Round 11: PARRAMATTA vs TITANS

[DIEHARD]

Parramatta Eels vs Gold Coast Titans

[Tamwelg]

Para by 30

[gotitans101_]

Para by 50.

[Hail Sezer]

Titans by -40

[DIEHARD]

I don't know what to think about this game. I think it's trouble. Any team is trouble. Just lucky it isn't a home game. I'd hate to see the crowd. If we don't win, titans v cowboys crowd will be epic bad.

[Smakked]

I will be fair





Parra by 6

[Mexican titan]

Nil all draw.

[Toads]

The thing is though.. You've got to have the numbers to field a team first, 'n with the performance of the guys tonight, there'd only be 3 to 5 that would make the list.. :D

Ahh ****!.. ya gotta laugh..

[Coaster]

Titans by -40

Bahahaha

[TITAN PETE]

I won't be watching , will watch Fox Sports the next morning as I always do & will probably here how pathetic they are ...again.

[Boofhead]

HAYNE Train, Plain woohoo!

[Titanic]

I am watching Chinese girls, wearing dog protection collars, filled with ice trying to skip rope ... now that's entertainment.

[Mr Stupid]

Big bounce back this week, Titans by 1-12. No...seriously.

[DIEHARD]

I think we are gonna bounce back. We have to, we must.

[DIEHARD]

Ryan Morgan is back after spending a week out with a hamstring strain, working his way back through NSW Cup this week with Wenty.

Taniela Lasalo is still on track to return to football in Round 12 after fracturing his right forearm in pre-season.

Willie Tonga is still working to recover from a back injury, but remains sidelined indefinitely.

[karnage]

The thing that all of you people predicting a Parramatta win aren't taking into account is how disgracefully bad the Eels are away from home. At their past two home games they were unlucky not to beat the Cowboys and then they got over the top of a pretty bad Broncos outfit. If every game was at home they would be a borderline top 8 team.

But have a look at their last 3 trips AWAY from Parramatta Stadium:
- Absolutely demolished by the Panthers.
- Beaten by a Titans outfit that was decimated by injury after leading by 14 points.
- Smashed by the Dragons where they conceded 30+ points. Even with Dugan in the team, no side should be conceding 30+ to the Dragons.

This game is in Mudgee, so Parramatta have given up the one thing their team has going for it - Parramatta Stadium. We get 9 days rest into this and should be smarting from the poor performance. This will be no contest. We will win, and the team will stay above .500 and we will continue to deceive the majority of RL fandom who don't watch our boring games that we are a functional team.

[Tamwelg]

The thing that all of you people predicting a Parramatta win aren't taking into account is how disgracefully bad the Eels are away from home. At their past two home games they were unlucky not to beat the Cowboys and then they got over the top of a pretty bad Broncos outfit. If every game was at home they would be a borderline top 8 team.

But have a look at their last 3 trips AWAY from Parramatta Stadium:
- Absolutely demolished by the Panthers.
- Beaten by a Titans outfit that was decimated by injury after leading by 14 points.
- Smashed by the Dragons where they conceded 30+ points. Even with Dugan in the team, no side should be conceding 30+ to the Dragons.

This game is in Mudgee, so Parramatta have given up the one thing their team has going for it - Parramatta Stadium. We get 9 days rest into this and should be smarting from the poor performance. This will be no contest. We will win, and the team will stay above .500 and we will continue to deceive the majority of RL fandom who don't watch our boring games that we are a functional team.

I hear what your saying, but Parra by 30.

[Titanic]

Ah ha ... tremens positivus, excuse my latin ... or is that wishful thinking Karnage? Good points but in our current flux we should expect the unexpected.

[teke]

One thing is for sure we will not fill the mudgee showground.

Titans by 1 in extra time 11-10

[Steve]

The thing that all of you people predicting a Parramatta win aren't taking into account is how disgracefully bad the Eels are away from home. At their past two home games they were unlucky not to beat the Cowboys and then they got over the top of a pretty bad Broncos outfit. If every game was at home they would be a borderline top 8 team.

But have a look at their last 3 trips AWAY from Parramatta Stadium:
- Absolutely demolished by the Panthers.
- Beaten by a Titans outfit that was decimated by injury after leading by 14 points.
- Smashed by the Dragons where they conceded 30+ points. Even with Dugan in the team, no side should be conceding 30+ to the Dragons.

This game is in Mudgee, so Parramatta have given up the one thing their team has going for it - Parramatta Stadium. We get 9 days rest into this and should be smarting from the poor performance. This will be no contest. We will win, and the team will stay above .500 and we will continue to deceive the majority of RL fandom who don't watch our boring games that we are a functional team.

All fine points.
So we should be able to keep within 50 points of them.

[karnage]

One thing is for sure we will not fill the mudgee showground.

Titans by 1 in extra time 11-10

Or break any TV ratings records... Can you imagine what everybody who is not an Eels / Titans fan thinks about this scheduling.:laugh:

[DIEHARD]

Dave Taylor: 2-3 weeks for grade 2 dangerous contact on Peter Wallace

[DIEHARD]

Luke Douglas: 0 weeks for careless high tackle on Sam Thaida

[TITAN PETE]

Time for another Rookie to be Blooded, bring Hymel Hunt in for Mead & Ioane in more Taylor..

I watched Burleigh yesterday & Ioane had another great game but Michaels did 0 , Don was safe but i would pick Hunt.

[Geeman]

Agreed, bring in some fresh enthusiasm.
Titans by 6

[gotitans101_]

You watch, Carty will bring in Michaels again.

[Julius Sezer]

Carty love Michaels a bit too much to my liking

[Bayside Titan]

What about picking O'Dare or Russell or are they injured?

[Hail Sezer]

What about picking O'Dare or Russell or are they injured?

O'Dare is playing Bycroft Cup and Russell dislocated his shoulder. Not sure if form would warrant a call up either, idk though

[TITAN PETE]

O'Dare is playing Bycroft Cup and Russell dislocated his shoulder. Not sure if form would warrant a call up either, idk though

Bycroft is 3rd grade :?)

[Hail Sezer]

Bycroft is 3rd grade :?)

Lol yeah...not sure whats going on there

Is he still contracted to the Titans?

[Big Dan]

O'Dare is playing Bycroft Cup and Russell dislocated his shoulder. Not sure if form would warrant a call up either, idk though

The latest on O Dare is he returns from injury this week.He originally hurt his ankle against Ipswich then returned 5 weeks later to hurt it again.He has really only played 35 minutes since the comp has started.I hear the physio said he would have been better off breaking it then tearing the ligaments.Heres hoping that he can put together some game time and show what he has got.

[DIEHARD]

How do people think about the age old argument that you should only blood young guns when the team is going well? As opposed to throwing them to the wolves when we need them?

I guess it comes down to need doesn't it...

[Smakked]

How do people think about the age old argument that you should only blood young guns when the team is going well? As opposed to throwing them to the wolves when we need them?

I guess it comes down to need doesn't it...

For us it is turning into a need, but they really cant prove themselves in our current structure of playing so it will be wasted no matter what.

If Hayne fires this weekend we are screwed

[DIEHARD]

Taylor adds to Titan's woe

THE Titans' chances of playing finals football for the first time since 2010 will be determined by a skeleton squad of players over the next month.

