Round 12: Newcastle Knights vs Gold Coast Titans

[DIEHARD]

Newcastle Knights vs Gold Coast Titans

Saturday May 26 - Hunter Stadium

[DIEHARD]

Tickets: https://www.proticket.com.au/event.asp?eventid=1624

[DIEHARD]

The Away Legion will be on the Southern concourse (Bay 41/42) behind the goalposts for this game.

It's time to saddle up with the Away Legion and invade Hunter Stadium and defeat the Knights!

The game is scheduled for a Saturday so it is ideal to travel!

Want to have a fun trip away with like minded fans of the Titans
Come join us as we suppoprt our team at the away games?

Flights are booked individually but as we work towards each game we research flights & will keep you posted as to which ones we are looking to book.

So that you can jump onto the cheaper flights.

We have some assistance with getting our accommodation & it is based on a twin or double room that can accomadate 2 people

If we have enough people travelling then we look at hiring a mini bus, if not we use the public transport.

Our trip in the process of planning is to Newcastle to watch the Mighty Titans take on the Knights.

You do not have to be either a Legion member or a Titans member, the only rule is wanting to support the Titans
If you would like to join us you can send an email to either of the below addresses & we will give you all the details.

These trips are usually lots of fun & we only help in the corordination details.

We will also join our buddys from the Away Legion at the game which helps to improve the atmosphere.

Some people are flying out on the Friday some on the Saturday.

There are also a few who are driving.

We will be staying in the City at the Ibis.

So if you are interested in joining us then drop us an email.

There are also trips planned for the Roosters & the Storm game with a possibility for the Sharks as well.

Rhonda
rhondatoms@hotmail.com
cassie.hicks@hotmail.com

Saturday 26th May 2012 Hunter Stadium, Newcastle

Gates Open: TBA
NYC Kick Off: 3:15 PM
NRL Kick Off: 5:30 PM

Tickets: https://www.proticket.com.au/event.asp?eventid=1624
Away Legion Membership: http://www.titans.com.au/

[DIEHARD]

I will be driving down for this game. :thumbsup:

[Jamal's Hamstring]

If we persist with the team we fielded on Friday and the Knights continue to look ordinary this one should be a win.

I'm not thinking we'll make too much of a dent come finals time, but it'd be nice to be middle of the pack!

[Boofhead]

James in for Rankin and we will be full strength!

[DIEHARD]

I know a group is flying down, another 5 are driving, Im driving and many are coming up from Sydney. Should add up to some great away support.

[Princey's Titanz]

I wonder when James is back.

I think Rankin is being too predictable in running the ball. He should chime in with the playmaking. He has a good cut out ball so we should start utilising that from him.

[DIEHARD]

He is "back", he played for Tweed against the Dolphins today.

[TITAN PETE]

He is "back", he played for Tweed against the Dolphins today.

He came back last week ,Played ok but we'll off NRL pace , hopefully he'll be right in another 2 or 3 weeks , Peroux had a shocker then copped what looked like a bad shoulder injury ..

[Julius Sezer]

He is "back", he played for Tweed against the Dolphins today.

Hope hes doing well.

[karnage]

Tweed were really bad. Graham was a joke. Travelled back from Cairns today on the same flight as the Burleigh Bears - it sucks that Bodene Thompson is running around for them behind O'Dwyer on the depth chart.

[Smakked]

Hopefully Bird, Myles and Harrison will be ok for this game

[matti]

I will be there!!!

[DIEHARD]

Hhhmmm, less likely to be making it down now. Hopefully we can beat the disappointing Knights. Hopefully.

[Ryan]

RING GIDS!

http://static3.beanscdn.co.uk/modules/ems-v2/article/featured/drug-dealing-web-sized.jpg

[Boofhead]

:laugh::laugh:

[amaline]

State of Origin representatives Nate Myles, Ashley Harrison and Greg Bird have all been named for the Jetstar Gold Coast Titans’ Round 12 clash against the Knights in Newcastle on Saturday.
Jetstar Titans Coach John Cartwright today named the trio in an 18-man squad to take on the Knights, with the club hoping they will all be fit to back-up after tomorrow night’s opening Origin match in Melbourne.
Captain Scott Prince was not named in the squad after suffering a low grade ankle sprain at training late last week. He is expected to be sidelined for another 1-2 weeks.
Young playmaker Jordan Rankin has been promoted from the interchange bench to halfback in Prince’s absence, with forwards Ben Ridge and Matt White the new faces on an extended five-man bench.
Jetstar Titans vs Newcastle Knights
5.30pm – Hunter Stadium
Saturday, May 26



1 William Zillman
2 Kevin Gordon
3 Jamal Idris
4 Beau Champion
5 David Mead
6 Aidan Sezer
7 Jordan Rankin
8 Luke Bailey
9 Matt Srama
10 Nate Myles
11 Greg Bird
12 Mark Minichiello
13 Ashley Harrison
Interchange
14 Luke Douglas
15 Brenton Lawrence
16 Ben Ridge
17 Luke O’Dwyer
18 Matt White
Coach John Cartwright


http://www.titans.com.au/news-display/Origin-trio-named-for-Knights-clash/55599

[Titanic]

Titans x 7

[Jamal's Hamstring]

Feeling confident.

[Princey's Titanz]

Newcastle have been on a losing streak and we are doing well away from home so there are good signs. I feel we should be able to hold onto possession and score. Im feeling confident that we can get back to back victories it will boost teams confidence and gives us more of a chance to be in the top 8. I still have high hopes that we can sneak into the top 8.

Im just hoping that we smash the Knights by 30 points so that our for and against is good. We are the worst attacking side in the team (by 22 points). Scoring more tries will be the key to turning our season around.

[DavidBouveng]

yeah you should feel confident when the oppositions best two players are wingers.

it would be great to get a win and be sat 2 points out of the top 8, whilst having hardly showing more than a glimpse of what we can do.

some teams are there and have honestly already peaked for the year or had to have some serious luck to get there.

We have a huge upside coming and it can start this weekend.

titans by 14

[Surfers66]

I thought Matt White & Rankin both had really good games for Burleigh.
Both deserve another shot.

[Surfers66]

I think our forwards have been awesome this year, although our backs would be struggling to get a pass mark (C-).

I am thinking as well Idris should be moved to the right side, but it will depend on champion as to wether he will be starting centre or impact from the bench.
If champion statrs playing some good football I would have Idris from the bench and playing on the right. If not I would move Champion to the Wing and try for something like this.

1 Zillman/ Mead
2 Gordon
3 Mead / Zillman
4 Idris
5 Champion

Seems strange to think we recruited centres for this year yet this is still were we have a problem.
Mead could be our Renouf, but we wont know if he plays out his career from the wing.

[Titanic]

This is the classic cyclic debate ... the keys that should unlock Champion are Sezer and Zillman. Champion is a hole runner so he needs good ball and depth otherwise we will see what we have been seeing which is not much at all.

Oh, did I mention that our wings would like to see some ball too? Through the hands that is, not just from kicks. Gordon has been back how many weeks and has yet to receive one, that's right, not even one pass off a set backline.

[TITAN PETE]

Emma Greenwood | 10:49am May 23, 2012

GOLD Coast Titans pack leader Luke Bailey will continue to play through the pain of a broken thumb to help shoulder the load during the busy Origin period.

The inspirational prop has carried the injury for the past fortnight and his hand is off limits at training as the Titans try to nurse him through the representative period.

