan Rankin
7. Scott Prince
8. Luke Bailey
9. Kayne Lawton
10. Luke Douglas
11. Nate Myles
12. Greg Bird
13. Ashley Harrison

INTERCHANGE

14. Matt White
15. Mark Minichiello
16. Bodene Thompson (If not then Luke O'Dwyer)
17. Matt Srama

Didnt Carty say that Nate Myles will play in the front row?

[psmitty]

Didnt Carty say that Nate Myles will play in the front row?

He did but since then he has been talking up Douglas as a SOO rep player so I can't see him not having him in as the front row. He also said that Zillman was his number one choice from 5/8th and he has changed his mind now by the sound of it (we'll we are all hoping he has).

[Princey's Titanz]

He did but since then he has been talking up Douglas as a SOO rep player so I can't see him not having him in as the front row. He also said that Zillman was his number one choice from 5/8th and he has changed his mind now by the sound of it (we'll we are all hoping he has).

Zillman for Dally M!!

[Boofhead]

Round 1 team announcement - Recruits give Titans exciting new look
Adam Gardini | 28/02/2012 1:00:00 PM

Jetstar Gold Coast Titans Coach John Cartwright has today named three new recruits to make their official club debuts in Saturday night’s Round 1 clash against the North Queensland Cowboys at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

Cartwright today named fresh faces Jamal Idris, Nate Myles and Luke Douglas to play their first matches for the club against the Cowboys in what is a new-look side to kick-start 2012.

Gold Coast-born Jordan Rankin, 20, has been named in the much talked about five-eighth spot in what will mark his 10th NRL appearance, with William Zillman selected at fullback.

Tweed Coast Raiders junior Kayne Lawton, 22, and last year’s NRL Rookie of the Year Matt Srama, 21, have both been named in the 18-man squad, with the duo expected to share the hooking duties.

In the Under-20s curtain raiser, new Jetstar Titans NYC coach Jamie O’Connor has named his first 17-man squad for the year.

JETSTAR TITANS vs NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
Saturday, March 3 - 8.30pm (Qld time)
Dairy Farmers Stadium

1. William Zillman
2. Steve Michaels
3. Jamal Idris
4. Dominique Peyroux
5. David Mead
6. Jordan Rankin
7. Scott Prince (c)
8. Luke Bailey
9. Kayne Lawton
10. Nate Myles
11. Greg Bird
12. Mark Minichiello
13. Ashley Harrison

Interchange
14. Luke Douglas
15. Matthew White
16. Ben Ridge
17. Matthew Srama
18. Luke O’Dwyer

Coach: John Cartwright

http://www.titans.com.au/default.aspx?s=article-display&id=47865&title=round-1-team-announcement---recruits-give-titans-exciting-new-look

[amaline]

Jetstar Gold Coast Titans Coach John Cartwright has today named three new recruits to make their official club debuts in Saturday night?s Round 1 clash against the North Queensland Cowboys at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

Cartwright today named fresh faces Jamal Idris, Nate Myles and Luke Douglas to play their first matches for the club against the Cowboys in what is a new-look side to kick-start 2012.

Gold Coast-born Jordan Rankin, 20, has been named in the much talked about five-eighth spot in what will mark his 10th NRL appearance, with William Zillman selected at fullback.

Tweed Coast Raiders junior Kayne Lawton, 22, and last year?s NRL Rookie of the Year Matt Srama, 21, have both been named in the 18-man squad, with the duo expected to share the hooking duties.

In the Under-20s curtain raiser, new Jetstar Titans NYC coach Jamie O?Connor has named his first 17-man squad for the year.


Pretty much the team we expected. Interesting to see Douglas off the bench though.

[Boofhead]

:thumbsup: Good squad Carty. Love the inclusion of Ridge.

[TITAN PETE]

Agree with both Boof & Amaline but a little shocked to not see BJ on the bench...any how i can't wait to jump on a NTH bound flight Thursday night to watch the boys kick some Cowgirls ****s :fist:

[Tamwelg]

Woohoo how exciting is it starting to get now. The side for round 1 has been named and Carty has named a great side.


Pretty much the team we expected. Interesting to see Douglas off the bench though.

Yep, I expected him to start as well.


:thumbsup: Good squad Carty. Love the inclusion of Ridge.

Me too. He has earned his spot. Some may be surprised by his inclusion ahead of Thomson, but not me.


Agree with both Boof & Amaline but a little shocked to not see BJ on the bench...any how i can't wait to jump on a NTH bound flight Thursday night to watch the boys kick some Cowgirls ****s :fist:


I thought BJ may have just squeezed into the side ahead of White. It must have been a close call.

[Tamwelg]

Linnett to debut in round 1 starting side

28/02/2012 12:21:23 PM

Kane Linnett has won the race for a starting centre position in the Toyota Cowboys’ backline and will make his NRL debut for North Queensland against the Gold Coast Titans in the 2012 season opener at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday night.

However, Linnett’s main rival for the left centre job, Antonio Winterstein, has not missed out and will be on the wing in his first game since suffering pectoral and shoulder damage in round 14 of last season.

Linnett joined the Cowboys on a two-year contract at the end of 2011 after playing 23 NRL matches for the Roosters, including the 2010 grand final, while injuries restricted Winterstein to just nine matches in his first season with the Cowboys.

Co-captain Johnathan Thurston and Ray Thompson will continue as the Cowboys’ halves pairing, although they have swapped the number six and seven jerseys they played in last season.

Gavin Cooper, Glenn Hall and Dallas Johnson have won the keenly contested starting back-row slots, with coach Neil Henry naming another four forwards, including hooker James Segeyaro, on the interchange bench.

Johnson, prop James Tamou and winger Ashley Graham have been cleared to play after missing the pre-season trial which the Cowboys lost 36-28 against the Titans in Mackay.

Saturday night’s match kicks off at 8.30pm (Qld time) and will be live on Fox Sports and 4TOFM – follow our Twitter feed @nthqldcowboys for live score updates.

Match tickets are available by going to www.ticketek.com.au, visiting a Ticketek outlet or by calling 132 849.

To join as a Toyota Cowboys member, contact the Membership Team on 1300 GO COWBOYS (1300 462 692) or visit www.cowboys.com.au/membership.

North Queensland Toyota Cowboys v Titans
Round 1, 2012 NRL Telstra Premiership
8.30pm, Saturday 3 March, Dairy Farmers Stadium
1. Matthew Bowen
2. Ashley Graham
3. Brent Tate
4. Kane Linnett
5. Antonio Winterstein
6. Johnathan Thurston (c)
7. Ray Thompson
8. Matthew Scott (c)
9. Aaron Payne
10. James Tamou
11. Gavin Cooper
12. Glenn Hall
13. Dallas Johnson

Interchange:
14. James Segeyaro
15. Scott Bolton
16. Jason Taumalolo
17. Ashton Sims

Coach: Neil Henry

www.cowboys.com.au

[karnage]

Luke Douglas earned his reputation as an 80 minute player. The decision to start him on the bench is ridiculous. Minichello offers us a change of gears off the bench, he could make a real impact after 20 or 30 minutes running at tired forwards on the fringes. I hope this is a smokescreen from Carty because keeping Douglas on the bench means we don't start the game with our best 13 players.

[teke]

Luke Douglas earned his reputation as an 80 minute player. The decision to start him on the bench is ridiculous. Minichello offers us a change of gears off the bench, he could make a real impact after 20 or 30 minutes running at tired forwards on the fringes. I hope this is a smokescreen from Carty because keeping Douglas on the bench means we don't start the game with our best 13 players.Carty must have owed Mini something to be put ahead of Douglas. With all the fullback & 5/8 issues being discussed over the preseason, management throws a lightning bolt from left field and sticks a good 80min prop on the bench :laugh: :nope:

It should be Bailey on the bench not Douglas.

[TITAN PETE]

Luke Douglas earned his reputation as an 80 minute player. The decision to start him on the bench is ridiculous. Minichello offers us a change of gears off the bench, he could make a real impact after 20 or 30 minutes running at tired forwards on the fringes. I hope this is a smokescreen from Carty because keeping Douglas on the bench means we don't start the game with our best 13 players.

I think u have hit the nail on the Head mate , Mini's days of starting are over & he'll be a great impact player off the bench, at least he'll keep his no12 :rolleyes:

[Ryan]

Luke Douglas earned his reputation as an 80 minute player. The decision to start him on the bench is ridiculous. Minichello offers us a change of gears off the bench, he could make a real impact after 20 or 30 minutes running at tired forwards on the fringes. I hope this is a smokescreen from Carty because keeping Douglas on the bench means we don't start the game with our best 13 players.


Carty must have owed Mini something to be put ahead of Douglas. With all the fullback & 5/8 issues being discussed over the preseason, management throws a lightning bolt from left field and sticks a good 80min prop on the bench :laugh: :nope:

It should be Bailey on the bench not Douglas.


I think u have hit the nail on the Head mate , Mini's days of starting are over & he'll be a great impact player off the bench, at least he'll keep his no12 :rolleyes:

Whats with the assumption that Mini got picked over Douglas for the starting 13? Mini runs on the edge, Douglas runs up the middle. If anyone, it's Myles & Bailey who got picked over Douglas... Besides, our entire staring forward pack are capable of 80min or making an impact off the bench.