Already reeling from a torrid injury toll, the Titans will be hit by a double whammy of suspension and representative duty as they try to cling to their place in the top eight.

Forward David Taylor will miss two matches after being slapped with a grade two dangerous contact charge for his late tackle on Broncos kicker Peter Wallace.

Luke Douglas also came under scrutiny from the match review committee but will not miss a game for a careless high tackle on Sam Thaiday.

Taylor is expected to take the early plea and miss two games. While he can be covered for Sunday's clash against the Eels in Mudgee, his absence from next week's clash against the Cowboys at Skilled Park will be the biggest blow.

The Titans will already be without Origin stars Nate Myles, Ashley Harrison and Greg Bird, as well as the injured David Mead and Beau Falloon.

Mead will be out for at least four weeks after surgery on a second broken jaw this season, while Falloon has been ruled out for at least six weeks with a broken fibula.

Douglas, Myles, Bird, Harrison, Jamal Idris and Aidan Sezer failed to train with the main group yesterday but all are expected to be fit for this weekend.

The Titans face the Eels (14th), Cowboys (11th), Rabbitohs (first) and Storm (third) in the next month, with two of those games coming without their Origin stars and the other two on the road.

The Titans were riding high after a 3-1 start to the season but Friday night's loss to Brisbane left them with a 5-5 record and in eighth place ahead of the Raiders on points differential.

Hanging on to that position will come down to their ability to grind out wins against the Cowboys and Storm without their Origin stars while trying to split results against the Eels and Rabbitohs on the road.

Parramatta may be well below the Titans on the ladder but their sole scalp in the past month has come against the Broncos, a team that beat the Gold Coast comprehensively last week.

The Titans were smashed in the penalty count in the opening against Brisbane but coach John Cartwright said he was not concerned about his team's discipline.

''If it happened every week it'd be something that you'd be really worried about but discipline's something that's been really good all year so it's not something that has been creeping into our game,'' he said.

''It was a big occasion, it was a very emotional week. We'll put that one behind us and get ready for Parramatta.''

http://www.goldcoast.com.au

[timor 2]

iSelect Titans vs Parramatta Eels
Sunday, May 26
3pm – Mudgee Stadium

1 William Zillman
2 Kevin Gordon
3 Brad Takairangi
4 Jamal Idris
5 Anthony Don
6 Aidan Sezer
7 Albert Kelly
8 Luke Bailey
9 Matt Srama
10 Nate Myles
11 Greg Bird
12 Mark Minichiello
13 Ashley Harrison
Interchange
14 Luke Douglas
15 Mark Ioane
16 Ryan James
17 Sam Irwin
18 Luke O'Dwyer

[C-Whiz]

If we turn up like a team that wants to play footy from the first whistle, we should easily get over the Eels. We can't possibly play as poorly as we did last week (which wasn't so much a poor effort, as much as a lost cause) and the refs can't possibly be as ludicrously over-zealous with the whistle against anything that goes within cooee of another players upper-shoulder region.

I will back the Titans again for a narrow win, but I wouldn't be surprised with a big bounce and probably a 13+.

Seriously, it's the Eels....

[Smakked]

If we play for a full 80 then we will win if we play 15 -20 min like we always do then we loose

[Titanic]

iSelect Titans vs Parramatta Eels
Sunday, May 26
3pm ? Mudgee Stadium

1 William Zillman
2 Kevin Gordon
3 Brad Takairangi
4 Jamal Idris
5 Anthony Don
6 Aidan Sezer
7 Albert Kelly
8 Luke Bailey
9 Matt Srama
10 Nate Myles
11 Greg Bird
12 Mark Minichiello
13 Ashley Harrison
Interchange
14 Luke Douglas
15 Mark Ioane
16 Ryan James
17 Sam Irwin
18 Luke O'Dwyer

[Toads]

18 Luke O'Dwyer

What's up? He's good for a handful of penalties..

[gotitans101_]

Don over Michaels, thank you Carty.

[thelwall]

i heard on the news taylor is fighting the charge

[DIEHARD]

Judiciary news: Titans seeking downgrade

The iSelect Gold Coast Titans will contest the grading of the Grade 2 Dangerous Contact charge that David Taylor received from the NRL judiciary, with a hearing to be held in Sydney at 6pm on Wednesday night.

In an attempt to have Taylor free to play against the Eels this weekend, the Titans will seek a downgrading of the Grade 2 Dangerous Contact - Contact with Kicker charge out of Friday night's loss to the Broncos.

If successful, Taylor will escape suspension with 90 carry-over points but if unsuccessful at the NRL judiciary, Taylor faces three matches on the sidelines.

The Titans will also be without NYC Under-20s prop Oliver Percy for three weeks after submitting an early guilty plea to a Grade 4 Contrary Conduct - Fighting charge out of Friday night's win over the Broncos.

However, Titans NRL prop Luke Douglas will escape suspension after submitting an early guilty plea to a less serious Grade 1 Careless High Tackle charge from the Broncos game.

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

[Smakked]

They wont win the for the downgrade, he will get the full amount.

[Bayside Titan]

O'Dare is playing Bycroft Cup and Russell dislocated his shoulder. Not sure if form would warrant a call up either, idk though
Thanks for the update. Was wondering why I haven't herd about those guys lately.

[DIEHARD]

Talk of alledged NRL scandal moved here - CLICK (http://forum.titans.com.au/showthread.php?t=24230)

[TITAN PETE]

Eels v Titans preview
By Chris Kennedy,
NRL.com
Wed 22nd May, 3:30pm

Mudgee Stadium
Sunday 3pm

In a quirk of modern-day scheduling, the Eels and Titans clash again just five rounds after their previous roller-coaster meeting, which saw the Titans snatch defeat from an unlucky Eels outfit, overturning a 22-8 deficit partway through the second half back in Round 6.

Eels coach Ricky Stuart in particular will welcome the re-match after he felt his side was hard done by in terms of officiating in the previous encounter. A run of seven straight second-half penalties helped the Titans surge past the Eels and Stuart let fly at the refs in the post-game wash-up, leaving him $10,000 lighter in the hip pocket.

In the more immediate term though, both of these sides will just be desperate to get back out on the park after a pair of embarrassing losses last week.

It was the turn of Gold Coast coach John Cartwright to let fly at the whistleblowers last week as a whopping 10 straight infringements awarded in the Broncos? favour swayed his side out of the contest, although Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin suggested it was the Titans? roughhouse tactics that were the cause.

Either way it was a night to forget for the Titans and Brisbane ran in four converted tries and slotted four penalty goals to hammer the Gold Coast 32-6.

The Eels fared little better as new Dragons fullback Josh Dugan set about writing his own script on club debut, bagging a double as the red-and-whites took the game away from the Eels early. The only bright spot was new lock Peni Terepo bagging a brace of his own as the Eels finished six-tries-to-two losers.

Stuart has resisted the temptation to tinker further with what is still a new-look side, but has been forced to replace young second-rower Kelepi Tanginoa who broke his hand last week. Matt Ryan returns to the starting side in his place, with uncapped Brayden Williame added to a five-man bench.

