Round 11: TITANS vs NZ WARRIORS

[DIEHARD]

TITANS vs NZ WARRIORS
Saturday 24 May 2014, 5:30pm, Cbus Super Stadium

[Nick]

I predict the Warriors will blow the dogs off the park and then perform really poorly next week against us. (I hope).

[lonegull]

Interesting team selections coming up for this one

[Supergoose]

You'd have to think Harrison will be back and we'll probably see Ben Ridge get a run as well. We won't have our Origin players (is that just Myles and Bird now?) so it's been good to have Cody Nelson getting some minutes and he's been solid and Ioane has shown he's up to the task. I hope we start to see Nelson and Ridge getting a run ahead of Mini - he's done as far as I'm concerned and tonight was just more evidence of that. I hope we see Blair in the halves for the rest of the season with Kelly, it might give us the creative spark we need. If Kelly is out then Henry is a solid option to go to. I fear that Cartwright will go with Zillman in the halves because he kicks with his left foot. But as lonegull says - it is going to be an interesting week of selections against the Warriors.

[Blade07]

Beau Henry will play next week due to his great performance last night also i hope fia fia loa stays in the side too. Paul carter had one of his best games at lock so maybe Harrison second row next week can't wait to see our team for next week

[Titan4Life]

I expect to see something like this:
1. Mead
2. KFFL
3. Tighe/Zilly
4. Taka
5. Don
6. Henry
7. Kelly/Blair
8. Douglas
9. Falloon
10. Mini (Would rather see Ridge but we know Carty)
11. Carter
12. Taylor/Nelson (Depending if he is selected for origin)
13. Harrison
---------------
14. Ioane/Nelson
15. White
16. Bailey
17. Srama

[Squinter98]

Would Love to see something like this line-up against the Warriors.

1.David Mead
2.Kalifa Faifai Loa (Very Good, ran the ball strong inside our own half)
3.Brad Tighe/William Zillman (Depending on Tighes Match fitness and how well he plays this weekend)
4.James Roberts (Depends on his match fitness, if not fit then id have Zillman or Blair there)
5.Anthony Don
6.Maurice Blair (Beau Henry if Kelly Plays)
7.Beau Henry (Kelly if Fit)
8.Luke Douglas
9.Beau Falloon
10.Mark Ioane (He deserves a spot in the team over Myles at the Moment)
11.Brad Takairangi (Big and Strong. I would love to see him have a crack in the Back Row)
12.David Taylor
13.Paul Carter (His performance against the Broncos was Exceptional)
------------------------
14.Luke Bailey
15.Ashley Harrison
16.Cody Nelson
17.Nate Myles/Matthew White (Myles display against the Broncos was filled with some of the softest runs i have ever seen)

Change could be a good thing for us. Our attack might just well improve without Sezer receiving the ball flat and just having to die with the ball in hand. Last night Henry was able to execute a backline move that resulted in a try to the DON! WOW!

[teke]

Titans 18-14

[Squinter98]

Titans 22-10

[TITAN PETE]

Let's hope today's Warriors game is a Bash-a-Thon & they get the 2 points

[CoastSportsFan]

Starting to look like this season is replicating 2013. Start off well and drop off towards the middle of the season. Losing this game could have major repercussions on the rest of the season. Form is a huge thing in sport and 3 consecutive losses is a hole that isn't easy to climb out of.

[parramatta]

1. Mead
2. Gordon
3. Tighe
4. Blair
5. Roberts
6. Zillman
7. Kelly
8. Douglas
9. Falloon
10. Myles
11. Takairangi
12. Taylor
13. Harrison
14. Srama
15. Minichello
16. White
17. Carter

[teke]

That team will cop a hiding

[TITAN PETE]

Srama shouldn't be considered & Don will be one f the 1st players picked

[C-Whiz]

NZ were finishing strong yesterday, but had heaps of home crowd advantage, and they will get plenty of support at Robina too.

I can't make this game due to work commitments, but I see no reason we can't win it. This will obviously come down to who Cartwright picks and where he puts them, and what game plan he goes with, but I am confident we can win this, the same as we could have beaten the Broncos. Hopefully we will get some luck this weekend.

[teke]

Who was the titans player that was reportedly overheard saying he'd rather McQueen or so and so in the qld side over Taylor?

[TITAN PETE]

Who was the titans player that was reportedly overheard saying he'd rather McQueen or so and so in the qld side over Taylor?