With Nate Myles, Ashley Harrison and Greg Bird hoping to back up from tonight's Origin clash when the Titans take on the Knights in Newcastle on Saturday, "Bull" Bailey is likely to play an even more crucial role than usual to compensate for his weary rep forwards.

But coach John Cartwright has every confidence he will prevail.

"He'll be right. He's played the past two weeks with it," Cartwright said.

"We're just trying to rest him up and not give it any grief while he's training."

Cartwright has also refused to completely rule out the 11th hour addition of Scott Prince for the Knights clash.

Prince injured his ankle at training last week and was expected to be sidelined for two to four weeks.

He was not named yesterday and, while Cartwright said he was an unlikely starter, he will give Prince until Friday to recover.

"He is a fast healer. He is getting around OK, he's improved enormously up until this stage, so I wouldn't rule him out but he definitely won't play if he's at risk of any further injury," Cartwright said.

"It is only early in the week, we'll give him until the end of the week.

"But it's probably looking at this stage as though he won't play."

Jordan Rankin has been named at halfback and Aidan Sezer at five-eighth. While Harrison, Myles and Bird have been named, there are plans in place if any or all of the trio cannot back up from tonight's clash.

"It's a really tough, physical game, Origin, and it can take a while to get over both mentally and physically. But they're tough boys and that's why they're there," Cartwright said.

"It's just more important that we get our own game (right) and understand our own roles.

"We could go into the game without those three Origin players, so the guys that are here have to focus really hard and we're going to go down there as best prepared as we can possibly be."

Gold Coast have named five forwards on an extended bench for Saturday's match.

Bodene Thompson was unavailable after dislocating his shoulder playing for Burleigh in the Queensland Cup on Sunday while Beau Falloon and Ryan James will continue their return from injury in the Intrust Super Cup this week.

[Boofhead]

Nate Myles man of the match
Wayne Heming | May 24, 2012

Battered forward Nate Myles didn't quite know what to say after picking up his first State of Origin man-of-the-match award following Queensland's controversial and fiery 18-10 win over New South Wales on Wednesday night.

While NSW were stewing over the first-half sin-binning of centre Michael Jennings and the match-winning try to Maroons star Greg Inglis, Myles was feeling somewhat awkward about being named the game's best player in his 18th Origin.

"I've never won one before," he said in a victorious dressing room not engaged in wild celebrations, knowing NSW will be even tougher in front of their fans in Origin II in Sydney next month.

"I didn't notice too much on the field but I noticed the work of blokes like Ash Harrison, Petero (Civoniceva) and Matt Scott who hasn't had much game time but was terrific for us again.

"The big boys were awesome for us again down the middle.

"It's my first one (award) so I'll take it.

"I've never won a man-of-the-match award ever, well, not since I was playing under-16s up in Cairns."

http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/state-of-origin/greg-inglis-says-he-fumbled-the-ball-before-controversial-origin-try-nate-myles-man-of-the-match/story-fn31yxah-1226365086842

[Boofhead]

Looks like the boys pulled up pretty well from last night. Should play them off the bench to have a break.

Bird won't have anything to answer for with that tackle, was so soft.

[DavidBouveng]

myles and harro were awesome.

harrison did slightly more work than nate, but nate hit a bit harder and made more impact. and bird was close to NSWs best...

good job boys!

[Titanic]

Harrison needs to stop leaning all over the tackle ... he costs us every week too.

[Rage]

Harrison needs to stop leaning all over the tackle ... he costs us every week too.

Yeah I also noticed this. He's getting pinged for it week in week out at the Titans and got pinged twice for it last night

[Titan Dad]

Great to see our boys get through relatively unscathed from the origin. Nate and Birdy were great for their respective sides. In relation to Harro, I think if he didn't slow the play down a bit then we were going to be in trouble with the pace the NSW side was playing. Our big boppas needed a blow and Harro gave it to them. The penalties he gave away were not in critical areas of the field. Nice ploy Harro. You worked your **** off, well done mate.

[Titan Dad]

Great to see Ben Ridge and BJ in this week.

[TITAN PETE]

Knights v Titans preview

NRL.com Thu, May 24, 2012 - 11:30 AM

Newcastle Knights v Gold Coast Titans
Hunter Stadium
Saturday, 5.30pm

Don?t let this match fly under your radar this week. Sure, it won?t get as many bums on seats as Origin I or attract as many viewers as Melbourne-Brisbane, but this clash is vitally important for both Newcastle and the Gold Coast and could be another spectacular encounter.

Season 2012 has been one of inconsistency and, it must be said, poor form thus far for both the Knights and the Titans. So far neither side has managed to record back-to-back victories ? a worrying trend for coaches Wayne Bennett and John Cartwright.

The Knights enter this clash in 10th place with 10 points from four wins and a bye. So far they?ve defeated the Panthers in Round 8, the Eels in Round 6, the Bulldogs in Round 4 and the Sharks in Round 2. After 11 weeks, no doubt supercoach Bennett will be asking for more from his troops. Bennett?s included Danny Buderus in his line-up for this clash, with the former NSW and Australian hooker almost fully recovered from his troublesome Achilles injury. Buderus?s return shifts Matt Hilder to the bench. Chris Adams and Evarn Tuimavave have been relegated to the NSW Cup, with back-rower Joel Edwards added to the first-grade bench. The side, however, is subject to change ? Newcastle have Aku Uate and Darius Boyd playing in Origin I.

The Titans, meanwhile, haven?t enjoyed much in the first half of 2012 either. They sit in 14th position following just three wins and a bye. This season the Gold Coast have beaten the Bulldogs in their last start in Round 10, as well as upset Manly in Round 7 at Brookvale and the Cowboys in Townsville in Round 1. Coach Cartwright has understandably kept the core group of players that defeated the Bulldogs, but there is an injury concern to key playmaker Scott Prince. The Titans? halfback injured his ankle in a ballwork session at training recently, with the strain likely to keep him out of action for a week. Ben Ridge and Matt White have been added to the side that beat Canterbury and have been named on an extended bench. Their team is also subject to change after Origin, with Greg Bird, Nate Myles and Ashley Harrison all part of the state-versus-state clash.

Watch Out Knights: Possibly, just possibly, the Titans are warming into season 2012. After a 1-5 start, things have started to look brighter on the Gold Coast since Round 7, with unlikely away wins against the Sea Eagles and Bulldogs, as well as a controversial one-point loss to the Tigers, a sign they do have the strikepower to mix it with the NRL?s best sides. Can they break the drought and record their first back-to-back win for the season? They?ll certainly enter this clash as underdogs but, as history shows, that?s just the way the Titans like it.

Danger Sign: The Titans, it seems, are beginning to understand the right balance between ball control and opportunistic attacking plays. Earlier this season, the Titans looked either flat or boring. In Rounds 2, 3 and 4, the Titans just couldn?t crack the point-scoring code. Sometimes they protected the ball and treated it with respect? but failed to create any attacking opportunities. In Rounds 2 and 3, Gold Coast completed 71 and 73 per cent of their sets, but created a total of just three line-breaks. Against the Warriors in Round 4, they just couldn?t hold on to the ball, completing just 58 per cent of their sets. The past few rounds, though, the Titans look more disciplined and dynamic ? a combination that has them winning the field-position arm-wrestle while at the same time creating more point-scoring opportunities. John Cartwright would be much happier with the recent figures ? 73 per cent completion rate and five line-breaks against the ?Dogs, and 73 per cent and six line-breaks against the Sea Eagles.