Cartwright has more significant changes although all are forced. Winger David Mead looks set for a long lay-off after breaking his jaw for the second time this year, meaning Anthony Don is recalled to the top grade. Hooker Beau Falloon misses out with an ankle injury meaning Matt Srama rejoins the run-on side and Sam Irwin slides onto the pine. Dave Taylor looks set to pay the penalty for his shot on Broncos half Peter Wallace this week and although the club will challenge the grading of his dangerous contact charge he has not been named and will miss three weeks if the attempted downgrade is unsuccessful.

Watch Out Titans: Despite the Eels? attacking woes this season (last for line-breaks, 2.8 per game, second last for tries, 2.7 per game) maligned halfback Chris Sandow has improved markedly on his debut season at the club last year.
His eight try assists place him equal sixth, ahead of plenty of big names, and just three behind co-leaders Cooper Cronk and Adam Reynolds. His kicking game has improved dramatically with his long kicks now regularly finding space and his kicks close to the line dropping right in the danger zone around the try line rather than being easily marked by a fullback deep in the in-goal.

He also has the equal-most 40/20 kicks this year with four, alongside Warrior Shaun Johnson (no other player has more than two). His kicking is taking some of the pressure off fullback Hayne and allowing him to play more of a support role (and racking up a club-high seven tries so far in 2013).

Watch Out Eels: Second-phase play has caused plenty of headaches for the blue-and-golds already in 2013 as they repeatedly fail to shut down the ball carrier. It wasn?t the deciding factor in the Round 6 clash between these sides (Titans led the offloads 9-5) but it could be this time ? Gold Coast are by far the most prolific offloaders in the competition so far this year.

Although their top offloader Dave Taylor (23 offloads in 2013) almost certainly won?t play, Idris (22) and Bird (19) both feature in the top 10 for the NRL at this stage, while Will Zillman (10) Aidan Sezer and Luke Bailey (both nine) also have no troubles getting a ball away.

Collectively the Titans average 14.3 offloads per game, well ahead of the second-ranked Dragons (12.5 per game) while the Eels are comfortably (or uncomfortably) the worst at creating second-phase with just five offloads per game.

Plays To Watch: Are you expecting free-flowing footy with plenty of broken-play running on what should be a sunny Sunday afternoon in Mudgee? On paper you should probably expect it, but probably only from one team.

The Titans are fifth best for line-breaks (4.3 per game) while the Eels are last (2.8 per game). Couple that with the fact that the Titans concede the third fewest line-breaks at just three per game, behind only the Roosters and Manly, and one suspects the Eels may have a tough time putting runners into open space.

Then consider Parramatta are fourth worst for line-breaks conceded (4.7 per game) and there?s a strong chance the likes of Zillman and speedster Kevin Gordon could be chewing through some massive metres on Sunday.

Key Match-Up: Albert Kelly v Chris Sandow. One intriguing battle in this match will be the contest between two of the smallest but craftiest halves in the NRL. Sandow is a former Indigenous All Stars representative and Kelly could well be on track for a spot in the 2014 edition.

Although this game will be played at Mudgee it still represents something of a homecoming for Kelly who played in the Eels? NYC team in 2008 and 2009. He will line up against a few of his old teammates in this one, including Mitchell Allgood, Tim Mannah, Ryan Morgan and Peni Terepo.

Kelly was electric in a badly beaten team last week, so much so that it?s hard to believe his team went down 32-6. His 164 metres from 14 runs would be impressive for a fullback but for a halfback is simply amazing. It was aided by two line-breaks but he also broke nine tackles and set up his side?s only try.

Sandow was far quieter in an equally well-beaten team last week although he still got one magic short ball away to set up one of Terepo?s two tries. But as mentioned above his kicking boot is back in form and he will have to be in everything on Sunday if the Eels are to get past Kelly?s Titans.

Where It Will Be Won: Does this count as a home game for the Eels? Because they have been diabolical away from home this year but close to impenetrable at Parramatta. In fact, as unlikely as it seems, so far this year they are only conceding 12 points per game at home and if they maintain that throughout the rest of the year it would be their best home defensive effort since 1989!

Away is another story though; the Eels have leaked a whopping 37.8 points per game in five away games so far in 2013.

The Titans don?t fare as well away from home either, having won just 10 of their past 30 away from the venue.

So ?where? the Eels can convince themselves this is being played could be a key factor in whether this match is won or lost. If we get the robust defensive steel of the Eels? Parramatta Stadium efforts they?re a chance but if the unfamiliar surrounds remind them they?re away from home, the Titans could well end up helping them maintain that average of 38 points conceded per away game.

The History: Played 9; Gold Coast 6, Parramatta 3. The sides obviously haven?t met at Mudgee before but the Eels have a 2-1 edge in games played in NSW.


The Way We See It: Both sides will be looking to employ the ?bounce-back factor? after embarrassing losses last week. And while neither side travels well, Mudgee is hardly a home ground for either. If the Eels find themselves in front they?ll need to hold their nerve better than they did last time but we?ll tip Ricky Stuart?s boys to exact revenge for their Round 6 nightmare. Eels by four points.

Match Officials: Referees ? Matt Cecchin & Gavin Reynolds; Sideline Officials ? Adam Reid & Jason Walsh; Video Referees ? Bernard Sutton & Luke Patten.

Televised: Channel 9 ? Delayed, 4pm; Fox Sports 1 ? Delayed 6pm.

[lonegull]

Just heard Dave Taylor free to play :thumbsup:

[DIEHARD]

Yea me too. I'm surprised. But it's a welcome boost. Hopefully he can find the right level to fire on.

[DavidBouveng]

i made a thread about it, can u delete it please DH. its not really needed.

[Toads]

Yea me too. I'm surprised. But it's a welcome boost. Hopefully he can find the right level to fire on.

After watching the replay, I was quietly confident he'd get it downgraded or dismissed. Mainly due to the fact that the Refs really ballzed it up, last Friday Night.

Just hope Dave takes it onboard as a good warning to keep a cool head. :)

[Tamwelg]

i made a thread about it, can u delete it please DH. its not really needed.

Done.

[Supergoose]

I agree Toads - when I watched the replay, I thought he would get it downgraded. Good news - now have those refs been axed?

[Titanic]

Yep, this is one where he was going to get off and good on him, I'm still smarting from the Idris penalty with no head contact at all.

[DIEHARD]

Titans relief as Taylor beats ban

THE Gold Coast Titans have received a massive boost ahead of a daunting month with wrecking ball Dave Taylor last night successful in having a dangerous contact charge downgraded at the NRL judiciary.

Taylor is free to face Parramatta in Mudgee on Sunday after the Gold Coast's gamble paid off.

Taylor was facing a three-game suspension for a high shot on Broncos halfback Peter Wallace from last Friday's fiery derby, but former NRL judiciary commissioner Jim Hall presented a convincing argument which saw the charge downgraded.

Hall successfully argued the hit wasn't as bad as other grade 1 charges in recent years, Taylor didn't have a swinging arm and Wallace wasn't injured.

Titans coach John Cartwright said it was a relief to have his star recruit available with forward trio Greg Bird, Nate Myles and Ashley Harrison certain to be selected for the State of Origin series opener on June 5.

''It's huge for us. It's going to be a daunting period anyway with a lot of guys involved in Origin from the backrow,'' he said.