Nate something :rolleyes:

Being selfish i hope Taylor isn't picked but i also think McQueen is very overrated ...

[teke]

Nate something :rolleyes:

Being selfish i hope Taylor isn't picked but i also think McQueen is very overrated ...did he say it cause he doesn't rate Taylor or wants Taylor to play for Titans. If qld were picking on form Nate wouldn't get close

[Brock O'Brien]

Who was the titans player that was reportedly overheard saying he'd rather McQueen or so and so in the qld side over Taylor?

Not sure if it's what you're talking about but I just read on NRL.com "One of his Gold Coast teammates was overhead this morning saying that he'd much rather tackle Chris McQueen or Josh Papalii than Taylor and Cartwright believes his omission will manifest itself in a big performance against the Warriors at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday evening."

[Geeman]

Not sure if it's what you're talking about but I just read on NRL.com "One of his Gold Coast teammates was overhead this morning saying that he'd much rather tackle Chris McQueen or Josh Papalii than Taylor and Cartwright believes his omission will manifest itself in a big performance against the Warriors at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday evening."

That's what I read as well...

[teke]

Yeah that, interesting to know the context. I'd be livid if I were Taylor hearing it come from Nate "uber slow play the ball" myles

[Supergoose]

I agree that Nate has had some ordinary touches this season but he has been incredibly strong in the middle for us this season and there will have been no discussion about his place in the Maroons side. He is one tough hombre that blokes love playing alongside and loathe playing against.

[teke]

Very strong defensively, but such a momentum killer doing hitups

[Titanic]

What I dislike most about Myles is that he grows another 6 inches taller and plays like a superman during Origin and then like a busted ar$e for us when he comes back.

[Griff0]

The team v Warriors, round 11:

1 - David Mead

2 – Kalifa Faifai Loa

3 – William Zillman (capt)

4 – Brad Takairangi

5 – Anthony Don

6 – Beau Henry

7 - Albert Kelly

8 - Luke Douglas

9 - Beau Falloon

10 – Luke Bailey

11 – Mark Minichiello

12 – David Taylor

13 – Paul Carter



INTERCHANGE

14 – Matthew White

15 – Mark Ioane

16 – Ben Ridge

17 – Matt Srama

18 – Cody Nelson

http://www.titans.com.au/content/titans/club/news/2014/05/20/harrison_gordon_to_miss_clash.html

[nimud]

The team v Warriors, round 11:

1 - David Mead

2 – Kalifa Faifai Loa

3 – William Zillman (capt)

4 – Brad Takairangi

5 – Anthony Don

6 – Beau Henry

7 - Albert Kelly

8 - Luke Douglas

9 - Beau Falloon

10 – Luke Bailey

11 – Mark Minichiello

12 – David Taylor

13 – Paul Carter



INTERCHANGE

14 – Matthew White

15 – Mark Ioane

16 – Ben Ridge

17 – Matt Srama

18 – Cody Nelson

http://www.titans.com.au/content/titans/club/news/2014/05/20/harrison_gordon_to_miss_clash.html

How's ridge get a run when he isn't even starting at Tweed? IMO Taka should be hooked.

[Titanic]

How does Zillman continue to get a start over Blair or Tighe. How can we afford to have three hookers in the rotation with Srama being woefully short of a run?

[K2G]

IMO Taka should be hooked.

Has Taka been stealing your lunch money or something mate? Why the hate? I remember you calling him pea hearted a few weeks back? Unless it's a personal beef, seems like mis-placed frustration to me, as he is not even nearly the teams biggest problem. While he hasn't been anywhere near on fire for us, he's hardly been a liability like Zillman and Minichello have been.

Zillman strolling back into the team after a significant time off the paddock, into a starting spot for a position we almost exclusively spent money on to bolster over the off-season, was a big enough joke in itself. To see him waltz back into the team again this week after his epic fail against the broncos (I won't give him grief about the tackle technique which saw him layed out ... but watching him STILL manage to mis-time runs into open holes is excruciating), even though there are fit blokes under him who deserve the spot more, weather through form, fitness or potential (Blair, Tighe and arguably Roberts) is beyond a joke, yet no less laughable. Seeing him given the captaincy on top of this!! wow.... the joint is an absolute mad-house.

I know we're thin on available captain candidates this week, and for all i know Zillman commands a huge amount of respect from the boys and reff's alike ... but i don't see it. His leadership skills and ability to read the game is an absolute myth as far as I can tell. I know there are at least five other blokes named in the squad I'd rather run behind - and nimud, you'd be happy to know Taka is not one of them!