Watch Out Titans: Is there a more threatening and potentially more damaging outside backs line-up than the Knights? numbers 1-5? Each is a handful in his own right, and collectively they?re as hard to stop as any backline in the comp. The names Boyd, McManus, Sa?u, Tahu and Uate certainly instill fear in opponents ? they just have to click as a unit before Knights fans can get too excited. With 127 tackle-breaks between them already this season, though, the hardest-running backline in the NRL is already making inroads. They just haven?t fully capitalised yet. Titans beware.

Danger Sign: The Gold Coast concede the sixth-highest number of metres per match (1292.9) ? it doesn?t take a great deal of effort for opponents to march downfield from their own end, set up attacking plays and assert pressure and dominance over the Titans. The even more worrying sign for the Titans is the fact three of the pack workhorses and biggest stars will be in some doubt for this match after Origin. There?s a good chance the Titans can control the Knights? march downfield if they all work together, communicate effectively and limit the Knights? playmakers time in attack. But without Origin stars Greg Bird, Nate Myles and Ashley Harrison? It?s highly unlikely. Fingers crossed, Titans fans.

Tyrone Roberts v Jordan Rankin: Roberts and Rankin are inexperienced halfbacks with big shoes to fill as stand-in No.7s. Knight Roberts had a promising start to his career last season, finishing the year with selection in the Junior Kangaroos, but undoubtedly would not have been expecting an opportunity to don the No.7 so early in the season. Kurt Gidley?s injury has given him that opportunity. Injury has also given Rankin the opportunity to wear the Titans? No.7 jersey, with Prince on the sidelines. Roberts has played just 11 top-grade games while Rankin?s played 15 ? how they deal with being their team?s go-to men for one of the first times in their careers will have a significant influence on the outcome of this match.

Where It Will Be Won: The biggest problem both teams have experienced this season is scoring points ? and it?s pretty difficult to win games without scoring! The Knights average 15.4 points and 2.6 tries per game, compared to the Titans 14.5 points and 2.4 tries. It certainly doesn?t make good reading for fans who like free-flowing, attacking and high-scoring games of football? but with the backline threats both teams possess, you get a feeling it?s a matter of when, not if, something will click. Those full and half-chances each team receives will have a huge bearing on this match. Who?s going to take the opportunities?

The History: Played 8: Knights 5, Titans 3. The ledger is even more one-sided in Newcastle, with the Knights winning three of four matches at Hunter Stadium. Last start they even racked up 50 points!

The Last Time They Met: Round 21 in 2011 was not a good week for Titans fans ? being on the receiving end of a 50-point shellacking never is! In the Knights-Titans clash at the stadium formerly known as Ausgrid in Newcastle, the home side walked to a 16-12 halftime lead before they bolted after the break.

For the home side, veteran centre Adam MacDougall was in top form, threatening whenever he saw open spaces, scoring one try and setting up a couple of others. His outside man Uate scored three tries, while left-side winger James McManus scored two four-pointers.

Match Officials: Referees ? Shayne Hayne and Alan Shortall; Sideline Officials ? Dave Abood and Nick Beashel; Video Referee ? Phil Cooley.

The Way We See It: This clash is a vital one for both sides? finals hopes in 2012 ? a win will inject much-needed momentum but a loss could well put them on a slippery slope well out of playoff contention. Expect both teams to be ready for the occasion. The Knights, as statistics show, will be warm favourites? and for good reason. The Titans, though, won?t be pushovers, especially if all of their Origin stars back up after Wednesday night. The home side should be too strong in this match, especially with inspirational hooker Buderus back in action. Knights by four points.

Televised: Fox Sports 2 ? Live 5.30pm.

[Jamal's Hamstring]

Any word on Bird, Harrison and Myles backing up?

[amaline]

Any word on Bird, Harrison and Myles backing up?

I think the Titans twitter said Bird, Harrison, Myles and Prince are playing.

[Jamal's Hamstring]

Nice- I'll give them a 10.5 point start and see how we go :thumbsup:

[DIEHARD]

Buderus back? Boy oh boy do we have a history of facing returning players.

[Ryan]

If you want to make tonight a good one, don't forget to


RING GIDS!

http://static3.beanscdn.co.uk/modules/ems-v2/article/featured/drug-dealing-web-sized.jpg

I'd deadset make that into a banner if I was going......

[DavidBouveng]

Lol if he wasn't a hometown legend, the cops were gonna ping him weren't they?

They just didn't wanna piss off the whole region I heard.

[Nick]

I can feel a win tonight.. get our season well and truly back on track. Both wingers to get doubles. Im bored so here is my score prediction haha.

Titans (30): Mead (2), Gordon (2), Idris. Sezer (5/5)

Knights (8): Uate, Mullen.

Maybe slightly over confident.. Knights are also hungry for a win after a very average start to the season.

[Titanic]

Will there be spoilers allowed on this thread?

Also the only way Gordon will score a double is if he gets the ball handed to him over the line twice and I am seriously worried about him marking Uate. He and Champion are our weak spots, imho.

Please bookmark this post and remind me when I am wrong.

[Ryan]

Will there be spoilers allowed on this thread?

Also the only way Gordon will score a double is if he gets the ball handed to him over the line twice and I am seriously worried about him marking Uate. He and Champion are our weak spots, imho.

Please bookmark this post and remind me when I am wrong.
Uate might very well get some points, but he has proven beyond doubt that he is also a defensive liability!
When Tahu keeps coming off his line to try a shot on Idris, Uate will be left with space either side of him, and marking 2-3 of our attackers. We've seen how that plays out :)

I reckon Idris will turn up for this match, and his rivalry with Tahu - And win! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ_fx_kPez8
There's a good chance Gordon will benefit from this. Running numbers at Uate should be our first attacking play.

Put me down for Gordon FTS!

[Titanic]

I think you're right about Idris (if he brings his A game) but Gordon seems to have lost his speed and that was what made him so I have little confidence in him being able to create anything.

Prince back will help though.


GOLD Coast coach John Cartwright has set his side the challenge of making a rep season surge with the Titans boosted by the unexpected return of skipper Scott Prince for today's NRL clash with the Knights in Newcastle.

Prince had been ruled out for up to four weeks with a sprained ankle, but the dynamic halfback was back marshalling the troops yesterday in their final training session and declared a certain starter with Jordan Rankin not even flying to Newcastle for the game so he can play Queensland Cup for Burleigh.

Cartwright has such confidence in Prince's ability to play 80 minutes that he will carry four forwards on his bench to help with rotations given Nate Myles, Ashley Harrison and Greg Bird are expected to back up from a bruising State of Origin performance three days earlier.

"He works very hard at his injuries," Cartwright said of Prince.

"The medical staff have worked with him around the clock and he is at a stage now where he looks pretty good.

"It's a boost. We were expecting him not to play so when you get something you're not expecting its a bonus for us. He's been in pretty good form the last month."

The Titans have not won successive since the first week of the 2010 finals series but have the chance to end the inconsistency today when they meet a Knights side which has had its own struggles for form in 2012.

Cartwright believes the competition is ripe for a team to make a charge and it's a challenge he has set the players this week following on from a confidence-boosting win over Canterbury a fortnight ago.

"Yeah I just think the competition, there is not many teams doing it (winning back-to-back games) outside Brisbane, Melbourne and the Sharks. Even those sides are starting to lose a few," Cartwright said.

"I think the comp is wide open for a side to try and string some wins together, to get through the Origin period and make a real charge for the eight.

"It could be anyone. There is no side I don't think out of it at this stage. It's all about trying to string a few wins together, stay away from injuries, get some confidence and that is definitely what we've been speaking about all week.