''It would have been even tougher without Dave being available.

''He's been a real handful with the ball. He was the other night, it was just unfortunate we had no ball in the first half.

''When we got an even share in the second half he was a real handful and has been all year.

''We've just got to find a balance in that enthusiasm when we are defending.''

Taylor will come into the squad in place of utility Luke O'Dwyer, who will be given another week off to recover from a broken jaw.

Emerging prop Mark Ioane will keep his spot in the 18-man squad as Harrison races the clock to recover from a knee injury.

Harrison has been struggling with a minor knee complaint for the past four weeks but Cartwright said he expected the workhorse lock to play in what will be the last match before Mal Meninga selects his Queensland side on Monday.

''We've still got to get Harro through (training) tomorrow,'' he said. ''It's just a knee complaint. It's not serious.

''He doesn't want to go into the game and not finish it.

''He had a few issues with it during the game last weekend and we don't want that to happen again.

''He'll play if he's anywhere near fit, but he doesn't want to let the team down and not finish the game.''

The Titans leave for Mudgee tomorrow and host the Cowboys at Skilled Park on Sunday week before having a bye.

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2013/05/23/452176_gold-coast-titans.html

[Titanic]

Gee mate you made me read it twice ... I know I'm forgetful but that's a bit much :)

[DIEHARD]

Gee mate you made me read it twice ... I know I'm forgetful but that's a bit much :)

Whoops! :doh:

[Dopamine]

So Im guessing Iaone out, Taylor in??

[TITAN PETE]

Srama rakes in dominant role
Travis Meyn | 12:01am May 24, 2013

MATT Srama has declared he is ready to once again shoulder the load as the Gold Coast's main hooker after it emerged young gun Sam Irwin's fitness will have to be managed as he battles a groin condition.

Srama returned from a compound dislocated finger in great form last week, notching a match-high 49 tackles in a 69-minute performance in the Titans' big NRL loss to Brisbane.

He was thrust into the action after just 11 minutes as dummy-half partner Beau Falloon suffered a broken leg that will keep him on the sidelines for at least eight weeks.

Srama will start against Parramatta in Mudgee on Sunday and be relieved by the impressive Irwin, who will play his fourth NRL match.

But Irwin is managing a nagging groin problem meaning Srama will be the Gold Coast's dominant rake for at least the next two months.

''It was tough circumstances (against the Broncos). You've got to feel for Beauy who got a pretty nasty injury,'' Srama said.

''It led me to a few more minutes than I expected, but I felt pretty good ... I'm comfortable playing whatever minutes the coach feels is right for me.''

The Titans have some injury concerns with Dave Taylor (calf), Nate Myles (calf and groin) and Ashley Harrison (knee) all on restricted duties yesterday.

The trio will travel to Mudgee and are expected to play, but young prop Mark Ioane will be on standby as 18th man.

Irwin was given last weekend off to rest his groin but will come off the bench on Sunday and has an opportunity to cement a spot in the team while Falloon is out.

Srama and Irwin played together in the S.G. Ball under-18 competition and Srama said he was impressed by the diminutive rake's improvement over the past few years.

''Sammy's a great replacement so we don't lose too much with him coming in,'' he said. ''I know what he's capable of. It wasn't a surprise to see him play first-grade.''

Srama has been plagued by a troublesome shoulder this year but it was a sickening finger injury that caused his latest spell.

The 22-year-old said it was close to the most pain he had experienced as club doctors unsuccessfully tried to set his ring finger straight in the Skilled Park dressing rooms.

''It just dislocated. It was a pretty nasty injury when I saw it,'' he said.

''It must have been in a tackle. I looked down and the bone was sticking out.

''It's come along faster than expected so I've just got to keep managing it now ... I'll keep it taped and covered.''

[TITAN PETE]

Maroons lock in Harrison
Travis Meyn | 12:01am May 25, 2013

CHIEF Queensland selector Des Morris has assured Titans lock Ashley Harrison he doesn't have to play against Parramatta tomorrow to prove his fitness for the Origin series opener.

Harrison will have a fitness test at Mudgee today as the Titans finalise their preparations for the country clash against the Eels.

The Maroons veteran is suffering from bone bruising in his knee and is rated only a 50 per cent chance of facing Parramatta.

Queensland coach Mal Meninga will name his team for the June 5 opener at a function at Suncorp Stadium on Monday night and Morris said Harrison would be in the 17 as long as he was passed fit by Queensland doctors.

''Ash wouldn't need to play (tomorrow). He's got a lot of brownie points from over the years,'' Morris said. ''We will see what happens this weekend and go from there.

''We trust all the players to make the right decision and Ash is no different. He wouldn't risk himself if he wasn't OK. Mal has been in contact with him and they will decide if he is right to play.''

Harrison suffered the knee injury at the same time be copped an ankle problem in the Titans' clash with Newcastle in round 7.

The 14-game Origin stalwart only missed one match for the Titans but the injury flared in last Friday's loss to the Broncos.

Rookie prop Mark Ioane travelled to Mudgee yesterday as cover for Harrison and Dave Taylor (calf).

Harrison's Queensland counterpart Nate Myles will play tomorrow after overcoming groin and calf problems.

Titans coach John Cartwright was certain Harrison wouldn't risk letting the team down to prove he was fit for Origin.

''He's the best judge. He's very honest,'' he said.

''We've given him every chance by not training him during the week.''

Titans co-captain and Blues Origin certainty Greg Bird said Harrison had been a key part of Queensland's seven-year dynasty.

''Harro's a pretty tough bloke. If he thinks he is right to play he will,'' Bird said.

''You know exactly what you're going to get out of him every time.

''That's why Mal picks him every year.

''He's going to make 40 tackles, 15 hit-ups and no errors.''

It is understood Meninga is still undecided about whether to run a four-forward bench or pick a utility, like Daly Cherry-Evans or Ben Barba, for the ANZ Stadium clash.

The make-up of the interchange is his biggest concern with a calf injury to Broncos prop Ben Hannant throwing a spanner in the works as Matt Gillett, Ben Te'o, Corey Parker, Jacob Lillyman, Josh McGuire and Martin Kennedy vie for a position.

Blues coach Laurie Daley is set to pick injured captain Paul Gallen in the front-row when he names his team tomorrow afternoon just minutes after the Titans-Eels game.

Daley is expected to name Canberra flyer Blake Ferguson on the wing and will give Rabbitohs try-scorer Nathan Merritt an Origin debut if Brett Morris doesn't play for the Dragons today.

[DIEHARD]

How is the weather looking down Mudgee way?

[DIEHARD]

Parramatta Eels ready to rescue bush footy with trip to Mudgee

JARRYD Hayne. Check. Big screen. Check. Now, has anyone seen those 24 gold pom poms?

In scenes reminiscent of some spaghetti western wagon train, the Parramatta Eels are today hitting the road with what they believe is a $300,000 "blueprint" for saving bush footy.

Having shifted their round 11 Gold Coast clash to Mudgee, the Eels now have the onerous task of transporting an entire game-day experience - right down to their cheerleaders - some three hours west.

Apart from coach Ricky Stuart and his players, the club is also sending another 60 staffers west to the little bush town whose entire population could fill Parramatta Stadium twice. Among them are timekeepers, production staff, even ground announcer Mark Warren.