Glad to see Carter retained as starting lock - rookie of the year? I hope Douglas got a rocket over the crucial errors he's made in the last two games, because he's had flashes of excellence during both, and just needs to hold the ball. I'm glad Srama is being given an extended time to get back to speed, he is still our best hooker imo. Falloon and Mead have both looked tired since their rep games, hope they're not already thinking about the bye next week. Ridge is an interesting selection, as he is really the forgotten man in our team. I hope he has a blinder and reminds us all of how good he can be.

[K2G]

How does Zillman continue to get a start over Blair or Tighe. How can we afford to have three hookers in the rotation with Srama being woefully short of a run?

Who's the third hooker? As far as i can tell, it's still a two hooker rotation, as it has been all season.
Carter is named at lock, and was only playing dummy half early in the year because of injuries. He is not a 9 and I hope he never has to play there again.

I'm not a massive fan of two hooker rotation. But neither (/none) of our guys are 80min hookers. With the rule changes, the rotation has only gotten more beneficial. I can't see it going anywhere while JC is HC (more through lack of player development, than tactical preference).

In his two appearances so far this year - Srama has looked desperately short of a run, which is why I'm looking forward to him getting more game time this week, and hopefully every game following. Not sure what this says about falloon though - because there has not been that much difference in their service or impact over the same period. Falloon is all effort, but Srama is a much more dangerous player, hopefully one of them starts dominating matches, and demands 80mins.

[TITAN PETE]

Zillman will need to watch a replay on Sunday morning to realise he was belted by Hurrell again & again


Bailey should be Captain in this weak team..

[C-Whiz]

The Zillman love-fest is out of control.

The weird thing is, I used to really like William Zillman, still think he is a great player and a nice guy, but Cartwright is making me hate having Zillman in the team!

Let it go Carty, he just isn't the best man for the job in ANY position in the team ATM.

Best thing that can happen is Z-man gets run over again early, and we try our best a man down. Sadly, this is the only way to get the best players on the paddock.

- - - Updated - - -


Falloon is all effort, but Srama is a much more dangerous player, hopefully one of them starts dominating matches, and demands 80mins.
I think saying Srama is a "much more dangerous player" is a tad over-dramatic. But I agree one of them has to stand up and be "the man". Not sure using every game as a trial game is the way to go about it though. At some point someone needs to choose one or the other, and the game plan needs to build around it. I've said before, i don't really care who, but make a decision either way.

[DIEHARD]

http://d35kvm5iuwjt9t.cloudfront.net/dbimages/sfx118551.jpg (http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/Show.aspx?sh=TIT1114)
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS (http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/Show.aspx?sh=TIT1114)

[Titanic]

Who's the third hooker?
Carter should be coming off the bench, learning his trade and backing up the hooking position when needed ... this throwing people into the fire will bite us on the butt very shortly and against the bigger packs especially. Our bench isn't winning us games.


In his two appearances so far this year - Srama has looked desperately short of a run, which is why I'm looking forward to him getting more game time this week, and hopefully every game following. Not sure what this says about falloon though - because there has not been that much difference in their service or impact over the same period. Falloon is all effort, but Srama is a much more dangerous player, hopefully one of them starts dominating matches, and demands 80mins.
NRL is not the place to do this as has been demonstrated how many times?


Zillman will need to watch a replay on Sunday morning to realise he was belted by Hurrell again & again


Bailey should be Captain in this weak team..
This on both counts.

[TITAN PETE]

VODAFONE WARRIORS

1 SAM TOMKINS

2 KEVIN LOCKE

3 KONRAD HURRELL

4 NGANI LAUMAPE

5 MANU VATUVEI

6 CHAD TOWNSEND

7 SHAUN JOHNSON

8 JACOB LILLYMAN

9 NATHAN FRIEND

10 BEN MATULINO

11 JAYSON BUKUYA

12 BEN HENRY

13 SIMON MANNERING (c)

Interchange:

14 SILIVA HAVILI

15 SUAIA MATAGI

16 FELETI MATEO

17 SEBASTINE IKAHIHIFO

18 NATHANIEL PETERU

HEAD COACH: ANDREW McFADDEN

[DIEHARD]

Friend, Tomkins and Johnson. That's worth the price of admission.

[Mt Smart]

Hi guys it's that time of the year again !