"We've had real focus on making that two in a row and then a home game after that."

While Cartwright was pleased with the performance and health of his Origin trio after Queensland's win this week, he also noted the improved confidence that Knights fullback Darius Boyd would have gained after scoring two tries for the Maroons.

"Yeah he was strong. He is on the end of that backline, that is probably a position a lot of us would like to be in. He did what he had to do and finished well. Sometimes that is all it takes (to turn form around)," he said.

"I haven't watched a hell of a lot of Newcastle this year but you read he hasn't been happy with his form, but he is going to take a lot of confidence out of that win and spending the week with the quality of players that he did.".

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/gold-coast-titans-coach-john-cartwright-has-set-his-team-the-challenge-to-make-a-rep-season-surge/story-e6frep5x-1226367056937

[Toads]

If we wear em down defensively 'n leave no holes open. I feel we can win this one with the typical unentertaining footy that we're good a producing in 2012. :laugh:

[teke]

If Titans management took any notice of the Cowboys v Knights game they would have seen how patchy the Knights were in close to the ruck.

[DavidBouveng]

Knights have only beaten eels and parra lately. They are going alot worse than ppl realize because they are too busy ripping into parra.

[DIEHARD]

Last Time Played: Knights v Titans

Round 21 in 2011 was not a good week for Titans fans ? being on the receiving end of a 50-point shellacking never is! In the Knights-Titans clash at the stadium formerly known as Ausgrid in Newcastle, the home side walked to a 16-12 halftime lead before they bolted after the break.

For the home side, veteran centre Adam MacDougall was in top form, threatening whenever he saw open spaces, scoring one try and setting up a couple of others. His outside man Uate scored three tries, while left-side winger James McManus scored two four-pointers.

http://www.nrl.com

[DIEHARD]

Star duo return to boost Knights

THE return of Danny Buderus and the resurgence of Darius Boyd have given the Newcastle Knights a twin-pronged injection of confidence leading into tonight’s clash with Gold Coast Titans at Hunter Stadium.

Buderus has missed the past two games with Achilles tendonitis but completed a full training session yesterday, despite a dose of the flu, and is considered a certain starter tonight.

Boyd rested yesterday after his two-try effort for Queensland in Wednesday’s Origin series opener but is expected to take his place in Newcastle’s No.1 jersey.

Rookies Peter Mata’utia and Kevin Naiqama trained in Boyd’s absence yesterday as a precaution.

Widely touted as a NSW Origin certainty before he was sidelined, Buderus, 34, will resume the Knights captaincy and his experience, work rate and energy will be welcomed by his teammates and coach Wayne Bennett.

Bennett described Buderus this week as ‘‘a tremendous asset to us’’ who rated alongside Chris Houston as Newcastle’s best player this season.

‘‘Hopefully Danny will be back this week and ... it may just give us a bit more impetus,’’ the coach said.

Those sentiments were echoed yesterday by Knights playmaker Jarrod Mullen, despite joking that Buderus was ‘‘a bit crook’’ and suffering from a ‘‘Cameron Smith virus’’.

‘‘He’s given his Achilles a good rest, so he’ll be right to go tomorrow night,’’ Mullen said.

‘‘He definitely lifts the team.’’

Mullen was similarly enthused about the prospect of renewing acquaintances with Boyd, who has been searching for form all season before striking gold at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.

‘‘Darbs didn’t train this morning,’’ he said.

‘‘He’s got a few bumps and bruises but I think he’ll play.

‘‘I thought he had a tremendous game [for Queensland]. Like I said, if he can bring some of that confidence back – they had a good win against the Blues – if he can bring that in tomorrow night, it’ll be good for us.’’

Languishing in 10th position after four wins from 10 games, Newcastle could find themselves four points adrift of the top eight if results this weekend fall against them.

Gold Coast are two points below the Knights but their recent form is far more encouraging.

Newcastle are coming off successive losses to the Roosters (24-6) and North Queensland (32-12), while in their past three games Gold Coast have beaten Canterbury and Manly and lost by one point to Wests Tigers.

Titans coach John Cartwright said co-captain Scott Prince would return from an ankle injury.

Gold Coast’s Origin trio of Nate Myles, Greg Bird and Ashley Harrison will all play.

http://www.theherald.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Is Prince gonna play? That'd be a boost.

[DIEHARD]

Scott Price comes in for Rankin'; Luke Douglas starts for Nate Myles and Matt White is added on the bench

[TITAN PETE]

Titans by 12 :D
Sezar to score the 1st :thumbsup:

[heidstar]

Will there be spoilers allowed on this thread?

Also the only way Gordon will score a double is if he gets the ball handed to him over the line twice and I am seriously worried about him marking Uate. He and Champion are our weak spots, imho.

Please bookmark this post and remind me when I am wrong.

Agree!!!!:thumbsup:

[DIEHARD]

Hope you are wrong Titanic!

[DIEHARD]

Qld Origin forward Nate Myles to start tonight's match from the interchange bench

[DIEHARD]

#### #### ####

[Titanic]

Anyone still want to debate it?

[DIEHARD]

Uate in, 6mins in...

[DIEHARD]

Im gonna set a record for swearing tonight. Douglas gives one up for a high shot.

[DIEHARD]

This is a game we should win, no more BS, we got to win these games!

[DIEHARD]

Daley having a dig at the size of Idris, saying he is the biggest he has seen him.

[Titanic]

We are back to the ill-disciplined version.

[DIEHARD]

Outa jail there. Mead with a stupid offload 10mins out. But we got the ball back.

[Titanic]

That was truly luck but I'll take it.

[DIEHARD]

Wow great jink and duck by William and line break, sets up Srama nicely.

[Titanic]

But that was CLASS! First clean pass to a wing and .... a try.

[Rage]

GREAT TRY!!!

[DIEHARD]

Nice pass from Idris to Mini. Huge break. Mead in one tackle later. WOOO

[DIEHARD]

Titans 10 - Knights 4 - 23mins in.

Let's put em to the sword!

[Rage]

I love that we're on a roll with 20 minutes to go till half time. Normally, the boys start to pick up like 5 minutes form halftime then lose it in the second half. Hope they can ride this wave out.

[Jamal's Hamstring]

Keep the updates coming! At work so can't watch the game.

Thanks lads!

[Titanic]

Great ball!!!! Srama to Myles and under the posts.

[Boofhead]

12 point lead at half time with Bailey, Harrison, Minichiello and Douglas on the bench. They will be ready to tare some new holes around the 50-60 minute mark!

Everyone playing solid.

[Titanic]

C'mon Boof ... we don't look great but we look good at 1, 6, 7 & 9 and that's the difference.

I hate to harp on this but Gordon tried to defend Uate while standing on the tryline and with the ball in the clear either on the end of the backline or bringing it back he had nothing ... nothing terrible just nothing.

[Jamal's Hamstring]

**** yeah! Is this the team we should field for the rest of the season?

Might be worth a punt on the top eight.

[Boofhead]

C'mon Boof ... we don't look great but we look good at 1, 6, 7 & 9 and that's the difference.

It's all coming together. Spine. Centers passing. Forwards not dropping balls. Feels good bro.

[DavidBouveng]

prince did well on the mead try not to overplay it.

just drew and pass a bit and let champion give the ball to mead.

champion in that play showed exactly what we got him for.once he got early ball he burnt his opponent with a swerve on the outside and gave a skilful pass to mead.

idris nice pass, but hes way too big still. and gordon looks pretty useless. Carty normally brings most guys through Q cup, Gordon needs the same. hes like daryl halligan out there but 10 years younger and doesnt kick goals

19/21 completions at half time... knights 18/19. they are as naked in attack as we normally are.

we are looking pretty good guys as long we keep our intensity up and our mistakes down.

sezer is also adding nice kicking game down the left side and knights are starting there sets quite deep.

second half here we GO!