No smokescreen needed, Carty's plan looks obvious (and typical) to me; every player on the bench are guys who work the center of the field - We'll be going straight up the middle all night! Then Bird & Dom and Idris & Mini will work their edges close to the line. Poor Kane Linnett is gonna have a tough debut holding those monsters back :?)

Mini has been our best meter eater for years, no surprise to me he keeps his #12. Put me down for Mini first try scorer Sat night :thumbsup:

[Titanic]

I promised no negativity until the team had shown what its got ... oh how my fingers are twitching :-)

[Ryan]

I promised no negativity until the team had shown what its got ... oh how my fingers are twitching :-)
I think I can read your mind anyway.....

[MightyTitans]

I seriously could not believe the lineup when I saw it..

Its a disgrace that Douglas is on the bench..

Mini, you're a good guy but your place is on the bench.

I dont understand why Brenton Lawrence wasnt picked and ridge was..

Mini is enough of a backup 2ndrower/impact on the bench..

Seriously after all the stupid decisions coming from cartwright last season/this season I hope that they move him on if the team doesnt perform..

[karnage]

Whats with the assumption that Mini got picked over Douglas for the starting 13? Mini runs on the edge, Douglas runs up the middle. If anyone, it's Myles & Bailey who got picked over Douglas... Besides, our entire staring forward pack are capable of 80min or making an impact off the bench.

No smokescreen needed, Carty's plan looks obvious (and typical) to me; every player on the bench are guys who work the center of the field - We'll be going straight up the middle all night! Then Bird & Dom and Idris & Mini will work their edges close to the line. Poor Kane Linnett is gonna have a tough debut holding those monsters back :?)

Mini has been our best meter eater for years, no surprise to me he keeps his #12. Put me down for Mini first try scorer Sat night :thumbsup:

Excellent post.

The assumption about Mini comes about because his selection has forced a SOO backrower up to prop. I think you're spot on with what you say about Carty's game plan being route 1 football (aka Straight Up The Guts!!). I had hoped that our overhauled squad would force Carty to overhaul his thinking and allow us to play more expansive football.

That may happen as the season progresses but for now I'll take results over style if that is what eventuates.

[Chaos]

Will be an interesting battle in the middle...the stand out best prop in the game will be against us, locating right in the middle.

Cowboys have the best pack in the comp...I was hoping we would be attacking the Cowboys halves to limit their scoring potential.

Anyhow...it will be fun to watch.

[Nick]

The main weakness I see in the cowboys will be the right side (assuming Hall will be on the right). I think hall is a decent player, but I have noticed he can get lazy in defence. Young Ray will have to do a lot of tackling to fill the gaps.

Not happy about Douglas on the bench (not only for my dreamteam, but for our tactics also). Otherwise, Im happy Dom is getting another shot in the centres. Meady should be in for a hat trick..

Just bomb to Ash Graham and we should win!

[Ryan]

Excellent post.

The assumption about Mini comes about because his selection has forced a SOO backrower up to prop. I think you're spot on with what you say about Carty's game plan being route 1 football (aka Straight Up The Guts!!). I had hoped that our overhauled squad would force Carty to overhaul his thinking and allow us to play more expansive football.

That may happen as the season progresses but for now I'll take results over style if that is what eventuates.

Mini has played on that edge his entire career, and for the last 5 yrs both Mini and the Titans have benefited from his form there. He hasn't forced anyone anywhere, he has simply (and rightfully) retained his position of 5yrs. As far as I know it is only arm chair coaches on this forum who had relegated him to the bench during the off season.

Nate Myles has probably played as much of his career in the middle as he has on the edges - including some of those Origin games. And again, it was only people on this forum who penciled him into the second row - He has been publicized as a front row recruit since his signing.

For the last few years this forum has been screaming for a top level front rower to partner Bailey - Searle & Carty went out and bought two. For years this forum has been whinging about not having specialized centers - Searle & Carty went out and bought two. And for years the forum has been screaming about a young specialized 5/8 - Searle & Carty went out and bought two, and promoted another from u20's.
NOW WHAT THE **** ARE YOU ALL WHINGING ABOUT?

Our most promising season to date is yet to kick off, and we already have fans bagging the coach over round 1 selections :nope:
Pull ya heads in and stop complaining - worst case scenario we have an origin prop and two origin back rowers in the starting side, a 'likely' Origin prop on the bench, and a 'possible' third origin back rower in the starting side :rolleyes:

[Ryan]

Will be an interesting battle in the middle...the stand out best prop in the game will be against us, locating right in the middle.

Cowboys have the best pack in the comp...I was hoping we would be attacking the Cowboys halves to limit their scoring potential.

Anyhow...it will be fun to watch.
Agree, it will be an excellent battle in the middle.
The Cowboys have a great pack, but ours is arguably better on paper. I'm confident they can win the battle in the middle well enough to hold the majority of possession & field position - which at the same time should minimize Thurston's, Payne's and Bowen's attack.



The main weakness I see in the cowboys will be the right side (assuming Hall will be on the right). I think hall is a decent player, but I have noticed he can get lazy in defence. Young Ray will have to do a lot of tackling to fill the gaps.

Not happy about Douglas on the bench (not only for my dreamteam, but for our tactics also). Otherwise, Im happy Dom is getting another shot in the centres. Meady should be in for a hat trick..

Just bomb to Ash Graham and we should win!

I also think their weakness will be on the edges.
They have a debutante on one edge and Tate carry a painful rib injury on the other - and Thurston & Thompson aren't exactly gonna make up any defensive shortfalls for them. On top of that, those poor guys are gonna be defending our hard hitting MONSTER edge runners! It was only a few weeks ago I witnessed Idris putting the likes of Manu Vatevi and Luke Bailey on their humble backsides in spectacular fashion :D

Dreamteam wise - I'd be trading Douglas for Dallas Johnson. The Cowboys back row will be making alot of point scoring tackles Saturday night ;)

[DavidBouveng]

Ryan,

your spot on with everyone whingeing.. we are spoilt for choice.

imagine we have Douglas of the bench, Ryan James, a future enforecer back soon, Faloon soon and then pick one from White, Bodene, Ridge, BJ etc...

A large part of Cartwrights job this year will be man management,keeping those on the edge of the squad interested in hanging around and not taking what will likely be decent offers to other clubs... If he can get a real team bond and a sense of cause we have a dynamite squad to grow with the next few years.

[Princey's Titanz]

Mini has played on that edge his entire career, and for the last 5 yrs both Mini and the Titans have benefited from his form there. He hasn't forced anyone anywhere, he has simply (and rightfully) retained his position of 5yrs. As far as I know it is only arm chair coaches on this forum who had relegated him to the bench during the off season.

Nate Myles has probably played as much of his career in the middle as he has on the edges - including some of those Origin games. And again, it was only people on this forum who penciled him into the second row - He has been publicized as a front row recruit since his signing.

For the last few years this forum has been screaming for a top level front rower to partner Bailey - Searle & Carty went out and bought two. For years this forum has been whinging about not having specialized centers - Searle & Carty went out and bought two. And for years the forum has been screaming about a young specialized 5/8 - Searle & Carty went out and bought two, and promoted another from u20's.
NOW WHAT THE **** ARE YOU ALL WHINGING ABOUT?

Our most promising season to date is yet to kick off, and we already have fans bagging the coach over round 1 selections :nope:
Pull ya heads in and stop complaining - worst case scenario we have an origin prop and two origin back rowers in the starting side, a 'likely' Origin prop on the bench, and a 'possible' third origin back rower in the starting side :rolleyes:

Great post and you are correct about us whinging. Probably need to wait and see what happens in Round 1.

[MightyTitans]

Have to disagree sorry..

I think its down to cartwrights loyalty.. similar story with zillman to 5/8, in the end he made the right decision with rankin.

If we were going to be bashing up the middle, Brenton Lawrence would have been picked over ridge..

Don't be too suprised we get owned in the middle until douglas comes onto the field.. Myles and Bailey aren't the biggest props.

[karnage]

Mini has played on that edge his entire career, and for the last 5 yrs both Mini and the Titans have benefited from his form there. He hasn't forced anyone anywhere, he has simply (and rightfully) retained his position of 5yrs. As far as I know it is only arm chair coaches on this forum who had relegated him to the bench during the off season.

Nate Myles has probably played as much of his career in the middle as he has on the edges - including some of those Origin games. And again, it was only people on this forum who penciled him into the second row - He has been publicized as a front row recruit since his signing.

For the last few years this forum has been screaming for a top level front rower to partner Bailey - Searle & Carty went out and bought two. For years this forum has been whinging about not having specialized centers - Searle & Carty went out and bought two. And for years the forum has been screaming about a young specialized 5/8 - Searle & Carty went out and bought two, and promoted another from u20's.
NOW WHAT THE **** ARE YOU ALL WHINGING ABOUT?

Our most promising season to date is yet to kick off, and we already have fans bagging the coach over round 1 selections :nope:
Pull ya heads in and stop complaining - worst case scenario we have an origin prop and two origin back rowers in the starting side, a 'likely' Origin prop on the bench, and a 'possible' third origin back rower in the starting side :rolleyes:

Nice history lesson but there's not one Titans player from 2012 who 'rightfully' has hold over any position. Our best 13 should be starting and named to start.

Mini is not in our best 13.