Congratulations on the season so far it's been a real pleasure to see the Titans holding in the eight and spending time at the top of the table.

Most Warriors fans are happy with our line up this week , Sam Rapira is out injured as are Looloeye and Fish. Dane Nielson has dropped off the Radar , it'sa bit of a bonus for us that Lilyman didn't make Origin , he's been playing well to be fair.

Friendy got a one year extension for 2015 last week , I'm pleased for him he deserves it , up and comer 'one test' rep Savila Havili might get to play Hooker in the NRL finally ( he has had one game so far , but Friend still played the dummy half for 80 in that game ).

We're on about -8 for and against and needing two wins in a row to get to a 50/50 ratio. Since McFadden has taken over the teams showing promising signs in terms of hanging tough for eighty minutes....poor execution has meant McFadden has a 2/5 win ratio.

I've written this season off as a rebuild this year, as such i won't be disappointed with a Warriors loss....really what this club needs is an 80 minute culture.....that will take a couple of years to build....so a loss with pride this weekend will do me.

[TITAN PETE]

Welcome back Mt Smart , I'm going to see Friendy & Mannering on Friday @ their last training session @ Burleigh & will try & slip them both some laxettes :eyebrows:

Good luck mate your boys look to have finally got themselves a real no nonsense coach, if u want to swap anytime give me a hoy

[DIEHARD]

Hi guys it's that time of the year again !

Congratulations on the season so far it's been a real pleasure to see the Titans holding in the eight and spending time at the top of the table.

Most Warriors fans are happy with our line up this week , Sam Rapira is out injured as are Looloeye and Fish. Dane Nielson has dropped off the Radar , it'sa bit of a bonus for us that Lilyman didn't make Origin , he's been playing well to be fair.

Friendy got a one year extension for 2015 last week , I'm pleased for him he deserves it , up and comer 'one test' rep Savila Havili might get to play Hooker in the NRL finally ( he has had one game so far , but Friend still played the dummy half for 80 in that game ).

We're on about -8 for and against and needing two wins in a row to get to a 50/50 ratio. Since McFadden has taken over the teams showing promising signs in terms of hanging tough for eighty minutes....poor execution has meant McFadden has a 2/5 win ratio.

I've written this season off as a rebuild this year, as such i won't be disappointed with a Warriors loss....really what this club needs is an 80 minute culture.....that will take a couple of years to build....so a loss with pride this weekend will do me.

You are great value Mt Smart and a real credit to your club. If only more rival fans would visit other team forums. Your special insight really adds to the discussion and speculation.

[Geeman]

Zillman will need to watch a replay on Sunday morning to realise he was belted by Hurrell again & again


Bailey should be Captain in this weak team..

Absolutely in terms of leading by example, the only downside with Bailey as captain would be the quick tap attempts for every penalty... :laugh:

[teke]

10 rods in and I think Searle was right. Tomkins looks very weak for the nrl ATM

[Mt Smart]

Welcome back Mt Smart , I'm going to see Friendy & Mannering on Friday @ their last training session @ Burleigh & will try & slip them both some laxettes :eyebrows:

Good luck mate your boys look to have finally got themselves a real no nonsense coach, if u want to swap anytime give me a hoy
haha good plan losing those two would be the Warriors backbone gone.....McFaddens made a big difference....mainly in the attitudes about the place.

- - - Updated - - -


You are great value Mt Smart and a real credit to your club. If only more rival fans would visit other team forums. Your special insight really adds to the discussion and speculation.

Cheers Diehard , sadly there are only so many forums worth revisiting this is certainly one of them. The press coverage posted here during the Rugby League world cup was without peer in the forum world.

[K2G]

Carter should be coming off the bench, learning his trade and backing up the hooking position when needed ... this throwing people into the fire will bite us on the butt very shortly and against the bigger packs especially. Our bench isn't winning us games.

Respect your opinion Titanic, so no disrespect intended.
I agree that ideally, Carter should be coming off the bench, but under the current circumstances (injuries, origin, suspensions) him starting is necessary. Also, considering his performances this season so far, it's hardly throwing him into the fire - and even if it was, it's origin time, every team is throwing young guys in and hoping for the best. Part and parcel of the season. Also, I agree with the theory of learning one's trade off the bench, but as far as young Carter goes, his 'trade' is in the second row. He has never, is not and will never be a legitimate hooking option beyond a stop gap/last resort for when injuries strike. I also agree that our bench isn't winning us games, but neither are our starting 13. Carter is destined for a bench second row (pushing for a starting) spot over the coming seasons; playing him out of position is throwing him under a bigger bus than starting him in his natural position is.