Also being trucked the 250km is one big screen, bags of merchandise and enough LED signage to cover 200m of sideline.

"Basically we're lifting Parramatta Stadium up and taking it on the road," said an Eels staffer.

While the Titans match is 3pm on Sunday, much of the Eels roadshow arrives in Mudgee this evening with coach Stuart and his players.

Along with school clinics, signing sessions and an open training run on Saturday morning, the Eels are also involved in a golf day, race meeting, winery tour and charity dinner.

"And I can't give one reason for more clubs not doing it," Eels chief executive Ken Edwards says. "There's a thriving rugby league community out there in Mudgee but, with increasing competition from other sports, they need help.

"And I believe it's up to Parramatta to do our bit."

While neither Parramatta nor the NRL will confirm it publicly, The Daily Telegraph understands the league will cover at least $150,000 of the total event costs.

Mudgee Dragons president Roger Lang said the town was "buzzing".

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

[DIEHARD]

Titans coach John Cartwright addresses discipline issues ahead of Parramatta clash

GOLD Coast coach John Cartwright has addressed the Titans' discipline issues and is confident his men won't repeat the record penalty streak that killed their chances last week.

The Titans conceded a record-equalling 10 consecutive penalties in the opening 30 minutes against the Broncos last Friday, which helped Brisbane skip away to a 24-0 halftime lead.

But Cartwright believes his men will handle any referee setbacks when they take on Parramatta at Mudgee tomorrow.

"When you are poor in an area one week, that is what you address through the week," Cartwright said.

"You don't get much time through the week to go over everything in a game so you address where you were poor.

"Our start and our discipline were areas that we really let ourselves down. If we are down in the penalty count on the weekend early in the game, I'm very sure that our discipline will stay strong through the 80 minutes."

The Titans travelled with an 18-man squad to Mudgee yesterday that included injured Origin stars Ashley Harrison (knee) and Dave Taylor (calf).

Cartwright is confident that at least one of the duo will play tomorrow.

He praised Harrison for putting club duty above rep honours, with the lock a certainty for Queensland selection next week but still pushing to play for his NRL team.

"It will be 50-50. He is the best judge," Cartwright said.

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

[Smakked]

Game day, i am almost dreading watching this game :|

[teke]

Game day, i am almost dreading watching this game :|same, for a number of reasons

1. It's a delayed telecast
2. Tom Waterhouse spamming the ads
3. The TV ads every 5 mins
4. The quality of the game :laugh:

[Toads]

"When you are poor in an area one week, that is what you address through the week," Cartwright said.

Carty might want to stand in front of a mirror 'n repeat that comment until a penny drops.. :D

Going out on a limb here 'n have us win this game by 10. ;)

[TITAN PETE]

same, for a number of reasons

1. It's a delayed telecast
2. Tom Waterhouse spamming the ads
3. The TV ads every 5 mins
4. The quality of the game :laugh:

5. The quality of the opposition
6. The standard of Refereeing (surprisingly the ref's from last week were dropped this round :rolleyes: )

7. Listening to Stuart whinge when they beat again :D

[Mr Stupid]

****in' Go Titans!!!!!!

[Hail Sezer]

DT out, Ioane in.

[Toads]

DT out, Ioane in.

Always good to see Mark take to the paddock. But I gotta admit, it's a little bit disappointing to learn that it's at Dave's expense.

What's up with Dave this time?

[Hail Sezer]

Always good to see Mark take to the paddock. But I gotta admit, it's a little bit disappointing to learn that it's at Dave's expense.

What's up with Dave this time?

Yeah mate agree.

I believe it's a calf strain, could be wrong though

[DIEHARD]

Oh way to depress me guys. I didnt realise it was a 9 game. Means Ill have to stay off the net and watch a movie or something.

I mean FFS, is this sport in the 21st century?!

[Titanic]

Taylor should have taken the suspension and got rid of the carry-over points. As for the game ... as usual I wipe the slate clean and wish for the win for all the right reasons.

As an aside, my chance to take my son to his first live Titans game has been dashed. I will be in Queensland for nearly three weeks ... we play in Darwin and don't play at all :-( I may have to suck it up and take him to the Ponies.

[Toads]

Yeah mate agree.

I believe it's a calf strain, could be wrong though

Ahh righto.. Cheers Mate.



Oh way to depress me guys. I didnt realise it was a 9 game. Means Ill have to stay off the net and watch a movie or something.

I mean FFS, is this sport in the 21st century?!

Not only delayed, but not in HD. Now that the whole Country has pretty well switched over from Analog to Digital there's no excuse for it..

Correction: Some of the Country..

[Hail Sezer]

Ahh righto.. Cheers Mate.




Not only delayed, but not in HD. Now that the the whole Country has pretty well switched over from Analog to Digital there's no excuse for it..

I feel bad that it's being shown live in NZ. Will have to hold back from posting anything in this thread to avoid spoilers

[gothabull]

What a ****en load of bull**** channel nine and Tom Waterhouse is I'm on nightshift too sux gonna watch it though delayed go titans

[Hail Sezer]

NYC team is down 22 nil

[Hail Sezer]

NYC team has clawed it back, leading 30-22

[mdrew]

NYC win 30-28

[thelwall]

we not commenting on the game till its up to date on the tv ?

[amaline]

we not commenting on the game till its up to date on the tv ?

Looks like it.

[Hail Sezer]

When can we comment? Like when is it televised?

[amaline]

Would have started 35 minutes ago.

[thelwall]

tv is at 23 mins

[Toads]

All things considered, that was a promising first half. :)

[titanfan1980]

Lol zillman let's its bounce

[DavidBouveng]

We lose a game and its a 7 page thread.

Win by 40 and everyone goes quiet. Shell shocked I guess.

[Titanic]

Nobody knew when it was safe to comment ... protecting the spoilers ... nothing wrong with that.

Nothing wrong with a record breaking win either ... really liked the lack of interference from the forwards in attack. I doubt Harrison touched the ball in attack once and nor should he, as an example.

So in summary, they all did the jobs they are supposed to do and we win well ... what's the message in that?

Special single outs: Idris, Kelly, Bailey, Don, Takairangi ... aaah, stuff it, the whole team (including "sun gets in my eyes" Zillman who actually looked like a fullback).

[teke]

Parra were just plain useless

[thelwall]

idris is a machine enough said

[gotitans101_]

Parra were just plain useless

This.

[Hail Sezer]

Yeah was holding out commenting because I didn't know if it was over haha

Idris is getting better every week and him and Alby are our X factor.

Was nice to see Gordon have a good game, backed himself around the outside a few times with his pace and did well.

Was also pleasing to see some set plays pay dividends.

[DavidBouveng]

Thought Gordon looked pretty good today. If that means he needs to keep that hair style, so be it.

Obv idris and Kelly were the standouts, but they had lots of back up this time.

Sezer... Goal kicking genius... Fifth tackle struggler.

But lets kick back and enjoy a good win for what is. A good two points, good differential, and a good lead in to an already poor cowboys team missing there best 4 players. ( maybe 5 is ash graham makes it for Boyd)

[Coaster]

Great win.