Douglas is.

Simple.

[Boofhead]

**** guys, its round 1. Relax.

We will beat the Cows.

[MightyTitans]

Its just frustrating boofhead.. might be jumping the gun.. but hey who cares if we get the side wrong for the first few rounds, whats the worst that could happen...

chasing wins to catch up hmm.. brings back some memories..

I would rather we start with the best we have got.

[DavidBouveng]

i am not thrilled, but id rather he made this error than the Zillman 5/8th one...

that line of thought was fundamentally flawed, his skill set and experience werent in line with the job required.

Mini/Douglas, at least they in the same ballpark,we really just talking about who starts and the choice can be attributed to game plan and what carty wants.

i still think sometime soon douglas will start and mini will be benchie, but maybe Carty has his reasons for beginning this way. we can only wait and see.

[Titanic]

I think I can read your mind anyway.....

Maybe you can ... and if you could you would be remembering the left side weaknesses in defence and the dropped balls of last season on one hand and on the other the tireless efforts of the new bloke ... I said I will not dwell on the negativity and I won't because I am like you Ryan hoping that we have got it right.

[Supergoose]

Not 100% certain but didn't Mini star for us in the trials? Mini is great when he is switched on and I reckon he will be for most of the year with his contract up for grabs and many players gunning for his spot. Interesting that Bodene has been overlooked but congrats to Ridge who has not put a foot wrong. I'm surprised Douglas isn't starting but I guess he will come on after 15-20 minutes and play the rest of the game. Will be interesting to see how Carty works his rotations, with the minutes both Douglas and Bailey play, surely Myles will spend some time at lock and Harrison/Bird is going to get a rest. Sad again that we have had some injuries early but we're in better shape than last season. I really though Lawrence was going to get the nod over White who will play 20 minutes max and is warming James' seat. I wonder how close this will be to the side we have at the end of the season on Grand Final day?

[karnage]

**** guys, its round 1. Relax.

We will beat the Cows.

I regret writing my last few posts - I have to cool my jets...

No posts from me until we have our first win for 2012.

[teke]

Excellent post.

The assumption about Mini comes about because his selection has forced a SOO backrower up to prop.Yep that's why I said Bailey could go Bench cause he isnt a 80min prop anymore.

[teke]

Ole Tekster went and had a peep at...

http://www.cowboysstampede.com.au/showthread.php?10339-2012-Round-1-Cowboys-%28H%29-vs-Titans-Teams-amp-Discussions/page4

and some posts really stood out especially this one

"When you look at the match ups. it appears too me a one sided contest. Almost , player for player we have got them beat. Possibly only a few of the Titans might be better then ours but then again it depends on how the game pans out" - who here agrees?

We should all register a Username at every other clubs fan forum so we can do a hostile takeover in the week leading up to Match.

[teke]

"Linnett to run rungs around Jamal" :laugh: :laugh:

The rings he will be seeing are the stars orbiting his head

[Titan Dad]

[
Cowboys have the best pack in the comp...I was hoping we would be attacking the Cowboys halves to limit their scoring potential.

I think you will find we have the best pack in the business now.

[Titan Dad]

Mini has played on that edge his entire career, and for the last 5 yrs both Mini and the Titans have benefited from his form there. He hasn't forced anyone anywhere, he has simply (and rightfully) retained his position of 5yrs. As far as I know it is only arm chair coaches on this forum who had relegated him to the bench during the off season.

Nate Myles has probably played as much of his career in the middle as he has on the edges - including some of those Origin games. And again, it was only people on this forum who penciled him into the second row - He has been publicized as a front row recruit since his signing.

For the last few years this forum has been screaming for a top level front rower to partner Bailey - Searle & Carty went out and bought two. For years this forum has been whinging about not having specialized centers - Searle & Carty went out and bought two. And for years the forum has been screaming about a young specialized 5/8 - Searle & Carty went out and bought two, and promoted another from u20's.
NOW WHAT THE **** ARE YOU ALL WHINGING ABOUT?

Our most promising season to date is yet to kick off, and we already have fans bagging the coach over round 1 selections :nope:
Pull ya heads in and stop complaining - worst case scenario we have an origin prop and two origin back rowers in the starting side, a 'likely' Origin prop on the bench, and a 'possible' third origin back rower in the starting side :rolleyes:

Great post RYAN, totally agree with you on this we are in for a good few years.

[TITAN PETE]

"Linnett to run rungs around Jamal" :laugh: :laugh:

The rings he will be seeing are the stars orbiting his head

There is another post which may be a bit more sensible...

"I don't think Tate should play as his rib issue could mean he is a liability and if he isn't right and Idris puts a good shot on him it won't be just ribs that will be of concern"

:fist:

[Fan from afar]

I seriously could not believe the lineup when I saw it..

Its a disgrace that Douglas is on the bench..

Mini, you're a good guy but your place is on the bench.

I dont understand why Brenton Lawrence wasnt picked and ridge was..

Mini is enough of a backup 2ndrower/impact on the bench..

Seriously after all the stupid decisions coming from cartwright last season/this season I hope that they move him on if the team doesnt perform..

I don't understand why Brenton Lawrence wasn't named on the side this week either ..... he did so well in the trial games and has worked so damn hard ......... what is that coach thinking :mad:

[Chaos]

[
Cowboys have the best pack in the comp...I was hoping we would be attacking the Cowboys halves to limit their scoring potential.

I think you will find we have the best pack in the business now.

It will be a great battle in the middle and if we get on top of this pack, we will be in for a good year.
Still...we don't have a Mat Scott for this game


but we will gain a James down the track

[Smakked]

I see Micheals got the call for the other wing, Thoughts?

Is anyone else getting more nervous closer to game day or is it just me??? :helpme:

[Nick]

Moreso Excited. I just want to see some footy! Tonight should be a good taster. Too bad it isn't live into the smart state.

[Titanic]

Live in China ... can't wait ... first Titans bbq this Saturday and temperature is 2 degrees ... no fridge required.

[Blunt_Beno]

I see Micheals got the call for the other wing, Thoughts?

Is anyone else getting more nervous closer to game day or is it just me??? :helpme:

personally, i prefer michaels in the centres. but with gordan out, i think he is a good choice on the wing.

[Blunt_Beno]

so glad zillman got the number 1. in my eyes he is one of the best fullbacks around, and we dont have another fullback that comes close to him. although id love to see gordon have a run back there if god forbid zillman is sidelined.

was shocked to see douglas on the bench, but i do believe in loyalty, and the lads on the field ahead of him, deserve there spot. and he will be a great asset wether he runs on at kick off or 20 mins in.

all in all, im pretty happy with the team, which will only get stronger in weeks to come :D

[TITAN PETE]

Very wet up here in Townsville & the rain doesn't look like easing anytime soon ...

[Titanic]

Rain gone yet? Can't wait.

[beeps]

c'mon boys lets start off with a win

[DIEHARD]

So excited for this, let's see the Titans smash the Cowboys. Great way to start the season. Hope the rain stays away and good luck to our Titans fans in Townsville, who I believe will be in record numbers on the ground.

[DIEHARD]

Robert Lui could be late inclusion for North Queensland Cowboys in clash with Gold Coast Titans

Key recruit Robert Lui could be an 11th-hour inclusion for North Queensland Cowboys' derby clash against Gold Coast Titans on Saturday night after being cleared of a knee injury.

Lui, winger Ashley Graham (groin), lock Dallas Johnson (back) and prop James Tamou (ankle) have all been given the green light to face the Titans at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

An off-season purchase from Wests Tigers, Lui was not originally named in the Cowboys' 17-man squad, but he may yet appear alongside Test star Johnathan Thurston, who has been paired with rookie Ray Thompson.

Star centre Brent Tate is down to start but a knock to the ribs could rule him out.

http://www.foxsports.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Luke Bailey says Titans must muscle up for clash with Cowboys and Matt Scott

WITH a forward pack featuring 52 Origins, 11 Tests and 917 NRL games, Gold Coast prop Luke Bailey has no doubt where the Titans should be looking for leadership against North Queensland tomorrow night.

The Titans have made no secret of their desire to muscle up this season and Bailey knows it will be his fellow starters Nate Myles, Ashley Harrison, Mark Minichiello and Greg Bird who need to set the standard immediately.

Myles, with just 129 NRL games, is the least experienced of the pack but has played more representative football, with three Tests for Australia and 17 Origins.

The former Rooster and Bulldog will pack down with Bailey in the front-row, and with ex-Shark Luke Douglas (146 games) coming off the bench, the Gold Coast has the toughest forward formation since they joined the competition in 2007.

"There is fantastic experience but also a good push for selection," Bailey said.

He said the pack faced a true test first up, with the world's best prop, Matt Scott, set to lead a strong Cowboys outfit who have not lost to the Gold Coast.

"I always get excited playing against the best, and Matt Scott is one of the best," he said.

"It's a good personal battle for me but more importantly it's a challenge for the team."

While the Titans pack has experience, two key players are relative rookies with five-eighth Jordan Rankin (nine games) and hooker Kayne Lawton (three) thrust into vital roles.

"Jordan Rankin has matured over the last couple of years and I'm excited to see how he goes," Bailey said.

"He finally believes that he deserves to be here, and that can make a big difference."