One of the biggest problems with our squad is that it's full of players who fall under the 'jack of all trades, master of none' banner, which is ultimately a failure of the coaching structures. I'm all for letting the kid learn his trade - but let him master his preferred one, before 'expanding his game.'


NRL is not the place to do this as has been demonstrated how many times?

So should Kelly have a week in Qcup this week? What about Bird once he is available? Obviously very different circumstances, but the point is - bringing players in under-done is sometimes a necessary evil. The greater point i was making in my last post there was that despite Srama being short of a gallop - his performance was pretty much on par with falloon's, which says far more about the latter than it does the former.

All of that said, I'm looking forward to this game. I think there will be plenty of points in it (for better or worse). Should be exciting. I fear our customary slide out of the eight has already begun, so I'll be looking for our make-shift spine to really kick it up a notch if we're any chance of snaring a long-time coming finals appearance... however brief it may be.

[Mexican titan]

The Zillman love-fest is out of control.

The weird thing is, I used to really like William Zillman, still think he is a great player and a nice guy, but Cartwright is making me hate having Zillman in the team!

Let it go Carty, he just isn't the best man for the job in ANY position in the team ATM.

Best thing that can happen is Z-man gets run over again early, and we try our best a man down. Sadly, this is the only way to get the best players on the paddock.



Wow some interesting comments there C-Whiz about Zillman. You say he is a great player but then think it might be best if he gets run down! I couldn't say that Zilly has ever been in the great category.
I think Zilly's best chance to score this weekend is to go on a romantic drive with Conrad Hurrell.:censored:

[Bayside Titan]

Wow some interesting comments there C-Whiz about Zillman. You say he is a great player but then think it might be best if he gets run down! I couldn't say that Zilly has ever been in the great category.
I think Zilly's best chance to score this weekend is to go on a romantic drive with Conrad Hurrell.:censored:

Hurrell will make Zilly his B###h!!!!

[teke]

Why you guys thumbs down my Tomkins comment, you have utterly destroyed my chance of going 100-0 of thumb ups :mad:

Tomkins has been returning the footy like a wooly woofter and when he gets caught, its like watching me rag doll Hail Sezer with my thumb and fore finger.

I demand a re-trial :argue:

PS - There is every chance Titans could play him into God-Mode form this weekend :frown:

[Julius Sezer]

The Zillman love-fest is out of control.

Nice guys always finish first.

[Smakked]

Why you guys thumbs down my Tomkins comment, you have utterly destroyed my chance of going 100-0 of thumb ups :mad:

Tomkins has been returning the footy like a wooly woofter and when he gets caught, its like watching me rag doll Hail Sezer with my thumb and fore finger.

I demand a re-trial :argue:

PS - There is every chance Titans could play him into God-Mode form this weekend :frown:
I agree with you mate about Tomkins. he looks weak running into the line, gets rag dolled everytime. He will be off to Union next year ;)

[Toads]

I don't think the nick 'Total Package' is working out too well for Mr Zillman anymore. Maybe change it to 'Speed Bump' might be a little more accurate. As this weekend he's going to get carved up, a team with some nous would be running at him all day long..

[C-Whiz]

You say he is a great player but then think it might be best if he gets run down!Great as in he does some great things, but not one of the greats, if you know what I mean. Alby is great, Mead is great at FB, Don is great under the high ball, that sort of thing. But the thing is, it's been a while since Zillman was great at anythig. Like about 2009. Now we sometimes get flashes of very good. It's too few and far between for him these days.

Carter is great. :D
Obviously he will be Harro's replacement in 2015 (assuming he is signed up) so he will be getting all the minutes he wants then, and he should be getting 80 minutes while Harro is out anyway.

**edit** Carter is signed for 2015, so I assume he will be signed beyond this and be our long term lock.

[DIEHARD]

527

Weather is looking ok.

[Hail Sezer]

527

Weather is looking ok.

looks like a Wellington summer

[nimud]

Has Taka been stealing your lunch money or something mate? Why the hate? I remember you calling him pea hearted a few weeks back? Unless it's a personal beef, seems like mis-placed frustration to me, as he is not even nearly the teams biggest problem. While he hasn't been anywhere near on fire for us, he's hardly been a liability like Zillman and Minichello have been.