This team could be anything

[lonegull]

Wow the titans have set plays and executed them well
Comments on the game idris was great both in attack and defence, Kelly and Gordon also has good games especially kevvie seems to have gotten some confidence back. Overall a great team effort

[Hail Sezer]

2 more little notes

Don chasing down Hayne was sick

Alby's step on Hayne was insane

[hatchy84]

So I'm putting it out there is idris next in line if there's any injuries to our blues lol

[Titan Fanatic]

we scored 40 woot. Even if t was against a hopeless parra

[shamus]

I am excited. I cannot remember the last time we threw the ball around like that!

Cartwright must have had the week off...:D

[Boonarga]

Great game by the boys. If only the refs a few weeks back knew the rule about deliberately knocking the ball forward. We may have had another win.

James needs to just play football and stop trying to milk penalties in tackles.

Flash!! He's back.
Idris!! 12 months late but, wow!

Our wingers getting clean ball!! Were Parra that bad or do we finally have a game plan that includes the backs?

Sezer: Needs lots of practice on weighting kicks into the in-goal. Too many go dead.

[Birdman]

Good solid win by the boys today. Idris is getting better as the season goes on, really positive signs from him, not too far off an Origin call up. Parra were just typical parra. Overall pleasing win after last weeks shocker.

[Julius Sezer]

I'm not getting too carried away about the win. We didn't dominate them like the scoreline suggests. It was a controlled game and our plays came off which is good. Letting Prince go was the best decision because Alby is the real deal. He played waaay better then Sandow and ran rings around Hayne at times. Idris is class and i'm glad that he has turned his form around completely. He should be next in line to get an origin call up. Don was very solid and is much better than Steve Michaels. Zillman was good as well.

The reason why we were able to score so many tries was because the Eels were piss poor. The team should just take in the victory and straight away focus on the next match.

[gotitans101_]

I'm not getting too carried away about the win. We didn't dominate them like the scoreline suggests. It was a controlled game and our plays came off which is good. Letting Prince go was the best decision because Alby is the real deal. He played waaay better then Sandow and ran rings around Hayne at times. Idris is class and i'm glad that he has turned his form around completely. He should be next in line to get an origin call up. Don was very solid and is much better than Steve Michaels. Zillman was good as well.

The reason why we were able to score so many tries was because the Eels were piss poor. The team should just take in the victory and straight away focus on the next match.

Well said. That's pretty much the way I'm feeling. Not getting too carried away with a win over the potential wooden spooners.

[hammer]

This was a controlled performance in attack and defence...it needed to be after the uncontrolled performance against the Broncos.
Idris was impressive and Albert Kelly as well.
The BIG question is do we have the depth in the forwards during origin time...I believe we do!
Our backline should be intact unless injury occurs therefore we just need some cattle to replace Myles, Harrison and Bird.
I thought Irwin is showing to be a real thorn in the opposition's defence...he is quick off the mark and Srama was back to his busy self...with impressive line speed in defence.

[TITAN PETE]

Great win Idris missing SOO is our good luck & Parra's bad luck, Kelly brilliant, imagine how good he'll later in the season :thumbsup:

Parra are lie their coach .. Clueless :nope:

This should be a 4 points win on the ladder as we should account for the Cows next week with all the Origin boys out.

[TITAN PETE]

Titans score club record win over Eels
Adam Gardini
Sunday 26 May 2013 6:00 PM

Two tries to centre Jamal Idris and winger Kevin Gordon has helped the iSelect Gold Coast Titans to a club record 42-4 win over the Parramatta Eels in Mudgee today.

Played in front of a crowd of over 9000 fans at Glen Willow Stadium Mudgee, the Titans produced a 30-point second half to run away with their biggest ever winning margin.

The Titans piled on seven tries in total, with five-eighth Aidan Sezer landing seven goals from as many attempts to hep the Titans to their biggest winning margin since scoring a 36-0 win over Canberra in Round 2.

Jamal and Gordon both bagged doubles and were heavily involved throughout the match, while halfback Albert Kelly, centre Brad Takairangi and winger Anthony Don also crossed for tries.

The Titans led 12-4 at halftime after Don and Gordon crossed for first half tries.
From there, it was all the Titans as the Gold Coasters laid on five second half tries to run away with the match.

[Mexican titan]

Wow the titans have set plays and executed them well
Comments on the game idris was great both in attack and defence, Kelly and Gordon also has good games especially kevvie seems to have gotten some confidence back. Overall a great team effort

I agree. Yes we only beat Parra but as someone who was pretty savage on them and the coach I have to give them credit for today. As they say, you can only beat (thrash) the team in front of you.
I will go psycho following them at this rate if they keep up these form swings.

[ozynorts]

This was the way they needed to play after last week against a team they had to beat. Well done to the boys. Now they need to get working on the cowboy's game because like the broncos they get up for the qld derbies.

[a flash of gordon]

Well what a great game. We play our best football when we throw the ball around and some of those passes today were awesome. All the boys backed up and Mini was on fire. Kevvie was at his brilliant best. Let's enjoy the win titan supporters and look towards next week. Would be beautiful to go into the bye with another win.

[Supergoose]

Idris should be in SOO now and is in way better form than Josh Morris who is a left centre like Jennings. Our gain is NSW pain. Kelly great today as was The whole backline except for Sezer who continues to struggle with poor kicking decisions and execution. Ryan James was fantastic today and really put us on the front foot dominating once he came on. Easily the pick of the forwards.

We were lucky that the Eels didn't make us pay for our errors at all. Still, great to get the 40 points finally. We won this game like we were supposed to.

[Coaster]

Sezer will be fine with the right advice, he is the target of other teams study and game plans atm

[TITAN PETE]

Sezer will be fine with the right advice, he is the target of other teams study and game plans atm

But what a Goal Kicker :fist: , easily no1 in the comp right now 92%:surprise:

[Toads]

But what a Goal Kicker :fist: , easily no1 in the comp right now 92%:surprise:

I still shake my head to why Prince done bulk of our goal kicking last year, when it proved how good Aiden was last year with the little bit he did get. Cant remember the game last year. But there was a home game where Aiden was about to convert (Southern End) 'n Prince stepped in 'n took over, only to muff it. Still ****s me, that one..:fist:

[david may]

But what a Goal Kicker :fist: , easily no1 in the comp right now 92%:surprise:
Beau Henry has 100% Pete!

[TITAN PETE]

Beau Henry has 100% Pete!

That's awesome........ for Tweed :thumbsup:

[Smakked]

Was a good win, first ten minutes i thought "here we go again" as it was a bit sloppy, then they started to play for each other and backup, awesome win even tho it was Parra. Idris and Kelly were brilliant. Ioane and Taki, had great games aswell.
I love the way Ioane runs Straight and hard. Bird was his usual self , lead the way down the field. Was Harrison even on the field? Douglas had a godo game aswell with some strong carrys.

On that type of play i expect a win against an under strength cowgirls

[titanfan1980]

What has me excites is we get the cowboys next weekwithout thurston, tamou Tate or Scott.. Should be easy pickings. Also I'm not sure and if some one could check for me, I think we get Melbourne the week before origin 2 meaning they'll be short also?