Courier Mail

[Bayside Titan]

Dam. It's like waiting for Christmas. Bloody nervous TBH. Jersey on, Foxtel remote and beer in hand. I think I'm ready. Maybe I should warm up?

[Tamwelg]

Dam. It's like waiting for Christmas. Bloody nervous TBH. Jersey on, Foxtel remote and beer in hand. I think I'm ready. Maybe I should warm up?

I hear ya buddy

[Bayside Titan]

Can somebody cut Prince foot off so he bloody stop kicking. Hands on the ball.

[CairnsTitan]

prince is a disgrace

[CairnsTitan]

Peyroux is ****ing destroying them in defence

[gotitans101]

Rankin > Prince.

[Titanic]

Good: ball control except Bird, aggression from Myles and Bailey, Rankin and Lawton.

Bad: Prince is really past it ... and the Minichiello start? well the best I can say is nothing ... Michaels and the high ball?

Summary at halftime ... we need to score next.

[Boonarga]

Steel! We have it back. Now we can finally forget last year. Good first half. Peyroux very good in defence. Idris not doing enough yet. The game hasn't really gone his way. Thanks Prince.

[Bayside Titan]

Good: ball control except Bird, aggression from Myles and Bailey, Rankin and Lawton.

Bad: Prince is really past it ... and the Minichiello start? well the best I can say is nothing ... Michaels and the high ball?

Summary at halftime ... we need to score next.
Agreed. Should be running Idris at Antonio W.....

[gotitans101]

Steel! We have it back. Now we can finally forget last year. Good first half. Peyroux very good in defence. Idris not doing enough yet. The game hasn't really gone his way. Thanks Prince.

To be fair, there wasn't a lot thrown at us. Our only saving grace thus far is how bad the Cowboys have played. We better wake up this half because if we don't the Cows sure will.

[Bayside Titan]

I repeat. Cut SP FOOT OFF.

[eaglerock]

Why the flat attack at the Cows line?? get some depth in attack FFS!:fist:
Give it to Peyroux, he is certainly giving it to them in defence.

[CairnsTitan]

I could write down princes whole attacking game on a post-it note

[Bayside Titan]

I could write down princes whole attacking game on a post-it note
You could tear it in half.

[Bayside Titan]

Whites been solid.

[Princey's Titanz]

Give scott prince time.

[Titanic]

Mini to the bench, Douglas has to start, otherwise the hookers went well and Rankin looked solid at 5/8 - I don't agree that White added anything from the bench and would have liked to see BJ or Thompson in that role.

Gee Princey, he had a whole season, he doesn't need time, he needs timing.

Good win all considered and congrats to the team/coach.

[eaglerock]

Nine years since anyone has held the cows to nil up there. well done.

[teke]

Holy $@#& the Cowboys were bad, really bad.

Titans were typical Cartright Titans, slogging it up the middle. Outside backs are non existent in most sets.

Did I mention how bad the Cowboys were. J?ust gonna visit their forum now :laugh: :laugh:

[Tamwelg]

WOOHOO THAT WINNING FEELING

Some work to do, but there were some really good signs.

[Smakked]

Good win by the boys.
Dom was awesome, as was Ridge , and Rankin showing a bit, give him more time i reckon, Prince?/ off night maybe , its only round 1 along way to go.

[patskE]

dom was amazing in that centre spot!
if they do move him due to champion, i hope he gets micheals spot till gordon is good!

[teke]

dom was amazing in that centre spot!
if they do move him due to champion, i hope he gets micheals spot till gordon is good!Dom is good in defence but doesnt offer much in attack. Michaels is good and Kev wont be in for a while.

[DavidBouveng]

wasnt princes best game, im prepared to give him some more time,

but the good news is that this year we have someone in rankin who is willing to take up the slack and have a dig at the line or a jink.

he wasnt perfect, but he showed alot of promise, more than corey norman last night imo.

and when hes really firing by mid season we get sezer too... a glimpse at a post prince future?

[teke]

Wow the Cowboys were horrible. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[DavidBouveng]

Wow the Cowboys were horrible. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

they were so bad i was looking on there bench for ryan tandy

[Princey's Titanz]

Dom is good in defence but doesnt offer much in attack. Michaels is good and Kev wont be in for a while.

His attack is a bit dismal. He didnt pass the ball to Mead on a number of occasions.

[shamus]

[QUOTE=teke;295439]Holy $@#& the Cowboys were bad, really bad.QUOTE]

I'll second that!

Going on what was said before the game with the humidity I thought Titans would be in some strife and we probably would have been if the Cows held onto the ball. Lucky for us they didn't so more time the Titans had with the ball, more energy used by the Cows.......

[DavidBouveng]

His attack is a bit dismal. He didnt pass the ball to Mead on a number of occasions.


yeah late in the game we got some ball down that side, but i also think zillman didnt position them right and crabbed over a bit, or could have drawn them in more and then passed, hes just not an instinctive ball player, but i barely remember them even trying that play much last year or it even getting to the centre properly, so it was an improvement at least.

[Toads]

Only caught the 2nd half, but going by what I seen, in regards to how poorly the Cowboys played. I feel the score line should have at least read 24-0, in our favour by the end of the match. I know it's a harsh comment. But I'm still allowing room for improvement for the rest of the season. Nonetheless, no doubt we're all happy to see us with a win for Round 1 in 2012. :D

If we improve on our attack and hold our defence as solid as the boys did tonight during the majority of the season. I can't see why we can't land our butts in the top 4 at the end of the season. ;)

[shamus]

so it was an improvement at least.

We won..........It's an improvement! :thumbsup:

[teke]

If anyone wants to reminisce about the Titans 2011 season head over to the Cowboys forum :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Some angry angry dudes in there

[shamus]

If anyone wants to reminisce about the Titans 2011 season head over to the Cowboys forum :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Some angry angry dudes in there

Yeah..........I went and had a look. Geez.....I thought people on here bagged their own. We got nuthin' on this mob :laugh:

Mind you, they threw no compliments our way....not that we deserved to many.

[Smakked]

If anyone wants to reminisce about the Titans 2011 season head over to the Cowboys forum :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Some angry angry dudes in there

LOL reading it now , not happy campers

[Toads]

Yeah..........I went and had a look. Geez.....I thought people on here bagged their own. We got nuthin' on this mob :laugh:

LOL same, it's sounds as if a few want to go on a good ol' country lynchin' spree over on their forum. :laugh:

[Titanic]

We were solid but not awe-inspiring.

On Peyroux, his defence saved us on several occasions and I wonder if anybody else feels that whenever the opposition hoists the ball we are in deadly danger? Zillman won't attack the ball, Mead has no idea what to do and Michaels is like a blind nun in a sandstorm. Gordon is no better either. Peyroux on the left wing, sack the gAyFL dimwit we've employed and get Gary Belcher down to training.

[Supergoose]

Hard to take pleasure out of beating a team who turned in such a miserable performance. This must be how our opponents felt playing against us last season. Still it is great to get a win and to have kept them scoreless. I predict big things from the Cowboys and not sure I'd like to be the Broncos who get them next week where they will be super fired up to bounce back. Still it was a good defensive effort by us.

Apart from Prince struggling and in turn our insipid kicking game we were decent, but also lucky that the Cowboys kept handing over possession. Our attack when we go up the middle is sublime. Myles, Bailey, Douglas and Mini were very good. Harrison was so so and Bird redeemed himself after a horror start. White was poor and BJ should get the nod for next week if Carty is serious. Lawton and Rankin provided some really nice touches, while Zillman was workman like. Prince showed very little, he'll need to get better over the next 3 or so weeks because the Q Cup beckons if he doesn't. Mead and Michaels were barely sighted 1. Because the cows couldn't get to their kick and 2. Because our centre pairing just didnt work and not always was it their fault.

I got howled down a season or two ago when I suggested Bird play in the centres. Well I'm going there again. I reckon our issue at the moment is we have backrowers who only like playing to the left and centres who prefer the right. I'd be lining Idris up on the right inside Champion in attack and playing Bird outside Minichiello on the left. Let's face it - that's where Bird plays anyway and there's no room for Idris over there - he was wasted (and still managed two tries). Have the winger and fullback playing off Birds offloads on the left and Idris delivering for Champion and Mead on the right. Will need to reorganize from attack and defence but this in my opinion is the best use of our current roster.

If I'm lining up our side in 4 weeks time and nothing has improved on tonight this is how I would manage it as far as attacking positions go. I wouldn't change a thing in defence.

1. Zillman 2. Gordon/Peyroux/Michaels 3. Bird 4. Champion/Peyroux 5. Mead 6. Lawton 7. Rankin 8. Bailey 9. Srama 10. Myles 11. Idris 12. Minichiello 13. Harrison 14. Douglas 15. Lawrence 16. Ridge 17. J.White/Thompson

I say put White at 17 because I still think Zillman is best at left centre. His talk seemed better tonight though and with Bird named at centre this would be the sub I'd make to add zip in the second half. I can't help thinking Jamal would kill it on the right even more.

In saying this, I'd be equally happy for the boys to come out and play better in their current spots next week but our left side looks crowded and our right side needs some X factor and the ability to get Mead some quality ball which I think Idris and Champion will do. Idris had some excellent touches tonight but too often Bird and mini got in the way and he didn't look comfortable. Idris was a track athlete used to running anti-clockwise with his left shoulder toward the middle of the ground - why mess with that just play him inside the right centre. May need to adjust in defence but it is a mouth watering prospect in attack. Anyway - who's next on the menu, let's see if we can execute the kicking game better. By the way - who is our back-up goal kicker if Prince is hurt or dropped?