Zillman strolling back into the team after a significant time off the paddock, into a starting spot for a position we almost exclusively spent money on to bolster over the off-season, was a big enough joke in itself. To see him waltz back into the team again this week after his epic fail against the broncos (I won't give him grief about the tackle technique which saw him layed out ... but watching him STILL manage to mis-time runs into open holes is excruciating), even though there are fit blokes under him who deserve the spot more, weather through form, fitness or potential (Blair, Tighe and arguably Roberts) is beyond a joke, yet no less laughable. Seeing him given the captaincy on top of this!! wow.... the joint is an absolute mad-house.

I know we're thin on available captain candidates this week, and for all i know Zillman commands a huge amount of respect from the boys and reff's alike ... but i don't see it. His leadership skills and ability to read the game is an absolute myth as far as I can tell. I know there are at least five other blokes named in the squad I'd rather run behind - and nimud, you'd be happy to know Taka is not one of them!

Glad to see Carter retained as starting lock - rookie of the year? I hope Douglas got a rocket over the crucial errors he's made in the last two games, because he's had flashes of excellence during both, and just needs to hold the ball. I'm glad Srama is being given an extended time to get back to speed, he is still our best hooker imo. Falloon and Mead have both looked tired since their rep games, hope they're not already thinking about the bye next week. Ridge is an interesting selection, as he is really the forgotten man in our team. I hope he has a blinder and reminds us all of how good he can be.

Well, I'm entitled to my view, and my view is he was signed as a backrower. Backrowers are meant to take the ball up hard and play tough. Taka does neither. He's played the way he is meant to play (ie having a go) once.

I am used to watching Mini drop the ball, but at least Mini plays his guts out every game.

The criticism of Zillman by fans is justified, because he is an ordinary player in a key position who does not make an impact in the game, yet still gets picked.

Looking forward to James Roberts playing grade. He's such a good player. Just got to keep him off the drink.

[Mexican titan]

Well, I'm entitled to my view, and my view is he was signed as a backrower. Backrowers are meant to take the ball up hard and play tough. Taka does neither. He's played the way he is meant to play (ie having a go) once.

I am used to watching Mini drop the ball, but at least Mini plays his guts out every game.

The criticism of Zillman by fans is justified, because he is an ordinary player in a key position who does not make an impact in the game, yet still gets picked.

Looking forward to James Roberts playing grade. He's such a good player. Just got to keep him off the drink.

I agree with you totally in regard to Taka. I think he would be much better in his natural position in the forwards. I find him very slow as a centre, whereas I think he could be top performing backrower if he was allowed to play there.

[Titanic]

Takairangi should be our utility coming off the bench instead of this ridiculous hooker rotation. He can strike and offload, given that now he has to wait for the limited opportunities that may come his way.

[Hail Sezer]

Todd Balym reporting on twitter that Meady has been moved to centre with Zillman going back to fullback

....

[ozynorts]

Todd Balym reporting on twitter that Meady has been moved to centre with Zillman going back to fullback

....

nnooooooooooooooooooooo

[teke]

Todd Balym reporting on twitter that Meady has been moved to centre with Zillman going back to fullback

....You better be lying or you're gonna get a big f'n thumbs down

[teke]

Yep confirmed, Zilly goes to fullback,

Hail Sezer must now swap his name to Hail Zillman as we all witnessed it here on the forum

[CoastSportsFan]

527

Weather is looking ok.

That's a pretty good forecast. I wonder if the sunny weather may actually detract people from the game? Certainly looks like beach weather to me. Won't be too many Saturdays over the next few months that are sunny and 26 degrees.

[DIEHARD]

if people plan to go to the footy, they will likely go. Rain destroys plans. While sunny weather has a far far softer effect and probably more on the fringes of the fanbase. So I fear rain.

[DIEHARD]

Yep confirmed, Zilly goes to fullback,

Hail Sezer must now swap his name to Hail Zillman as we all witnessed it here on the forum

He has to be trolling us all along. That is a ridiculous move. Our club is not a club of merit.

[teke]

Meads expiry date has been activated, that I am pleased about

[Bayside Titan]

What the f#%k drugs is Cartwrong on!!!!!!! seriously Zilly to FB and Mead to Centre. That will do me. !!!!!!!!!!!!! How typical of Cartwring to make multiple changes to cover one position. !!!!!!!!!!! Really that was his best way to cover for Kelly ..... Really? If Zilly really is the Total Package then Play him at Prop and make Bailey the half back that would make as much sense as his selection decision today.