[TITAN PETE]

What has me excites is we get the cowboys next weekwithout thurston, tamou Tate or Scott.. Should be easy pickings. Also I'm not sure and if some one could check for me, I think we get Melbourne the week before origin 2 meaning they'll be short also?

Yes we will be playing the Storm during Origin :thumbsup:

[Titanic]

Cows will still boast the Sims mettle, Bolton, Johnstone and few others ... we won't get them in the forwards but we should in the backs.

[teke]

:laugh:

Cows v Titans is 50/50 straight down the line.

[Steve]

Happy to be wrong about the result on this one!

[patskE]

man the albert kelly no try in the first half.... Johnson vs us the other week? anyone else burn?

[Smakked]

man the albert kelly no try in the first half.... Johnson vs us the other week? anyone else burn?

Yeah was total bull**** , he didnt even try and get it to himself it looked like he pulled it back but it went up.

[Titanic]

Even if they were exactly the same, the result was exactly the opposite ... inexplicably shameful decision against the Warriors, right decision today I thought ... accidental but against the rulebook as it has been since Jesus played hb for Jerusalem.

[Toads]

Even if they were exactly the same, the result was exactly the opposite ... inexplicably shameful decision against the Warriors, right decision today I thought ... accidental but against the rulebook as it has been since Jesus played hb for Jerusalem.

Yup, even though it was a bitter pill to swallow after having one allowed against us a couple of weeks back. I too am glad they got it right today.

[Boonarga]

Even if they were exactly the same, the result was exactly the opposite ... inexplicably shameful decision against the Warriors, right decision today I thought ... accidental but against the rulebook as it has been since Jesus played hb for Jerusalem.

Accidental is fine. That isn't a penalty. It has to be a deliberate knock forward as Johnson did. I'm unsure about Kelly. It looked like he tried to pull it toward himself rather than knock it over the fullback.

[C-Whiz]

Even if they were exactly the same, the result was exactly the opposite ... inexplicably shameful decision against the Warriors, right decision today I thought ... accidental but against the rulebook as it has been since Jesus played hb for Jerusalem.100%.

Yup, even though it was a bitter pill to swallow after having one allowed against us a couple of weeks back. I too am glad they got it right today.Correct. :thumbsup:

The first 20 minutes was pretty ordinary, we looked ok because we were playing Parra, but we were still ordinary. Then something happened. We took our chances, threw it around and remembered how to play exciting football! Welcome back, 2009!!!

Anyway, nice result, but what we learnt, actually, what was reinforced 100% is that the Titans have no kicking game, we don't understand the concept of kick AND chase, Cartwright still hasn't put any offensive plays together, but the Titans have plenty of natural flair and talent when they throw the ball around.

Mead must be absolutely spewing that Idirs started passing the ball in this game! :laugh:

Flash remembered how to run, how to back himself and go for the try line.
Idris remembered that he is 115kg of brute force when he runs straight at people.
Many others showed the ticker that we all know they have but have only seen in glimpses.
As a whole the Titans showed the individual talent that made us want them in the team in the first place, rather than playing the usual Titans fumbling 10M zone offense.

But my absolute favourite moment of the game was watching Nate Myles reel in Jarred Hayne, who had a good start on him, and Nate would have run him down had Anthony Don not got there first.
Did anyone else know Nate Myles could run down the NSW FB from behind? :D :thumbsup: :salute:
That was as good as it gets, and it said plenty about the attitude of the team yesterday. :thumbsup:

Sure, it was only the Eels away, but it's great for our for/against and it was nice to watch us throw it around and score at will. :thumbsup:

[teke]

Regards to myles running down poor stuffed Hayne, what about Brendon Lawrence carving the comp up. He has more line breaks and runs down more players than our entire team :laugh:

[Smakked]

Even Ricky took Hayne off because he said he didnt deserve to be out there LOL
He does a mountain of work but no one is there to back him in that team.

[Dopamine]

Last 60mins was a Good game to watch and glad we hit over 40!

Kelly and Idris again playing well.... and Zilly actually looked like a fullback today.

[karnage]

Yesterday was fun. Running up 40 points was fantastic (although I did think Rabs had put the mockers on us when he declared we would hit 40 with 15 minutes left!!!!) but to do it against Ricky Stuart and a lobsided penalty count made it all the sweeter.

Beautiful.

[TITAN PETE]

Idris makes mark in Titans' Mudgee mauling
By By Joe Barton
AAP
Sun 26th May, 6:30pm


The Titans have thrashed the Eels 42-4 in Mudgee
Jamal Idris might have left his State of Origin run a touch late but he certainly made an impression on Parramatta's for and against on Sunday.

The 22-year-old bagged two tries and also laid on a beautiful offload for winger Anthony Don to score the first of seven tries in their 42-4 NRL mauling of the Eels in Mudgee.

But it wasn't enough for the monster centre, and one-time NSW player, to sneak into coach Laurie Daley's squad for game one as he missed out to Sydney Rooster Michael Jennings and Canterbury's Josh Morris.

No doubt Daley would've been impressed by the sight of the dreadlocked beast causing carnage as the Titans racked up a record score against a hapless Parramatta coached by former Blues mentor Ricky Stuart.

Along with five-eighth Aiden Sezer's perfect kicking display from seven attempts, it resulted in the Titans' biggest margin of victory in their seven-year existence.

Curiously, all of their top-three biggest wins have come against the Eels - but the biggest of all came in front of 9,132 fans in the NSW central west town.

When Idris scored his second four-pointer and the Eels' seventh three minutes from fulltime by regathering a Don infield kick, it didn't look like anyone wanted to get in his path.

"If you're Queensland, I don't think you'd want him there the way he's playing, put it that way," Titans coach John Cartwright said afterwards.

Often criticised over his physique, Idris looked powerful and aggressive as he ran through Reni Maitua for his first try.

"He's in a really good space at the moment. He's playing great footy," Cartwright said.

"Today was probably one of his better performances although he's been consistent all year.

"He got a lot of clean ball, early ball and he caused some damage."

Idris wasn't the only Titan to put in his best display of the season against the Eels, who took several steps back after travelling three-and-a-half hours for the game.

Winger Kevin Gordon barely had to break a sweat to post his try double, NSW forward Greg Bird was again immense in midfield while halfback Albert Kelly was also excellent.

The livewire halfback stood up Blues No.1 Jarryd Hayne in an explosive 60-metre try in the second half which seemed to break the Eels resolve.

The Eels cracked in the second half, with Hayne whingeing at the referees while Brad Takairangi strolled over untouched under the posts.

But running roughshod over teams is what Queensland Origin forward Nate Myles is demanding from his teammates for the rest of the season.

"It'd be fantastic if we could pull that sort of effort out every week," he said.

"That's definitely a level we want to be at."

[TITAN PETE]

Idris makes mark in Titans' Mudgee mauling
By By Joe Barton
AAP
Sun 26th May, 6:30pm



Curiously, all of their top-three biggest wins have come against the Eels - but the biggest of all came in front of 9,132 fans in the NSW central west town.



"

So its official Parra is our ***** :laugh:

[karnage]

So its official Parra is our ***** :laugh:

The only problem with that is that I was there in Sydney the night that they absolutely PUMPED us in the second week of the finals. So while we are making them our bunnies they have won the only game that has ever really mattered between the two of us.