[DIEHARD]

LOL reading it now , not happy campers

Teke you crack me up.

What a wonderful game, so great to have it over the Cowboys and keep em to nil. We didn't put the foot to the metal but we did well.

Was also great to hear and see the vocal Titans fans who made the trip up and from the local community.

[Nick]

As abysmal as the Cows were, it is still satisfying to start the year off with a win. Our attack was pretty poor, it will take time, prince will bounce back, and at least Rankin stood up. I would actually like to see Lawton get a run in the halves, he is a talent.. But our forwards dominated and that (along with the cowboys record amount of errors) won us the game. LOL @ Thurstons -6 points in DreamTeam. Gotta feel for the fans.. but then nobody felt sorry for us last year!

[Boofhead]

Missed the first half due to power outage... :fight:

We really should of put 40 on this mob tonight, they were woeful. We however did drop the ball over the line a few times... Don't want to knock the boys, they played there little hearts out and got away with the win. That's all that counts after all.

[teke]

Hard to take pleasure out of beating a team who turned in such a miserable performance. This must be how our opponents felt playing against us last season. Still it is great to get a win and to have kept them scoreless. I predict big things from the Cowboys and not sure I'd like to be the Broncos who get them next week where they will be super fired up to bounce back. Still it was a good defensive effort by us.

Apart from Prince struggling and in turn our insipid kicking game we were decent, but also lucky that the Cowboys kept handing over possession. Our attack when we go up the middle is sublime. Myles, Bailey, Douglas and Mini were very good. Harrison was so so and Bird redeemed himself after a horror start. White was poor and BJ should get the nod for next week if Carty is serious. Lawton and Rankin provided some really nice touches, while Zillman was workman like. Prince showed very little, he'll need to get better over the next 3 or so weeks because the Q Cup beckons if he doesn't. Mead and Michaels were barely sighted 1. Because the cows couldn't get to their kick and 2. Because our centre pairing just didnt work and not always was it their fault.

I got howled down a season or two ago when I suggested Bird play in the centres. Well I'm going there again. I reckon our issue at the moment is we have backrowers who only like playing to the left and centres who prefer the right. I'd be lining Idris up on the right inside Champion in attack and playing Bird outside Minichiello on the left. Let's face it - that's where Bird plays anyway and there's no room for Idris over there - he was wasted (and still managed two tries). Have the winger and fullback playing off Birds offloads on the left and Idris delivering for Champion and Mead on the right. Will need to reorganize from attack and defence but this in my opinion is the best use of our current roster.

If I'm lining up our side in 4 weeks time and nothing has improved on tonight this is how I would manage it as far as attacking positions go. I wouldn't change a thing in defence.

1. Zillman 2. Gordon/Peyroux/Michaels 3. Bird 4. Champion/Peyroux 5. Mead 6. Lawton 7. Rankin 8. Bailey 9. Srama 10. Myles 11. Idris 12. Minichiello 13. Harrison 14. Douglas 15. Lawrence 16. Ridge 17. J.White/Thompson

I say put White at 17 because I still think Zillman is best at left centre. His talk seemed better tonight though and with Bird named at centre this would be the sub I'd make to add zip in the second half. I can't help thinking Jamal would kill it on the right even more.

In saying this, I'd be equally happy for the boys to come out and play better in their current spots next week but our left side looks crowded and our right side needs some X factor and the ability to get Mead some quality ball which I think Idris and Champion will do. Idris had some excellent touches tonight but too often Bird and mini got in the way and he didn't look comfortable. Idris was a track athlete used to running anti-clockwise with his left shoulder toward the middle of the ground - why mess with that just play him inside the right centre. May need to adjust in defence but it is a mouth watering prospect in attack. Anyway - who's next on the menu, let's see if we can execute the kicking game better. By the way - who is our back-up goal kicker if Prince is hurt or dropped?That's a dam lot of changes for a team that just won a game to zip.

U and I know there wont be any changes but they a little more polish which is what the rest of the season is for.

[gotitans101]

prince will bounce back

Well until that happens, Rankin deserves the kicking duties as he was much better in that department tonight.

[teke]

U and I know there wont be any changes but they a little more polish which is what the rest of the season is for.meant to say "they do need a little more polish..."

[Blunt_Beno]

so many times mead could have scored in the corner, but dom didnt pass it out. still prince was the worst on the field. bout as average as he has been for about the last 18 months perhaps. needs to grow a pair and take the line on, we all know he has a foot, doesnt mean he has to use it every set..... but all in all, great win by the lads. rankin will hold that spot for a while if he keeps playing like that. which is what we need :D

[Blunt_Beno]

Hard to take pleasure out of beating a team who turned in such a miserable performance. This must be how our opponents felt playing against us last season. Still it is great to get a win and to have kept them scoreless. I predict big things from the Cowboys and not sure I'd like to be the Broncos who get them next week where they will be super fired up to bounce back. Still it was a good defensive effort by us.

Apart from Prince struggling and in turn our insipid kicking game we were decent, but also lucky that the Cowboys kept handing over possession. Our attack when we go up the middle is sublime. Myles, Bailey, Douglas and Mini were very good. Harrison was so so and Bird redeemed himself after a horror start. White was poor and BJ should get the nod for next week if Carty is serious. Lawton and Rankin provided some really nice touches, while Zillman was workman like. Prince showed very little, he'll need to get better over the next 3 or so weeks because the Q Cup beckons if he doesn't. Mead and Michaels were barely sighted 1. Because the cows couldn't get to their kick and 2. Because our centre pairing just didnt work and not always was it their fault.

I got howled down a season or two ago when I suggested Bird play in the centres. Well I'm going there again. I reckon our issue at the moment is we have backrowers who only like playing to the left and centres who prefer the right. I'd be lining Idris up on the right inside Champion in attack and playing Bird outside Minichiello on the left. Let's face it - that's where Bird plays anyway and there's no room for Idris over there - he was wasted (and still managed two tries). Have the winger and fullback playing off Birds offloads on the left and Idris delivering for Champion and Mead on the right. Will need to reorganize from attack and defence but this in my opinion is the best use of our current roster.

If I'm lining up our side in 4 weeks time and nothing has improved on tonight this is how I would manage it as far as attacking positions go. I wouldn't change a thing in defence.

1. Zillman 2. Gordon/Peyroux/Michaels 3. Bird 4. Champion/Peyroux 5. Mead 6. Lawton 7. Rankin 8. Bailey 9. Srama 10. Myles 11. Idris 12. Minichiello 13. Harrison 14. Douglas 15. Lawrence 16. Ridge 17. J.White/Thompson

I say put White at 17 because I still think Zillman is best at left centre. His talk seemed better tonight though and with Bird named at centre this would be the sub I'd make to add zip in the second half. I can't help thinking Jamal would kill it on the right even more.

In saying this, I'd be equally happy for the boys to come out and play better in their current spots next week but our left side looks crowded and our right side needs some X factor and the ability to get Mead some quality ball which I think Idris and Champion will do. Idris had some excellent touches tonight but too often Bird and mini got in the way and he didn't look comfortable. Idris was a track athlete used to running anti-clockwise with his left shoulder toward the middle of the ground - why mess with that just play him inside the right centre. May need to adjust in defence but it is a mouth watering prospect in attack. Anyway - who's next on the menu, let's see if we can execute the kicking game better. By the way - who is our back-up goal kicker if Prince is hurt or dropped?

i do like your halves combo. prince needs to be dropped to reserve grade for a while, deflate his big head! he has potential to be one of the games greatest, is just far to confident in his kicking game, which is gunna get him nowhere this season. take the line on and you will win many more games, with the players he has around him.....

[Tamwelg]

OMFG To all the people calling for changes and talking about who played badly..... REALLY! We won. We won. We won. Lets have some more talk about that and some more talk about how well our young guys like Lawton, Rankin, Srama and Ridge played, or about how well the new forwards in Myles and Douglas played, which helped us absolutely dominate the Cowboys pack, which someone on this forum proclaimed was the best in the NRL, or the rock that is Dom Peyroux, he made a crap load of tackle didn't miss many, if any, and hit hard with most of them. You could also talk about how good our ball handling, our discipline and missed tackle were compares to last year and it was done in tough slippery conditions. You could even make mention of a couple of back line movement late in the game from left to right that looked fast and smoother then anything we did last year.

To me there were a lot of positives to take out of that game and I think it was a great hit out to start the year.

[Chaos]

Lawton's pace of the mark and the ability to choose the right time to run was a highlight.

Idris was bought to score tries and didn't let anyone down.

Some sides are going to hesitate when attacking the Titans out wide...if they don't get it right, they will get hurt with Idris and Dom in the centres.

I wasn't fully sold an Rankin at 5/8...looked more like a running type of player rather then a ball player.
We still struggled to score when attacking the Cowboys line but a couple of kicks got us some points.

I don't remember the Cowboys finishing a set of six...has anyone got stats on that?