[MightyTitans]

Im hoping the boys can rack up a decent score, this may kickstart our season...

I think one of the main reasons we are in such decent shape this game is due to the lack of go forward for the knights. They really need to purchase some props

[Titanic]

yep their halves are crap too.

[Titanic]

Alexander has his weekly hate on Newy this week. Boyd drops it cold.

[Titanic]

O'Dwyer back to QCup please.

[Titanic]

Bird in for a soft one but that's just freakin' wonderful ... 20-4 kick to come.

[Titanic]

Bend it like Prince ... 22-4

[Titanic]

O'Dwyer to QCup please.

[Jamal's Hamstring]

Double or O'Dwyer really bad?

[heidstar]

Brilliant team work!!!They want this!!!!
And we want them to bring it home!!!

[DavidBouveng]

We very rarely put on a big score and if we do, the opponents do also like 32-26.

Here Is a chance to pump out a 32-4 win and roll into the cows feeling great!

[DavidBouveng]

Idris thought he saw a flying Big Mac then.

Most enthusiastic movement he's made

[Nick]

Sezar is outclassing prince in all facets of play. Srama is having a great game.
Poor defence there.

[Titanic]

Poor read by Prince ... 22-8

[DIEHARD]

Titans looking good! Idris has really stepped up!

[DIEHARD]

7mins left, would love to see another Titans try.

[DIEHARD]

Idris is on fire tonight.

[Titanic]

Poor read Champion/Prince and Newy make a game of it 22-14

[DIEHARD]

We are really letting ourselves down, its now 22-14. 3 to go.

[DIEHARD]

Congratulations to the Titans, saw heaps of potential and put on a good performance.

That is another win, another win away from home. haha

[Titanic]

24-14 Prince penalty and that's all she wrote.

[DIEHARD]

Prince slots a late penalty. 24-14

[teke]

Unbelievable that Titans are winning games without really being under pressure :laugh:

Idris getting fatter by the game

[Jamal's Hamstring]

Excellent.

[Titanic]

Our left side defence is still in big trouble and I mean BIG. Idris and Gordon are just easy meat. Gordon because he has lost his flash and Idris because he cannot see his toes.

[DIEHARD]

Titans beat Knights 24-14

THE Gold Coast Titans have beaten the Knights 24-14 in a strong performance in Newcastle.

The victory gives them back-to-back wins and will be a big boost for morale.

Fullback Will Zillman played strongly setting up Matt Srama for a first half try.

Greg Bird was as dangerous as ever scoring one try and proving a rock in defence.

More to come.

GOLD COAST 24 (G Bird D Mead N Myles M Srama tries S Prince 4 goals) bt NEWCASTLE 14 (A McKinnon T Roberts A Uate tries T Roberts goal) at Hunter Stadium. Referee: Shayne Hayne, Alan Shortall. Crowd: 15,792.

http://www.goldcoast.com.au

[DavidBouveng]

Wrong thread I know, but for those watching eels dragons after titans game, I thought Leo dynevor was in the 7 for the eels. Then realised it was just sandow who has a bad case of the jamal's.

[DIEHARD]

Wrong thread I know, but for those watching eels dragons after titans game, I thought Leo dynevor was in the 7 for the eels. Then realised it was just sandow who has a bad case of the jamal's.

:laugh: hahaha good call, I gotta see this!

[C-Whiz]

I didn't see the game but listened to it on AM. Sounded like Newcastle played like under 9's more than Titans playing out of their skins.

Not trying to be Mr negativity, especially after a much needed win, but how bad was Newcastle?

[Titanic]

Yep, he has a huge gut ... I think that there could be a shoot out for the biggest **** award between Mamma's Jahmas McIdris, Gorgeous Georgie Rose, She-Pecks Williams, Sushi Train Taylor and Christmas Pudding Sandow.

Sorry Whiz ... we played well for 60 but the last 20 was a mistake-a-thon.

[DavidBouveng]

After birds try, everyone seemed a little too pleased with self and shut down.

If Jamal's bust had have resulted in a try I think we finish strong, but once the knights went 80m and scored on the rebound, the team seemed to just think 'too hard' and let the match just drift to a close.

Jamal wins hands down titanic, although the fat **** club had a cake and maccas celebration to celebrate Greg inglis' promotion from their club back to the 'committed NRL players' club

[teke]

Yep, he has a huge gut ... I think that there could be a shoot out for the biggest **** award between Mamma's Jahmas McIdris, Gorgeous Georgie Rose, She-Pecks Williams, Sushi Train Taylor and Christmas Pudding Sandow.

Sorry Whiz ... we played well for 60 but the last 20 was a mistake-a-thon.Who is she-peck williams? Surely it cant be T Rex?

[Titanic]

Our fearless leader has spoken therefore it must be right, so I publicly apologise to Master Idris (he is only a kid you know) and I will now put away my tape measure and wide angled lense.


Gold Coast coach John Cartwright says he has no issue with Jamal Idris's weight after the giant centre's solid performance in the Titans' 24-14 win over Newcastle on Saturday.

The former Canterbury star looked way heavier than his official weight of 115kg, but Cartwright defended the former NSW representative and said his condition had been noted by the club's training staff, but was not an problem.

"Because he is so big you probably don't look at how talented a footballer he is," Cartwright said.

"People just look at his size, but he's a really talented footballer. He has a great set of hands on him.

"Defensively he reads things as good as any centre in the game and he can cover a lot of spots."

Weight was always an issue during his time at the Bulldogs but Idris started this season looking in the best shape of his career.

However, Cartwright said the fact he was coming back from an injury and been unable to train had not helped him.

"He's had a bad run with injury since he has been with us and because he is such a big man it is hard to get some miles in his legs at the moment," he said.

"He's conscious, we're conscious of it.

"We monitor him and we work him hard but the fact is he hasn't been able to do much training.

"He's naturally a big boy. But he's learning. He's only a young kid and I couldn't be happier with him."


http://www.nrl.com/titans-unconcerned-by-idriss-weight/tabid/10874/newsid/67675/default.aspx

[karnage]

It was a really solid win tonight. The team showed that we have a pack that can probably match it with any team in the comp. We smashed the Knights in the middle third and probably erred in the second half by looking to get it wide at every opportunity. I love seeing the fast men given their chance so I won't complain about giving it some air at all.

The Knights were terrible. They were absolutely clueless in attack with ZERO spark. Boyd was the worst culprit - he showed no enthusiasm whatsoever...

Do you realise that if we beat the Cowboys next Friday night we will be something we have not been for the past two seasons - RELEVANT!! Wouldn't that be a nice change?!?!?!?!

[teke]

This from a Knights Forum

"How can idris crab across field and put mini into a yawning hole yet our playmakers look utterly clueless."

:laugh: :laugh:

At the time I was yelling at Idris to go straight the big lump of...

[Chaserz]

That would be a welcome change, but indeed we need to keep up our guards in the last 15-20 minutes. For a second I thought the Knights might repeat what Tigers did a few rounds ago, when victory just slipped away. Fortunately, that didn't happen and I'm more than happy with this good win. Hopefully this winning streak doesn't end.

[Jamal's Hamstring]

No BJ? Injured or just on the outer?

[Titanic]

He would have made a huge difference instead of the proverbial pop-gun.

