TITAN PETE
08-07-13, 07:39 AM
Cartwright cancels Titans' holidays
Travis Meyn | 12:01am July 8, 2013
TITANS coach John Cartwright has cancelled his team's mid-year holiday and ordered them back to training in an attempt to arrest a worrying form slump.
The Titans have conceded 86 points in their past two matches with Saturday's 40-18 loss to Penrith in Darwin following the 30-point capitulation to Newcastle.
The players were scheduled to have a week off training heading into their final bye of the season but Cartwright will order them back to the park tomorrow to work on the deficiencies that have seen them drop to eighth on the ladder.
It has been a worrying fortnight for the Titans who have a horror run to the finals with matches against heavyweights Manly, South Sydney, Sydney and Melbourne to come and Cartwright is desperate to click them back into gear.
''It's been two pretty ordinary weeks. We'll be through the Origin period by the time we play Manly (round 19),'' he said.
''We'll regroup and attack those last eight games like our lives depend on it.
''When things aren't going well it's the basics that generally cost you. There were three or four tries (against Penrith) there where players were doing things that we don't practice to do.
''A lot of that can come back to confidence. If you're not totally trusting the guys around you you can jump out of the line and get tied up in something you shouldn't be doing.''
The Titans are also sweating on the fitness of key players.
Co-captains Greg Bird and Nate Myles will head into Origin camp this week with Bird battling an ankle injury that could keep him out of the decider.
Fullback William Zillman is suffering from the persistent groin condition osteitis pubis and will need to be managed while Dave Taylor will carry a painful sternum injury for the remainder of the season.
The bye has come at the right time of the season for the Titans who must find confidence in their defence and learn how to control the ball again after averaging the most errors in the NRL over the past month.
Winger David Mead said the Titans had to stop playing like individuals and find confidence in each other again.
''Everyone is burning pretty bad to go out and train and do whatever it takes to fix the problem. It's not one thing. There's several things,'' he said.
''We went out there and played as individuals and not as a team.
''We need to go back to training and work on that.''
The Titans caught a red-eye flight back from Darwin yesterday morning.
Travis Meyn | 12:01am July 8, 2013
TITANS coach John Cartwright has cancelled his team's mid-year holiday and ordered them back to training in an attempt to arrest a worrying form slump.
The Titans have conceded 86 points in their past two matches with Saturday's 40-18 loss to Penrith in Darwin following the 30-point capitulation to Newcastle.
The players were scheduled to have a week off training heading into their final bye of the season but Cartwright will order them back to the park tomorrow to work on the deficiencies that have seen them drop to eighth on the ladder.
It has been a worrying fortnight for the Titans who have a horror run to the finals with matches against heavyweights Manly, South Sydney, Sydney and Melbourne to come and Cartwright is desperate to click them back into gear.
''It's been two pretty ordinary weeks. We'll be through the Origin period by the time we play Manly (round 19),'' he said.
''We'll regroup and attack those last eight games like our lives depend on it.
''When things aren't going well it's the basics that generally cost you. There were three or four tries (against Penrith) there where players were doing things that we don't practice to do.
''A lot of that can come back to confidence. If you're not totally trusting the guys around you you can jump out of the line and get tied up in something you shouldn't be doing.''
The Titans are also sweating on the fitness of key players.
Co-captains Greg Bird and Nate Myles will head into Origin camp this week with Bird battling an ankle injury that could keep him out of the decider.
Fullback William Zillman is suffering from the persistent groin condition osteitis pubis and will need to be managed while Dave Taylor will carry a painful sternum injury for the remainder of the season.
The bye has come at the right time of the season for the Titans who must find confidence in their defence and learn how to control the ball again after averaging the most errors in the NRL over the past month.
Winger David Mead said the Titans had to stop playing like individuals and find confidence in each other again.
''Everyone is burning pretty bad to go out and train and do whatever it takes to fix the problem. It's not one thing. There's several things,'' he said.
''We went out there and played as individuals and not as a team.
''We need to go back to training and work on that.''
The Titans caught a red-eye flight back from Darwin yesterday morning.