[ozynorts]

I think prince has about 3 more games to show he still has it and if he doesn't i can see searle going hard after Cronk.
Lawnton was good but the attack looked alot better once Srama came on. it is probably because he played so much last year so was more relaxed.
good start by Idris. the play for his second try was a play that should be used more. that close to the line it is near impossible to stop a big man at speed.
white imo is only there until bodene is back.
a good start but as always theres still work to be done.

[Chaos]

Geez I'm looking forward to Gordon coming back.
The first try to Idris off a Prince grubber...everyone knew the kick was on except Michael's
In the mean time, where's Phil Graham?

[psmitty]

Great win and a lot of positives to take out of it. Still room for improvement but it's only early in the year.

If anyone missed the game or is wanting to watch it again here are the links:

First Half:
http://www.nrl.livesport.tv/vodplayer/video/1941074/title/1st_half_match_replay_from_Dairy_Farmers_Stadium._ Saturday,_March_3rd

Second Half:
http://www.nrl.livesport.tv/vodplayer/video/1941080/title/2nd_half_match_replay_from_Dairy_Farmers_Stadium._ Saturday,_March_3rd

[GoldCoastTitans100]

We had great defense but still lacking a bit in attack.

Cowboys played terrible !

So Prince is still an issue, who would have guessed that ?

[Rage]

OMFG To all the people calling for changes and talking about who played badly..... REALLY! We won. We won. We won. Lets have some more talk about that and some more talk about how well our young guys like Lawton, Rankin, Srama and Ridge played, or about how well the new forwards in Myles and Douglas played, which helped us absolutely dominate the Cowboys pack, which someone on this forum proclaimed was the best in the NRL, or the rock that is Dom Peyroux, he made a crap load of tackle didn't miss many, if any, and hit hard with most of them. You could also talk about how good our ball handling, our discipline and missed tackle were compares to last year and it was done in tough slippery conditions. You could even make mention of a couple of back line movement late in the game from left to right that looked fast and smoother then anything we did last year.

To me there were a lot of positives to take out of that game and I think it was a great hit out to start the year.

This is basically what I was planning on writing. Thanks for doing it for me Tamwelg :salute:

[Smakked]

A very good thing to see this year is our Go forward, our pack dominated, loved it.

[Titanic]

This is a forum for open discussion and so suggestions are fair enough. Nobody is unhappy with points but looking at the other games we were a tad lucky to get a woeful NQ first up. We do have some polishing to do. The Raiders will aim directly at Prince and make sure that Michaels gets more bombs than Berlin.

[Supergoose]

Don't get me wrong, I always look forward to a good polishing and I'd thought that I'd written that. For all the good things we had last night we still had the problem of backline moves being stifled by having two left edge backrowers cutting in front of our left centre (the world biggest human) and no ball being delivered to the weapon that is Mead. It was also dejavu when Bird and Harrison started the game with poor handling and giving away penalties. I love that we won and that we kept a bumbling offence to nil, but I'm far from happy with our attack and I look forward to seeing the improvement in the next few weeks.

[Boonarga]

wasnt princes best game, im prepared to give him some more time,


A few people have suggested Prince need more time. Isn't 14 years enough time to get your game right?
The only thing we lacked last night was an organiser. That is what he is out there for. The players have the talent but need to be directed.

[matti]

how much more time can prince have though? i tried to watch the game , lawton played well and rankin too, we both need there speed to get the metres . i do think princey would be great as a coaching roll, rankin seems to take after him

[Princey's Titanz]

Don't get me wrong, I always look forward to a good polishing and I'd thought that I'd written that. For all the good things we had last night we still had the problem of backline moves being stifled by having two left edge backrowers cutting in front of our left centre (the world biggest human) and no ball being delivered to the weapon that is Mead. It was also dejavu when Bird and Harrison started the game with poor handling and giving away penalties. I love that we won and that we kept a bumbling offence to nil, but I'm far from happy with our attack and I look forward to seeing the improvement in the next few weeks.

I hope Carty addresses these issues

[DIEHARD]

So pleased to wake up and it wasnt a dream and we are TOP OF THE TABLE!!

What a dream debut for Idris!

[DIEHARD]

http://images.brisbanetimes.com.au/2012/03/03/3092889/art-C1-420x0.jpg

...........

[DIEHARD]

Dream debut for Idris

The Gold Coast Titans have begun their season of redemption with an 18-0 win over an error-riddled North Queensland Cowboys at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday night.

Gold Coast's new recruit Jamal Idirs scored a double, opening their account in the fifth minute using his speed and guile to dive on a grubber and then icing the cake in the 74th minute using his brute force to charge over the try line from a hit-up.

North Queensland were their own worst enemies with a horror completion rate which at one stage stood at a diabolical 12-31, condemning them to their first score of zero since 2006 and the first time they were held scoreless at home since Round 5, 2003.

The two sides were full of cobwebs in their season opener and struggled in the 30-degree Townsville heat but the visitors seemed more conditioned than the home side which could only complete 9-19 first-half sets and committed 26 errors.

Titans coach John Cartwright said defence won them the match in horrific conditions.

'I think people will look at it is as a error-riddled game, it was horrific conditions out there, you talk about completions and you expect that but it was the upper end of the scale,' he said.

'It was very difficult and as funny as it may sound it is hard to attack when you are right on the opposition try line, it is easier when you have a little bit of space.'

'It wasn't that which won us the game it was our defence.'

'I think it is the first time in our club history (holding the opposition scoreless) and I rate that side probably the hardest to defend to and in these conditions, Bowen, Thurston and Payne have a good understanding of each other and score a lot of points.'

Cowboys coach Neil Henry said his side shot themselves in the foot.

'It was pretty awful, 13 errors at half-time, I would have thought we would not repeat that but we went one better,' he said.

'We are very disappointed in our effort, it was our first game at home for a few years but we didn't really give ourselves a chance with a lack of control of the ball.'

'A couple of ill-disciplined things too, tackling the kicker or playing the ball the wrong way - whichever way you look at it.'

'We wouldn't have dropped that much ball at training in the last six weeks.'

The Cowboys knocked on from the kick-off while the Titans committed a cardinal sin when they allowed a bomb to bounce which almost resulted in an early try.

Matt Bowen regathered the spiralling ball and sent Ashley Graham heading for the corner post to open the scoring but he could not avoid the touch line.

Gold Coast put the early scare behind them to be the first to score when Idris out-sprinted his opposing backs to pounce on a grubber in the fifth minute but they could not add the bonus points.

North Queensland were almost caught out when they allowed Kayne Lawton to burst through their defence and run almost 30 metres downfield but their speed men ensured the score remained unchanged.

Scott Prince was illegally shoulder-charged by Gavin Cooper gifting him an easy two points from the ensuing penalty to go to halftime in front 6-0.

The Cowboys were slightly better after the break despite kicking out on the full and came close to levelling with the Titans in the 53rd minute but their try was denied.

Joel Riethmuller was crunched in a tackle 10 metres out and spilled the ball to Rubert Lui who put Mosese Pangai over the line but the ball from Reithmuller to Lui was ruled forward.

Gold Coast finally converted their dominance into points in the 56th minute when Graham failed to collect a highball allowing Steve Michael to regather, charge over the line and wrestle the ball to the ground despite a horde of defenders around him.

And the game was finished a contest when Idris stormed over the line again after receiving a short ball from the ruck to mark a spectacular debut for his new club.

North Queensland: 0

Gold Coast: 18 Tries: Idris 2, Michael Goals: Prince 2/4 Penalties: Prince 1/1

Crowd: 16,311 at Dairy Farmers Stadium

http://www.skynews.com.au/sport/article.aspx?id=725218&vId=

[DavidBouveng]

A few people have suggested Prince need more time. Isn't 14 years enough time to get your game right?
The only thing we lacked last night was an organiser. That is what he is out there for. The players have the talent but need to be directed.


how much more time can prince have though? i tried to watch the game , lawton played well and rankin too, we both need there speed to get the metres . i do think princey would be great as a coaching roll, rankin seems to take after him

im happy to see him given another 2-3 weeks to see if this was just a rusty first up performance, simliar to JT, or whether its an extension of last years mess and he truly is past it. a few games will indicate this better than one.

[Titanic]

I hope he was watching Carney ... gee, how did we miss him? (just kidding on the last bit)

[hammer]

Having read some of the post-match comments throughout the latter part of this thread I must admit I am a little perplexed with some of the sentiments.
The Titans should be proud of this win as it signifies many things have changed from the Titans of 2012.
Firstly, our defence was intimidating and relentless for many parts of last night's match and in my opinion deserves much more credit for contributing to the Cowboys handling issues then just their players being off their game. In 2011 we were the worst defensive side in the competition.
Secondly, we played on their home turf where they had the vast majority of fans...home ground advantage is so strong these days and to hold them to nil was brilliant.
Thirdly, we have so many new players to our club and with youngsters stepping up...this can only bode well for the future as they develop some real combinations.
And lastly, there was a sense of everyone working for each other and not letting their team mates down. This indicates to me a tight knit group that has worked hard throughout the pre-season, somewhat different to what I saw last year!

[DIEHARD]

Our defence was certainly the best thing to come out of last night. More attack will come.

[teke]

What an intimidating defensive line the Titans have. I wouldnt be surprised if they keep the Raiders to below 10 points this coming weekend.