[gotitans101]

This from a Knights Forum

"How can idris crab across field and put mini into a yawning hole yet our playmakers look utterly clueless."

:laugh: :laugh:

rofl. Yeah, the Knights were woeful but there were still positives for us to come out of tonight. Next week will be the real test as we face up against the Cowboys.

[Princey's Titanz]

i think im tearing up. Im so happy that we have started to win matches. We have a confidence boost to the team and now if we get a little winning streak going then we can crawl into the top 8.

[Titanic]

a 50% ratio would be just fine

[teke]

We just sorted Mini out with not offloading now a winger and a fullback think they can take his place :laugh: :doh:

[gotitans101]

My only change to the team would be O'dwyer, I cannot believe he's still playing at first grade, but I'm not sure who we'd replace him with anyway.

[DavidBouveng]

Bj, ryan James soon, falloon, all would make huge impact instead of odwyer.

[TITAN PETE]

I didn't see the game but listened to it on AM. Sounded like Newcastle played like under 9's more than Titans playing out of their skins.

Not trying to be Mr negativity, especially after a much needed win, but how bad was Newcastle?

You are being a bit harsh mate, it was quite a good defensive game but our attack was much better than theirs with Seazar looking dangerous every time he touched the ball & his kicking game good too.

Thought Beau Champion showed his class when he put Mead in the corner & big J.I may be carrying an extra kilo or 2 but that ball he put on Minni's chest brilliant :fist:

Bird carried on where he left off in the SOO & looked dangerous all night.

The comp is pretty tight now as we are 1 win out of the 8 & only 6 points behind the Donkeys who are in 2nd place :surprise:

All in all a very solid win & with hopefully 2 changes next week
Falloon in for Odwyer
BJ in for White :thumbsup:

[TITAN PETE]

Titans beat Knights 24-14
AAP **|**07:22pm May 26, 2012


Titans v Knights, May 26, 2012

THE Gold Coast Titans have beaten the Knights 24-14 in a strong performance in Newcastle.

The victory gives them back-to-back wins and will be a big boost for morale.

Newcastle's brave new world under Wayne Bennett was rocked by the loss at Hunter Stadium.

The Knights were outfought and outhought by a Gold Coast side who went into the game as the lowest scorers in the NRL.

The evening started in the best possible way for the hosts when NSW winger Akuila Uate, backing up from Wednesday's State of Origin clash in Melbourne, reached over Kevin Gordon to put the ball across the line in the fifth minute.

John Cartwright's side struggled to get out of their own half in the opening 15 minutes but managed to open their account with their first attack of the game, when livewire hooker Matt Srama darted over after a decent break from William Zillman midway through the first period.

The Titans added their second four-pointer in the 22nd minute when David Mead finished off a flowing move that was started by a sweet inside pass from Jamal Idris to Mark Minichiello, the winger touching down in the right corner.

Boyd, who scored twice for Queensland on Wednesday, is yet to open his account for the Knights, and his poor club form continued when he knocked-on just in front of his own goal area.

And from the resulting scrum, the Titans, growing in confidence, added their third try of the game when Nate Myles powered his way over from close range and Scott Prince's conversion opened up a 16-4 lead at halftime.

It was the first time since the 2010 finals series the Titans had scored 16 points in the first half of a game and they continued where they left off in the second stanza with Greg Bird stepping over for an excellent try after another Boyd knock-on.

Prince's conversion gave a comfortable 22-4 advantage as the Titans continued to control proceedings for the rest of the half.

GOLD COAST 24 (G Bird D Mead N Myles M Srama tries S Prince 4 goals) bt NEWCASTLE 14 (A McKinnon T Roberts A Uate tries T Roberts goal) at Hunter Stadium. Referee: Shayne Hayne, Alan Shortall. Crowd: 15,792.

*

[TITAN PETE]

Titans embarrass Knights 24-14 in NRL

By Ian McCullough AAP Sat, May 26, 2012 - 9:10 PM

Newcastle coach Wayne Bennett says he's "embarrassed" by his struggling side's current run of form after the Knights slumped to a dismal 24-14 NRL defeat to lowly Gold Coast on Saturday.

On a cold evening in Newcastle, Bennett's side produced another limp performance, handing the Titans their first back-to-back victories in almost two years.

It was the fourth time this season the Knights have lost at home and the seven-time premiership-winning coach admits it will be a huge challenge to get the team into the finals.

"My greatest difficulty right now is that I have to pick the teams," Bennett said.

"If everybody's doing their job, then the team picks itself."

Many of the 15,792 crowd vented their frustrations at the final siren, with two late tries giving the scoreline a flattering look, in a game the Titans dominated for large periods.

Bennett has urged supporters to be patient, but admitted he understood their frustrations.

"They can get impatient as much as they like, but it isn't going to help anybody," he said.

"Nobody is more impatient than myself. I am embarrassed by the way we're playing.

"But if we could just wave a magic wand and get it right we'd do that.

"That's not going to happen. I understand their frustration, it's no greater than mine."

However, the 62-year-old said he would get things right and turn the situation round.

"I've been here before, so I know what is in front of me and I know what I've got to do," he said.

"My coaching career has been long, but a lot of people forget where I came from and they look at the results.

"But there has been a lot of indifferent stuff over a long period.

"But at the end of the day, I always get where I want to go and it's no different here."

Titans coach John Cartwright was full of praise for the performances of his State of Origin stars Greg Bird, Nate Myles and Ashley Harrison who all produced strong displays just three days after Wednesday's clash in Melbourne.

NSW back-rower Bird and Queensland star Myles both scored tries and Cartwright said he was delighted with the way his side overcome a slow start that saw them concede a try to Akuila Uate after four minutes.

"I thought there were patches in that game that is the best we've played this year," Cartwright said.

"I thought Birdy was one of our best and Nate and Harro were great. It is a tough ask to ask them to back up from Origin and the signs are great."

[Princey's Titanz]

we have found a winning formula.

[C-Whiz]

You are being a bit harsh mate,

Sorry if it sounded that way, was just asking the question, not making a statement. I will watch the game today, but even Bennett says his team is pretty close to useless at the moment.


The comp is pretty tight now as we are 1 win out of the 8 & only 6 points behind the Donkeys who are in 2nd place :surprise: This is quite amazing. I had no idea. :thumbsup: I'd given up on the race for the eight to be honest. I was just hoping to start winning before I worried about where we were on the ladder.

[Tamwelg]

You are being a bit harsh mate, it was quite a good defensive game but our attack was much better than theirs with Seazar looking dangerous every time he touched the ball & his kicking game good too.

Thought Beau Champion showed his class when he put Mead in the corner & big J.I may be carrying an extra kilo or 2 but that ball he put on Minni's chest brilliant :fist:

Bird carried on where he left off in the SOO & looked dangerous all night.

The comp is pretty tight now as we are 1 win out of the 8 & only 6 points behind the Donkeys who are in 2nd place :surprise:

All in all a very solid win & with hopefully 2 changes next week
Falloon in for Odwyer
BJ in for White :thumbsup:

As much as I love BJ and would like to see him out there, I think White played well and deserves to keep his spot.

[Nick]

As much as I love BJ and would like to see him out there, I think White played well and deserves to keep his spot.

Definitely! White had a very solid game. O'dwyer was the only thing keeping the knights in the game, he made some very costly errors.

[Tamwelg]

Mini has found a home ever since he was moved from the left side of the field to the right. His hole running has gone up a level and I can't remember him dropping the ball on that side of the filed(touch wood).