[Mt Smart]

Lolohea to travel with the Team in as cover for Shaun Johnson with a minor injury....didn't train today :

https://nz.sports.yahoo.com/league/news/article/-/23700716/nrl-mcfadden-plays-down-johnson-injury/

Lolohea is very young , An exciting prospect but not at the level to have an NRL debut I would say.

There is every likelyhood ( if Johnsons out ) that the Warriors will rejig to use Tomkins in the halves.

In that scenario my best guess is this :

1. Locke
2. Laumape
3. Hurrell
4. Ben Henry
5. Vatuvei
6. Tomkins
7. Townsend ( ignore the numbers Tomkins plays right side / Townsend Left
8. Matangi
9. Friend
10. Lillyman
11. Bukuya
12. Matulino
13. Mannering

!4. Havili ( Hooker / bench impact )
15. Peteru ( Prop on debut 18th man this week I won't be suprised to see him and not Lolohea in the 17)
16. Ikahihifo ( plays Lock off the bench )
17. Mateo

On the face of it you would think a straight swap for Lolohea / Johnson would be more straight forward.....however the suggested team I've listed is basically what McFadden was running with prior to switching Four players around for the Titans game.....so less swapping involved than what was planned.

- - - Updated - - -


Why you guys thumbs down my Tomkins comment, you have utterly destroyed my chance of going 100-0 of thumb ups :mad:

Tomkins has been returning the footy like a wooly woofter and when he gets caught, its like watching me rag doll Hail Sezer with my thumb and fore finger.

I demand a re-trial :argue:

PS - There is every chance Titans could play him into God-Mode form this weekend :frown:

Agreed , Tomkins is not the player you want returning the footy. At Wigan he had aware Wingers like Charnley to create an overlap with from his end of the field.

There are a couple of reasons it's not happening in the NRL ( apart from the structure of NRL defence ) , Tomkins has lost his speed ( according to most Wigan Fans ) from Injury....his electric high speed runs on youtube are pre his injury.

What I've noticed is some of that speed is coming back this year. So yeah Tomkins can't drift across a straight Kick chase line like he's used to being able to, thereafter he would throw a pass to someone like Charnley. Without that speed he can't turn on an overlap on a dime.

Tomkins has been quality for us , I'm pretty happy with the way he is improving / adjusting to the NRL...he uses his ball skills and Vision more at the Warriors and really that's what we need more than another back with Power or outright speed.

[lonegull]

Cheers Mt Smart, thanks for the update, Johnson would be a big loss to the warriors he is a key member of there side and a lot of their attack centres around him.

[Mt Smart]

Cheers Mt Smart, thanks for the update, Johnson would be a big loss to the warriors he is a key member of there side and a lot of their attack centres around him.

No worries. Sure is the key spine player for the Warriors.

Chad Townsend has been indifferent so far so you wouldn't want him left to direct the attack with an Under 20's player in Lolohea.

Johnson leads the Try assists , Field kicking , surprisingly this year he has been a strong defender.

Lolohea isn't old enough to direct the NSW cup side around ( he was promoted to NSW cup last year under Matt Elliot....one of the best coaching strategies in the History of the Warriors....Elliot was not all bad for us ). He can play though , with ball in hand he's as elusive as Johnson , almost as quick.

But when you stack it all up I think it would be a big risk , when really the reason Tomkins cost so much money is exactly this sort of scenario....a top stand off option....two for the price of one type player.

[Hail Sezer]

You better be lying or you're gonna get a big f'n thumbs down

Someone already did.

Cant even describe how mad I am at this selection.

[TITAN PETE]

Losing Johnson won't bother the Warriors just means Friendy will play 80 minutes which won't faze him.....

The Zillman debacle is a joke it shows that Cartwright doesn't want the "TP" to be Hurrell's doormat ..

[Bayside Titan]

Losing Johnson won't bother the Warriors just means Friendy will play 80 minutes which won't faze him.....

The Zillman debacle is a joke it shows that Cartwright doesn't want the "TP" to be Hurrell's doormat ..

Agree. Shows that Cartwight is willing to put Zillys career before Meads.

[ozynorts]

Someone already did.

Cant even describe how mad I am at this selection.