[Titanic]

Our defence was great and responsible for at least 6 of their errors but having sat through every other match and escaped the ire of my wife, I doubt we would have beaten too many of the other teams on that performance in attack. There is still a lot of work to be done.

[karnage]

Winning is great but inam glad to see nobodys getting carried away.

It's Cartwright I'd be giving 3 weeks not Prince. He had an entire off season with a new squad and he dished up exactly the same stuff as last year. The only reason we won was the fact the Cowboys played below a QLD Cup level and we have an improved squad.

What do you think the Warriors or Manly would have done to the Cowboys last night??

I've seen the game twice and I can not recall a solitary occasion where we completed a lateral shift from the centre of the field to a winger. All night we turned it back inside where defence was waiting for us.

Our defence was excellent but we need to score enough points on the other side of the ball to ensure that we don't have to rely on it every week.

We have a great team, but it has to improve fast to ensure that it does not become a season wasted.

[teke]

Our defence was great and responsible for at least 6 of their errors but having sat through every other match and escaped the ire of my wife, I doubt we would have beaten too many of the other teams on that performance in attack. There is still a lot of work to be done.Massive diff between our attack and Manlys. Every time Brett Stewart got the ball it was from a player who ran to/or was at the defensive line, the Titans are doing their stuff well away from the line and it's allowing the defence to adjust comfortably

[teke]

Winning is great but inam glad to see nobodys getting carried away.

It's Cartwright I'd be giving 3 weeks not Prince. He had an entire off season with a new squad and he dished up exactly the same stuff as last year. The only reason we won was the fact the Cowboys played below a QLD Cup level and we have an improved squad.

What do you think the Warriors or Manly would have done to the Cowboys last night??

I've seen the game twice and I can not recall a solitary occasion where we completed a lateral shift from the centre of the field to a winger. All night we turned it back inside where defence was waiting for us.

Our defence was excellent but we need to score enough points on the other side of the ball to ensure that we don't have to rely on it every week.

We have a great team, but it has to improve fast to ensure that it does not become a season wasted.I calculated Mead got the ball 3 times (yes 3 times) on the run from a backline move in the first 7 rounds of last year. The way this team has been structured - Mead, Michaels, Gordon will be looking at another lean year, but hey if the Team gets a Win then that's all that matters for most ppl.

[Titanic]

Yeah guys, I'm with you. I just went though the NRL stats and Douglas belted Minichiello in the key indicators. That whole debate about the starting team is a myth, imho. Douglas has to start, surely? And what about our response to a bomb ... gee, I nearly **** myself everytime the Cows even looked like kicking.

We are only as good as our next game and even with the camp Campo and the limp-wristed Dugan, blokes like Fensom and the pillow will cause us all sorts.

[teke]

Yeah guys, I'm with you. I just went though the NRL stats and Douglas belted Minichiello in the key indicators. That whole debate about the starting team is a myth, imho. Douglas has to start, surely? And what about our response to a bomb ... gee, I nearly sh1t myself everytime the Cows even looked like kicking.
The bomb causes all teams problems especially when it's contested, its just part of the game.

As for our kicks to the outside men, they could have been alot better

[Chaos]

the Titans are doing their stuff well away from the line and it's allowing the defence to adjust comfortably

Your not wrong...I saw Titans attempt an out-ball, in-ball move and it was completed before the defense decided who to take.

Carty needs to watch how Kieran Foran takes the ball to the line

[teke]

Your not wrong...I saw Titans attempt an out-ball, in-ball move and it was completed before the defense decided who to take.

Carty needs to watch how Kieran Foran takes the ball to the lineYeah Foran was the example I was referring to, you gotta be fearless and he is.

[Princey's Titanz]

Carty should be telling Dom Peyroux that he needs to give the ball out to the wing.

At times during the Cowboys game when we were 10m out from the try line, Dom got the ball i would think 'yes give it out to Mead so he can score through the gap'. Instead he takes a hit up.

And he also did an unnecessary kick when he couldve have given it out to Mead.

I dont know if people realised but whenever Dom got the ball there were a fair amount of Cowboys trying to tackle him which creates a one on one for Mead. He does drag out defenders out of there position.

He needs to learn to trust his winger. Im not telling him off but these little things lead to tries.

Dom had an outstanding match in defence. If he works on his attack then he will definitely be a regular first grader.

Did Mead even touch the ball in the Cowboys game?

[DavidBouveng]

Carty should be telling Dom Peyroux that he needs to give the ball out to the wing.

At times during the Cowboys game when we were 10m out from the try line, Dom got the ball i would think 'yes give it out to Mead so he can score through the gap'. Instead he takes a hit up.

And he also did an unnecessary kick when he couldve have given it out to Mead.

I dont know if people realised but whenever Dom got the ball there were a fair amount of Cowboys trying to tackle him which creates a one on one for Mead. He does drag out defenders out of there position.

He needs to learn to trust his winger. Im not telling him off but these little things lead to tries.

Dom had an outstanding match in defence. If he works on his attack then he will definitely be a regular first grader.

Did Mead even touch the ball in the Cowboys game?



had three runs.

mostly due to cowboys almost never getting to the kick, and also dom wouldnt release the ball to him.

i do think zillman or the person inside dom positioned him awkwardly a few times so he was aiming into mead already, but he could def have given it a few times as well.

its easier to iron out these kinks though when you arent under a blowtorch of pressure, so hopefully a few wins in the first few weeks will give them some space to suss it out.

[CairnsTitan]

Just checked the stats and Dom had 35 tackles, thats a huge amount for a center

[teke]

An entire game and the Cowboys hardly got to a kick :laugh:

[Nick]

9 kicks..God they were bad. that was in all honestly one of the worst team performances I have ever seen in a sport.

Looking forward to next weeks game, the raiders looked good last night. It will be a proper test for us at least.

[shamus]

And what about our response to a bomb ... gee, I nearly **** myself everytime the Cows even looked like kicking.


The bomb causes all teams problems especially when it's contested, its just part of the game.

As for our kicks to the outside men, they could have been alot better

I can never understand why defenders don't turn around on a bomb and contest the ball themselves rather than leave it to the fullback/winger or whoever is left there to take the bomb. Worst they can do is knock it backwards, hopefully into the arms of a teammate.

OK, that's the second worst thing they can do. I realise what the worst thing is but no different than knocking on...:D

[Ryan]

Geez I'm looking forward to Gordon coming back.
The first try to Idris off a Prince grubber...everyone knew the kick was on except Michael's
In the mean time, where's Phil Graham?

Watch the replay mate, both Micheals & Idris beat Bowen to that ball - Idris only took the ball 0.5secs quicker than Micheals and only because he has a 2m reach advantage over him. Micheals would have easily taken that try if Idris didn't. Rankin kicked a few grubbers that went dead, Micheals was the first on the scene on most (if not all) those occasions. The Bombs (when contested) weren't pretty, but then again how often are they? Still, Micheals was in there when it counted and scored from it. He also got through the night with zero errors, penalties or missed tackles, and contributed 74m in runs. Micheals is one of those players who draws criticism whether he deserves or not - as for Saturday he had a great game, ffs give credit where credit is due.

After watching the game Saturday and reading the following 6 pages of posts in this thread, I decided to with hold my post until watching the game a second time:

Prince: The majority of his kicking was rubbish, and any criticism to that is fair enough. But those who are rubbishing the rest of his game should watch it again. He was running right up to the line more often than not, he covered almost every angle of attack as far as variety goes - cross field kicks, grubber kicks, dummy runs, spreading the ball to the edges, shortballs to hard running forwards. All said and done he finished the game with a try assist, line break and offload. Could have been better, but not too bad considering the best halfback in the world couldn't even catch the ball let alone put it to foot...

Youngsters: Kayne Lawton, Matt Srama, Dominique Peyroux, Ben Ridge & Jordan Rankin
Our club & coach silenced a few more long standing critics about buying players instead of growing them. These guys were impressive and showed that they are capable of keeping us in the top quarter of the ladder this year.

Defense: As embarrassing as the Cowboys error rate was, they had quite a few good cracks and repeat sets on our tryline throughout the night. Not only did our structured defense hold up, but our boys also scrambled well enough to keep out the likes of Bowen, Thurston & Ray Thompson (who were looking very dangerous) in broken play. The first team in 9yrs to keep the Cowboys scoreless at home.

Attack: Again, the Cowboys error rate may have been horrendous, but their defense was quite good. While our attack lacked fluency, it did have variety and depth. The ball was spread side to side multiple times through the night will Zillman looking quite good in third receiver. Peyroux was criticized for not passing on to Mead, but after watching the replay you'll find the Cowboys lateral defense was quite good and had Mead covered by the time Peyroux got the ball. Had he of passed it to Mead, he would have been taken into touch on most occasions. The base structure looks good, once the timing and speed of the movement improves with time I think our 1,6,7 & 9, will be quite formidable and our edge runners should get alot better ball than they did last night.

Kicking: Attacking kicks were piss poor all night, from Prince AND Rankin. Both had grubbers that kept going dead and bombs that went either too deep or too shallow in relation to the tryline. Rankin was clearly a better kicker for territory though, which will take plenty of pressure off Prince throughout the season. At the end of the night we still got two tries from kicks and while the grubbers went dead for the majority, they did manage to poke them through the line and in the right direction. It is only round one and the conditions were difficult for handling, so with a few more rounds under their belt I think both our halves will be able to bring the kicking up to scratch.