Zillman was pretty good for the second game in a row. Occasionally I'd like to see him sweeping out the back as a second man in a deep back line move, a move that just about every other team in the NRL (and some QRL) use with success. I'm not sure if that is coaching or Zilly just doesn't have that in his game. I saw us use that type of play 2 or 3 times last year when Rankin was back there.

Bird was tremendous again last night and is having the best season of his career to date. How he didn't get picked in the Australia team that played the Kiwis earlier this year, I'll never know. I'm a Queenslander through and though and was calling him all the names under the sun on Wednesday night, but truth be told I thought he deserved to get Man of the Match. Yes I thought Myles played great and was the best Maroon, but Bird was the best player on the park.

Srama seems to have his spark back, that's 2 weeks in a row we've seen some great games from him as well.

Idris is overweight and would be unstoppable and take his game to the level we know he can play. He has the potential to be as dangerous as GI in attack, which makes me wonder, if Idris gets into shpae, can he play fullback?Just a thought.... He's good under the high ball, good in open play running and we saw last night he can throw a good pass. Fitnees nowhere near fullback material right now, but way be worth a look down the track. GI was in a similar boat Idris a few years ago, overweight and out of form, but in the off season this year he got his head right, got into magnificant shape and look at the way he is playing.

[Smakked]

We played really well but still patchy, but was a godo win and will build confidence, i think we will roll the cows on friday night aswell. A win at home would be awesome.

[Princey's Titanz]

Idris is overweight and would be unstoppable and take his game to the level we know he can play. He has the potential to be as dangerous as GI in attack, which makes me wonder, if Idris gets into shpae, can he play fullback?Just a thought.... He's good under the high ball, good in open play running and we saw last night he can throw a good pass. Fitnees nowhere near fullback material right now, but way be worth a look down the track. GI was in a similar boat Idris a few years ago, overweight and out of form, but in the off season this year he got his head right, got into magnificant shape and look at the way he is playing.

You have brought up a very valid point. He could play fullback but he seems too lazy for that type of role right now. He could be exactly like a Greg Inglis if he wanted to be. We could consider that when he gets his fitness levels up. Fullback makes a lot of metres so im not sure if Idris is cut out for that role. He probably wont take kick returns. We will probably get Mead to do that anyway.

[Julius Sezer]

LOL at the Knights Forum

Someone in their forum said 'Knights 40+ Titans 6 MOTM Boyd' before the match

And their were others that had more sense in them 'got a feeling we will lose this one'.

After the game everyone on the forum was having a bash at their own players and saying stuff like 'This is pathetic. The worst team effort ever'.

I feel for them. We were in the same situation as them last year.

[eelectrica]

Picked the Titans in all tipping comps. Newcastle are hopelessly out of form, Titans finally starting to click.
We might be wondering 'what if' we beat the Roosters and Tigers by the end of the year. Two games we really should have won.

[DIEHARD]

I agree completely with Pete and Tam's take.

I can now taste the Top 8, we can actually do this. I think we will only improve as the season goes on.

[C-Whiz]

[QUOTE]Mini has found a home ever since he was moved from the left side of the field to the right. His hole running has gone up a level and I can't remember him dropping the ball on that side of the filed(touch wood). Yep, he has been as good as i remember him ever being. Good to have him back! :thumbsup:



He has the potential to be as dangerous as GI in attack, which makes me wonder, if Idris gets into shpae, can he play fullback?Just a thought....

He could be exactly like a Greg Inglis if he wanted to be. We could consider that when he gets his fitness levels up. Fullback makes a lot of metres so im not sure if Idris is cut out for that role. He probably wont take kick returns. We will probably get Mead to do that anyway.Sorry, but you guys are kidding yourselves. Inglis has natural athleticism, a fluid running style etc. Idris' only similarity to Inglis is their height and size. Idris could be a great centre (one of the true greats) if he sheds some kilos and gains some speed and works on his step and fend, but he is not GI and he never will be. Totally different style. Idris will never be a FB. Ever. Sorry. I'd put Idris closer to Meninga than Inglis. When/if he reaches his full potential.

[Titanic]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves lads, nothing much has changed ... at this rate you'll be hailing Cartwright as our saviour. The Cows will not be easy and we will be without who?

Myles, Bird and Harrison replaced by Lawrence, Rankin and the goat or wishful thinking Falloon. They will be without Thurston, Tate and Tamou replaced by Morgan, Fai Fai Loa and any number of quality forwards such as Bolton or Patterson.

Also Idris' defence would be even more exposed at fullback. He needs to lose weight before he explodes.

[matti]

i saw idris before the game , he came onto the field and he just looked like pure muscle , i just dont think the white away strip did any favours for him. Also last night i met snoops doggs counsin

[DavidBouveng]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves lads, nothing much has changed ... at this rate you'll be hailing Cartwright as our saviour. The Cows will not be easy and we will be without who?

Myles, Bird and Harrison replaced by Lawrence, Rankin and the goat or wishful thinking Falloon. They will be without Thurston, Tate and Tamou replaced by Morgan, Fai Fai Loa and any number of quality forwards such as Bolton or Patterson.

Also Idris' defence would be even more exposed at fullback. He needs to lose weight before he explodes.

Are we missing players for the cows game?

I thought they were all in this week.

[gotitans101]

Are we missing players for the cows game?

I thought they were all in this week.

Me too. :surprise:

[C-Whiz]

Also Idris' defence would be even more exposed at fullback. He needs to lose weight before he explodes.This made me laugh. I can just imagine the commentary. "And Idris has exploded through the defene. He's exploded across the try line. He is exploding all over the field." :laugh:


i saw idris before the game , he came onto the field and he just looked like pure muscleMust have spent most of the off season working the abs. Must be a killer 6 pack. :?)


Are we missing players for the cows game?

I thought they were all in this week.Origin, game 2.

[gotitans101]

Game 2 isn't until the 13th of June so I would have thought we won't see our rep players go into their Origin camps until after the teams are announced next Sunday and Monday.

[C-Whiz]

Game 2 isn't until the 13th of June so I would have thought we won't see our rep players go into their Origin camps until after the teams are announced next Sunday and Monday.Yeah, fair call. I just saw the players listed and made the assumption. I assume that was what Titanic was referring too, but I can't confirm or deny it. And I don't know when they go into camp, but I take your point.

[TITAN PETE]

Everybody is available to be selected for the next round Origin teams are named the following Sunday & Monday..

[Titanic]

My bad ... was just anxious to wrap-up the series. Should be a cracker then. We're showing a bit of form and they will want to return serve. This week we cannot have O'Dwyer in. Lawrence must return as we will need size.

[DavidBouveng]

yeah,

i think odwyer will be around for a few more weeks for some reason.

but Carty, while taking his sweet time, did eventually punt michaels and the goat.. so i do think it will happen, hes just giving a foundation player every chance to wring the last little bit of NRL out of himself.

Ryan james has played i think 4 games for Tweed now...he must be getting close to being ready. if idris is fit enough to play, then faloon and ryan james are cherry ripe

[Rage]

Didn't catch the end of the game. Can anyone tell me who was MOM?

[Titanic]

Boyd because he played like his mother.

[DavidBouveng]

I think birdman was MOM , although I think he only got 2 points in the Dally M, srama got the 3 votes.

[Rage]

:laugh: @ Titanic

and @ David, from the parts of the game that I watched, I was pretty impressed by Srama. He's definitely put in some good weeks following some pretty quiet ones earlier on. Weight issues aside, I was pretty impressed with Idris too

[BackpackingTitan]

Srama was man of the match for me. I know he had some injury troubles at the start of the year so they must be starting to come good or he's just putting in a bit more knowing Falloons back soon. Played well two games in a row now but he's gotta keep it up for the rest of the year.