And then there was Preston Campbell's last game where they relegated us to wooden spooners...:ugh:

[Titanic]

Yep, we have history with Parra and after their comments of getting one back that made it all the sweeter yesterday ... in fact they did get 1 back it's just that we got 7 forward ... what a delight.

[TITAN PETE]

Titans chalk up club record win
Travis Meyn | 12:01am May 27, 2013


BELIEF is a powerful attribute in sport. It separates the promising from the elite. It transforms talented teams into premiership forces.

And in Mudgee yesterday it turned the current Titans crop into a record-breaking team.

Titans coach John Cartwright granted the Bulletin's chief rugby league writer Travis Meyn exclusive and unrivalled access to the club's inner sanctum during the four-day trip to country NSW.

''In the first four weeks of the season, we were the best defensive team in the competition,'' Cartwright says in his 1pm pre-game address at the team motel.

''You don't lose that. You lose belief.

''We need to find that belief again and it starts today.''

Two hours later, the Gold Coast thumped Parramatta 42-4. It was their biggest-ever win and the first time they had scored 40 points.

It was a different pre-game approach to most of Cartwright's.

There was no talk about a game plan or set plays. Who to target and how to contain Jarryd Hayne wasn't discussed. All that had already been done.

He knew what was at stake and so did co-captain Nate Myles.

''This is a really important game,'' Myles said with the State of Origin period looming.

''We don't know what's going to happen after this but we do know we really need to win.''

It was a left-field approach from Cartwright. Something had to change after the Gold Coast's patchy form in the past month.

As the 17 players boarded the bus to Glen Willow Stadium, they knew what had to be done. A 2320km round-trip from the Gold Coast a whopping 80 hours for an 80-minute game meant so much more than two competition points on the NRL ladder.

But the importance of the clash is hardly noticeable to the rookie observer. This journalist is more anxious than the players.

Jamal Idris and Kevin Gordon have a dance-off in the dressing rooms 90 minutes before kick-off.

They later go out and are the Gold Coast's best players.

Seasoned-campaigner Ashley Harrison sits by himself, checking out the UFC results on his phone. Ryan James realises he's forgotten his mouthguard.

William Zillman straps his right wrist and writes ''don't stand outside the fire'' on the tape. They're lyrics to a Garth Brooks song and his mantra for getting into the thick of the action. Zillman runs for 192m and makes two line breaks.

A clock is taped next to the warm-up schedule. It stops ticking at 2.10pm and Anthony Don doesn't realise and is in his tracksuit until five minutes before they run out at 2.37pm. He later scores two tries.

But all of a sudden things change. There's no music in Cartwright's dressing room from 45 minutes before kick-off.

This group of professionals suddenly have their game faces on as strength and conditioning coach Dan Ferris leads the warm-up.

This is when Greg Bird showcases his true leadership qualities the moments only the inner sanctum see. He is the most vocal of the 17. He urges his team to be aggressive yet disciplined. The NSW star pleads with them to back-up their mates.

Myles gathers his fellow forwards for one last briefing. He is remarkably calm and focused.

The Titans come back into the sheds with a 12-4 half-time lead despite less possession and being penalised more.

Cartwright is happy but firm.

''Our kick-chase can improve. I'd rather you be slower and together than give Hayne space,'' he said.

''Don't go out there thinking it will just happen because we've got the wind (behind us). We've been the dominant side on the back of 65 per cent (completions).

''If we can get that up to 80 per cent we'll go through them. Put the pressure on them to get the ball back to our end. When we've got the ball to the other end, it's the best we've attacked all year. We've scored two really good tries off set pieces.

''We're running good lines and hitting our spots. Everything we've talked about a week-to-week basis we're doing. I'll just leave you with two things. Salad (Aidan Sezer), Alby (Albert Kelly), get the ball down to that end and make it hard for Hayne. Build pressure as well and we'll end up scoring points.''

They score another five unanswered tries in the second half and Hayne has little impact. The Titans defence wasn't cracked in the final 61 minutes.

Gordon leads the victory song like never before. This is a momentous occasion and he knows it.

There's no victory speech or chest beating from Cartwright. This is one small piece of a 26-round puzzle.

The players are happy but reserved. They know they've only won a round 11 game, not a premiership.

But this is an important step and today's 1160km trip home will be so much sweeter. The Titans have found belief.

Email PrintShare:

[TITAN PETE]

Dare i say it but well done Travis :thumbsup: , great article nice to hear whats gone on behind closed doors & Carty sounded like a good coach :?) , for the moment..:D

[C-Whiz]

Dare i say it but well done Travis :thumbsup: , great article nice to hear whats gone on behind closed doors & Carty sounded like a good coach :?) , for the moment..:DYeah, it's interesting, but what I got out of that article was Carty didn't fill their heads with stupid stuff and they just went out and played their natural game. And that is pretty much how I saw them play yesterday.

[thelwall]

alot of yous are mentioning takkaaaa i quite like him thought he played well - tall centers are the best imo

[Coaster]

Dare i say it but well done Travis :thumbsup: , great article nice to hear whats gone on behind closed doors & Carty sounded like a good coach :?) , for the moment..:D

Very good read

[DIEHARD]

I was excited about the win, I saw so much that I liked including many of my all time favourite rugby league moves such as chip kicks, infield kicks from the wing and regathering a kick and passing it backward to a player on the burst.

Idris was amazing, the best I have ever seen him play. We have alot to thank him for.

I was confident for a win, a good win but didnt expect a record breaker. It was so fun to watch Hayne get his ass kicked.

I saw plenty more urgency, chase and thank heavens, support play.

More please.

[DIEHARD]

But my absolute favourite moment of the game was watching Nate Myles reel in Jarred Hayne, who had a good start on him, and Nate would have run him down had Anthony Don not got there first.

I couldn't believe my eyes! :surprise:

[Tamwelg]

Very good read

Sure was.

[Geeman]

Absolutely stoked with the result, a little suprised at everyone saying it was only Parra, they did beat the Broncos 2 weeks ago...
Great effort right across the park I thought, hopefully it carries on from here:clap: :clap: :clap:

[Titanic]

It was so fun to watch Hayne get his ass kicked..
His **** was kicked so hard his farts screamed for help ... and Ricky complied.


It was a different pre-game approach to most of Cartwright's.
and

It was a left-field approach from Cartwright. Something had to change after the Gold Coast's patchy form
Stay out of it and let a quality roster play footy ... rocket science.

[Julius Sezer]

There was no talk about a game plan or set plays.

Carty strikes again :thumbsup:

[DIEHARD]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/q71/s480x480/971066_526352430753820_1841503203_n.jpg

Check out our video looking back on our trip to Mudgee last weekend - we really enjoyed our time in the Mid-Western Region!
Watch it here: http://bit.ly/ZrVgGj

Source: Parramatta Eels

[Toads]

Check out our video looking back on our trip to Mudgee last weekend - we really enjoyed our time in the Mid-Western Region!
Watch it here: http://bit.ly/ZrVgGj

Source: Parramatta Eels

Good on 'em.. Hopefully we can muster up the numbers to make it worthwhile to some Queensland Country Town one day. A experience that would be good for both Fans and Town Folk. :)