Forwards: As expected, our guys stormed up the middle and hammered the edges on the tryline. I think the Mini\Douglas argument was proven irrelevant. Douglas, Myles, White, Bailey, Harrison, Lawton & Srama absolutely dominated the middle of the field while Mini, Bird & Ridge shared minutes on the edges. Harrison was the only one to play the full 80min, and Douglas, White & Srama coming off the bench made sure our domination up the middle was maintained. People also criticized White performance, but its gonna be hard for any forward to stand out when they are sharing minutes with guys like Bailey, Myles & Douglas. White only got half the receives that those guys got but still made a respectable 80m in 35mins, I think he done what was asked of him.

Negatives: Kicking, Bomb diffusing, Speed & fluency in ball movements to the edges, timing of passing & decoy runners in the lateral movements. We did only beat a bumbling side made alot of unforced errors.

Positives: All of the negatives above can be weeded out with match time and stability in the lineup (those who are already calling for changes can have a nice big cup of STFU!).
Our big money recruits are already paying dividends, and our home grown youngsters are also stepping up to the challenge. Credit needs to go to Carty and Searle for this - they copped alot over the last year about player retention and younger players getting a go. They planned and executed a recruitment strategy that upset the majority of us in the short term, but will no doubt pay us dividends for a few years to come.
Although there is mass room for improvement it looks to me like our biggest deficiencies from last year have at least been addressed: ball movement from side to side, variety in attack, a second kicker, defensive structure and error & penalty rates.
Last but not least - Our team seems to be playing for each other!


It may have not been a flash & flawless win, but it is a very valuable away win, against what's considered a top side - which also starts our year off on top of the ladder with 0 points against :banana:


I accept that fact that some of our forum users can't help but constantly spew up all the negatives that our team faces - even in the positive light of the most promising start to a season to date. And while I pitty those individuals, I will still relentlessly and shamelessly call you out http://www.bleachexile.com/exec/images/emoticons/finger.gif

To the rest of you, heres to the good start and an even better season ahead :drinkies:

[Smakked]

Well said Ryan. I myself saw alot more positive then last year which is a good thing, it will all gel together the more the boys play.

[Chaos]

Watch the replay mate, both Micheals & Idris beat Bowen to that ball - Idris only took the ball 0.5secs quicker than Micheals and only because he has a 2m reach advantage over him. Micheals would have easily taken that try if Idris didn't. Rankin kicked a few grubbers that went dead, Micheals was the first on the scene on most (if not all) those occasions. The Bombs (when contested) weren't pretty, but then again how often are they? Still, Micheals was in there when it counted and scored from it. He also got through the night with zero errors, penalties or missed tackles, and contributed 74m in runs. Micheals is one of those players who draws criticism whether he deserves or not - as for Saturday he had a great game, ffs give credit where credit is due.


Without watching the reply...I remember Michaels starting his run 5 metres behind Idris because he wasn't ready...his pace got him close but why did he try and interfere with Idris and make his job difficult when Idris had the try in sights?

I don't mind you having a different opinion on the wing position because we're all looking forward to Gordon returning.

They're will always be people that criticise the team on the forum because it's the place for fans to have their say....I don't mind you criticising others that are critical either because it makes people realise how critical they are.

It's hard to get carried away with a win against a side that dropped so much ball (with or without pressure from the opposition).

A lot of Titan supporters want a grand final and feel we have the forwards and outside backs to do it...somewhere in between is letting us down.
While we don't have a creative attack...people will criticise.

[Ryan]

Without watching the reply...I remember Michaels starting his run 5 metres behind Idris because he wasn't ready...his pace got him close but why did he try and interfere with Idris and make his job difficult when Idris had the try in sights?

I don't mind you having a different opinion on the wing position because we're all looking forward to Gordon returning.

They're will always be people that criticise the team on the forum because it's the place for fans to have their say....I don't mind you criticising others that are critical either because it makes people realise how critical they are.

It's hard to get carried away with a win against a side that dropped so much ball (with or without pressure from the opposition).

A lot of Titan supporters want a grand final and feel we have the forwards and outside backs to do it...somewhere in between is letting us down.
While we don't have a creative attack...people will criticise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT4PXuOi33Q

5m is a mass exaggeration, Idris was no more than 1 step ahead of him at any time, and they both got to the ball at the same time. The ball was within 1m of the sideline and right in front of Micheals, he had every right to go for it. If anything it was Idris who took it from him. Not that I'm in anyway critical of it, they both put in a good chase and we got points from it.

I'll have no problems when Kevie is ready to return and takes up the #2. But when any of our players cops what I think is undue criticism, I will call it out.
In a game that barely featured wingers, Micheals had a great game and got involved every chance he had. Calls for his position after that match are sofa king stupid.

[DavidBouveng]

Thats a great summary Ryan, I hope u can do a weekly version and include areas where we are improving or stagnating.

If we can knock off Canberra this week which I think we will, we can look forward to a decent crowd against the storm in R3.

[Supergoose]

Good review Ryan and I hope you are right that the polish we lacked will come. Still can't help feel that we are in some ways unbalanced with Bird and Mini both seemingly playing on the left edge in the road of our gun centre who'd rather be on the right. If we can work that out, I reckon our halves will have half a chance of getting some good clean ball to our strike centres and electric wingers. There were some excellent signs, especially in defence - let's hope our attack can improve big time and we can cause Canberra all sorts of trouble.

[Ryan]

Good review Ryan and I hope you are right that the polish we lacked will come. Still can't help feel that we are in some ways unbalanced with Bird and Mini both seemingly playing on the left edge in the road of our gun centre who'd rather be on the right. If we can work that out, I reckon our halves will have half a chance of getting some good clean ball to our strike centres and electric wingers. There were some excellent signs, especially in defence - let's hope our attack can improve big time and we can cause Canberra all sorts of trouble.
You're definitely right about those guys getting in the way of each other. My guess is that there was always the intention to run alot of heavy traffic at the two rookie defenders, but for the majority they just didn't get the timing right. It was only a matter of time before they did though. In the lead up to Idris' 74min try; Mini ran at them for good meters, then Prince gave Bird a good ball and he split them for even more meters, then White ran at them close to the line, then Idris ran a perfectly timed line onto Srama's ball and inevitably went straight through for a try. They got it right that time and involved all 3 players you mentioned in that set - thats what makes me believe they just need to polish it to make it work more often. It's a big task having to defend those 3 monsters in consecutive plays, if they can set it up right more often they'll get plenty of points from it.

[Chaos]

he had every right to go for it. If anything it was Idris who took it from him.

agree to disagree on that one.

[travis burch]

Ryan, thanks for the post... I was starting to forget we won.

I was also starting to think it may have only been because the cowboys fell apart. Nice to be reminded that there were some positives.

[Bayside Titan]

I think the balance of the young guys with the older guys was pretty spot on. I realize it will be a balancing act if there are any injuries. The Srama and Lawton tag team worked really well for the first game and tailoring it for each week could really work for us. I was like others that looked at the game again and I thought that the guys coming off the bench seemed seamless and we didn't loose too much momentum. Bring on next week.

[Titanic]

I just can't get past that Mini was that much more effective in his second spell and how much more damaging Douglas is. Start Douglas for mine.

[TITAN PETE]

To the rest of you, heres to the good start and an even better season ahead :drinkies:

Cheers mate i just hope the Beer is a shyte load colder throughout the season than that rubbish i was served at Dairy Farmers on Saturday night :boo: ..

Nice post mate :thumbsup:

[DavidBouveng]

I just can't get past that Mini was that much more effective in his second spell and how much more damaging Douglas is. Start Douglas for mine.

im not quoting this as gospel, just a theory.

i found that a few guns started form bench this week in some teams.

douglas for us, graham for doggies, and merrin for dragons mainly,

i wonder if its a way of minimising interchanges

if you accept that even though douglas can play 80, carty would prefer him to play 60-65, then to start him, give him a rest, then bring him on costs two interchanges.

bring him on after 20, leave him on, he gets a breather at HT, then plays the match out and you use one less interchange, which we now need considering weve never really needed to use one on rotating a hooker before when friend was here.

im saying its right or wrong, i think mini is best as off bench as well, im just saying there might be a more tactical side to the decision than just loyalty or the poor judgement of thinking minis a better starter than douglas.

[Chaos]

im not quoting this as gospel, just a theory.

i found that a few guns started form bench this week in some teams.

douglas for us, graham for doggies, and merrin for dragons mainly,

i wonder if its a way of minimising interchanges

if you accept that even though douglas can play 80, carty would prefer him to play 60-65, then to start him, give him a rest, then bring him on costs two interchanges.

bring him on after 20, leave him on, he gets a breather at HT, then plays the match out and you use one less interchange, which we now need considering weve never really needed to use one on rotating a hooker before when friend was here.

im saying its right or wrong, i think mini is best as off bench as well, im just saying there might be a more tactical side to the decision than just loyalty or the poor judgement of thinking minis a better starter than douglas.


The coaches that think like its a 17 man squad are a step above the coaches choosing their best 13 first and then next best on the bench.
In attack, some forwards can still penetrate a fresh, solid line with size...others are more damaging when a line in tired and broken.
The forward rotation is important and some coaches make it hard for the playmakers when not done right.