It's good to get the win but we really should have won by a lot more than that. We are lacking that finishing polish, bombed a fair few tries or made errors when in good field position with the Knights on the backfoot. The good thing about the last month the team has played though is you can see the potential in the team. They are slowly getting better and better. Really we should have 4 wins a row.

I'd like to see Odwyer dropped and Douglas given some more game time.

[BackpackingTitan]

Also I dont care what Cartwright say, Idris has no excuses for being in the shape he is. Being young has got nothing to do with it, he was able to run the entire pre-season how the hell did the coaching staff allow him to be as unfit as he was to start the season. Those comments from Cartwright were bull**** get him in shape to start the season and if you can't do that step aside and let the Titans bring in a coach who can.

And the thing is I dont really blame Idris for it, you need a hard ass yelling at you pushing you through those fitness drills. Questioning what he has been eating when he turns up to training looking the way he does.

The Titans would be a far better team with Idris taking more runs out of our end and just having more involvement, he looks like he's just trying to save his energy out there.

[C-Whiz]

+1 Backpacking Titan.



I watched the replay last night, and I'm not getting quite as excited as others on here. Bird was fantastic, Srama very good, among others who have really grown and come together as a team. We are looking so much better, but still have a fair way to go before we look like a finals bound team.

Sure, a win is a win, but we wouldn't have won against half the competition IMO with the mistakes, lost ball etc we showed, as better teams would have punished us, mainly with 6 pointers, not to mention the last 15 mins when we went to sleep and even then the Knights struggled to score against us.

We'd want to be better against the Cowboys. And almost every other team.

Idris.... made about 2 bustling runs, late in the game, dragging some defenders with him, but seems to either have no confidence (won't run at the line, always either crabbing sideways or looking for a cheap offload) or just isn't ready for 1st grade. People are getting excited about his ball to Mini, but FFS people, he is meant to be running off Mini, not the other way around!! :doh:

That first try to the Knights was scored because he let his opposite man get around him, and that is no small feat considering his current girth.

[Titanic]

BPT and CW +1

Firstly, diet is as important to a professional athlete as are drug and alcohol issues ... Cartwright's comments smack of either a cover-up or a moron.

Secondly, our left side defence is really poor. Idris and Gordon are cheap points for any side that can exploit that. The strange thing about that is we have had that problem for ever. Michaels, Rogers and so on but there are two constants there: Bird is probably our best player and maybe he is doing too much racing out of the line while Gordon suffers from being outside Idris in defence but in attack is not hitting the ball at pace and when in the clear last weekend he nearly marked time. I know he one of our favourite sons but hard decisions need to be considered.

[Tamwelg]

+1 Backpacking Titan.



I watched the replay last night, and I'm not getting quite as excited as others on here. Bird was fantastic, Srama very good, among others who have really grown and come together as a team. We are looking so much better, but still have a fair way to go before we look like a finals bound team.

Sure, a win is a win, but we wouldn't have won against half the competition IMO with the mistakes, lost ball etc we showed, as better teams would have punished us, mainly with 6 pointers, not to mention the last 15 mins when we went to sleep and even then the Knights struggled to score against us.

We'd want to be better against the Cowboys. And almost every other team.

Idris.... made about 2 bustling runs, late in the game, dragging some defenders with him, but seems to either have no confidence (won't run at the line, always either crabbing sideways or looking for a cheap offload) or just isn't ready for 1st grade. People are getting excited about his ball to Mini, but FFS people, he is meant to be running off Mini, not the other way around!! :doh:

That first try to the Knights was scored because he let his opposite man get around him, and that is no small feat considering his current girth.

I agree, we are not a top 8 side based on the way we are playing at the moment. We are a top 8 side when it comes to grinding into good position on the ground, but our structure / shape and set plays in the opposition half are substandard and to me that comes down to coaching. I haven't been to a Titans training session, so I haven't seen what the shape of the back line looks like when they train, but I could only assume it is similar to what we have seen on the filed over the years, maybe someone could enlighten me if it is different and the players aren't doing what they are supposed to on the field. For the entirety of the Titans existence, we have never had a well structure backline nor have we run any good set plays involving the backs.

Obviously Storm are the bench mark in this area, just look how every knows where to be in attack the opposition half and how quickly they are get into position. They structured team who can run their plays with fluency. It is as a result of their quality coaching and training.

Even Wynum Manly Seagulls in the QRL play with better structure in attack then the Titans ever have. I think Paul Green is doing a fantastic job with that club.

Here a few comments from the post match press confrences. It gives an indication of how other coaches see us and how coach sees us.

Wayne Bennet: They didn't put any great plays on us to get those points. They didn't have to work hard to get those trys, that's the dissapointing part. They didn't throw great shape at us or bamboosal us or make us second guess ourselves.

Carty: A few repeat sets, built some pressure and them came up with some nice tries.

I wouldn't really call them nice tries, it was more the Knights defense being as leaky as a siv that let us in

[karnage]

I agree, we are not a top 8 side based on the way we are playing at the moment. We are a top 8 side when it comes to grinding into good position on the ground, but our structure / shape and set plays in the opposition half are substandard and to me that comes down to coaching. I haven't been to a Titans training session, so I haven't seen what the shape of the back line looks like when they train, but I could only assume it is similar to what we have seen on the filed over the years, maybe someone could enlighten me if it is different and the players aren't doing what they are supposed to on the field. For the entirety of the Titans existence, we have never had a well structure backline nor have we run any good set plays involving the backs.

Obviously Storm are the bench mark in this area, just look how every knows where to be in attack the opposition half and how quickly they are get into position. They structured team who can run their plays with fluency. It is as a result of their quality coaching and training.

Even Wynum Manly Seagulls in the QRL play with better structure in attack then the Titans ever have. I think Paul Green is doing a fantastic job with that club.

Here a few comments from the post match press confrences. It gives an indication of how other coaches see us and how coach sees us.

Wayne Bennet: They didn't put any great plays on us to get those points. They didn't have to work hard to get those trys, that's the dissapointing part. They didn't throw great shape at us or bamboosal us or make us second guess ourselves.

Carty: A few repeat sets, built some pressure and them came up with some nice tries.

I wouldn't really call them nice tries, it was more the Knights defense being as leaky as a siv that let us in

Great post Tam.:thumbsup:

Knights fans must have been sickened by Bird's tries - but we know they feel. Mullen's attempt at a tackle was very reminiscent of many plays put on (or not put on...) by our captain courageous.

We need to win 7 of our next 10 games to be a realistic chance of making a run at the 8 but even if we do get there we will just be making up the numbers.

I'm still enjoying the win though, and it is a state of mind I want to carry for the next few weeks!!

[DavidBouveng]

I'm just happy to get wins on the board while we are finding our way.

In the first 7 rounds we lost to roosters Canberra and doggies in games we could have won, and we needed to fix that problem which we have.

The next step is to win games convincingly and consistently.

We may look back in a month and realise these scrappy wins were the little snowball gathering momentum and size.

[Titanic Believer]

Great to go into a new week after a win but after two years of disappointment I'm not keen on getting my hopes up. The knights were pretty ordinary. If we can convincingly beat the Cowboys this week I 'll feel better but to get into the eight we would need to be very consistent to jump the log jam of other teams just a few points out of the eight. But, I'll take one week of joy at this stage.