It was me mate, the thumbs down wasn't for the post but the ******ed decision to move Zillwoman back to FB
:mad:

[ozynorts]

Is there anywhere online that we can verify this or is this the "inside word"? I wanted to see it on the FB page so I could slam it but no joy. This is also Meads 100th game........... Does he dislike Mead that much he would move him in a milestone game?

[Mexican titan]

What the f#%k drugs is Cartwrong on!!!!!!! seriously Zilly to FB and Mead to Centre. That will do me. !!!!!!!!!!!!! How typical of Cartwring to make multiple changes to cover one position. !!!!!!!!!!! Really that was his best way to cover for Kelly ..... Really? If Zilly really is the Total Package then Play him at Prop and make Bailey the half back that would make as much sense as his selection decision today.

I somehow get the idea you don't like this decision.
Someone mentioned at the start of the year that they hoped the Titans lost a stack of early games so it would put pressure on Cartwright. I felt that was a bit disloyal and disagreed, although I knew where the poster was coming from. Our easy draw and early scrappy wins took the heat off but I am (rapidly) coming around to the view that we will most likely miss the 8 anyway so every defeat from here might put the pressure on the coach. I am really over it.
I digress a little but I watch just about every game. I always note that when the Titans get a penalty within say 20 metres of the opposition line our first play is just a tap and a half paced one off hit up. Just a waste of one tackle and it's like that's the plan and that is what we must do. On the weekend I made a point of watching what other sides do in the same position. Almost without exception other sides used it as a tackle with some intent to scatter defence and just about all passed it through at least three players. Some teams even spread it wide on this play. Just useless what we do and you can tell we are coached by a front row forward.
How I wish for a return to the performance we put on against the Storm, although I still can't work out where that came from.

[ozynorts]

Someone mentioned at the start of the year that they hoped the Titans lost a stack of early games so it would put pressure on Cartwright.
That was me. I am over the way we play, it's amateur hour stuff.

How I wish for a return to the performance we put on against the Storm, although I still can't work out where that came from.
We had Blair at 5/8 and he had the balls to tell players where to stand and run in attack.

[Mt Smart]

On side note :

I've just updated my web browser and my eye sights going , I may have clicked thumbs down by accident with peoples posts !

The old Browser had those tabs in black and white ....it's pretty clear what's what when they're in green and Red ! I should have red my email when the site was last altered. Disregard if this was the case.

[DIEHARD]

It's fun to see who thumbs you down, I think Pete is my #1. Usually because I'm hanging crap on Manly or NSW.

[Mexican titan]

It's fun to see who thumbs you down, I think Pete is my #1. Usually because I'm hanging crap on Manly or NSW.

Oh well mate - you mentioned putting crap on NSW and Manly. So that's a thumbs down!!!!

- - - Updated - - -


What the f#%k drugs is Cartwrong on!!!!!!! seriously Zilly to FB and Mead to Centre. That will do me. !!!!!!!!!!!!! How typical of Cartwring to make multiple changes to cover one position. !!!!!!!!!!! Really that was his best way to cover for Kelly ..... Really? If Zilly really is the Total Package then Play him at Prop and make Bailey the half back that would make as much sense as his selection decision today.

My missus and 16 year were just watching the Gold Coast Channel 9 news and they heard what Cartwright has done - I had not mentioned it to them. They both went crazy when they heard that Mead and Zillman had swapped positions and it's fair to say my missus knows little about footy.
I just showed them your post and what you thought. If my missus picks up that it's a stupid decision well how can it be defendable. She just said it makes you feel like not going which is a big call for her because she likes going as it's one of the few things we do as a family.

[teke]

Someone is that angry I fear Konrad may be headed back to nsw cup next week.

Mead will destroy him

[Mexican titan]

Someone is that angry I fear Konrad may be headed back to nsw cup next week.

Mead will destroy him

How. The ball never gets that far.

[Toads]

Todd Balym reporting on twitter that Meady has been moved to centre with Zillman going back to fullback

....

Carty must've read my post this morning, and shifted the golden child to a less vunerable position. :tongue:

[teke]

How. The ball never gets that far.im not talking about attack

[C-Whiz]

I can't make the game this weekend due to work commitments, so does anyone else want to wave the banner I made for the last home game?
it reads :
DAVID MEAD
TITANS #1

[Supergoose]

Whisper that Kelly is out and Blair will play in his place. Looking for confirmation. Reasonably good source though.

- - - Updated - - -

NBN news is reporting that Blair likely in for Kelly. It says Mead will move to centres but not that Zillman will be moving to fullback only to accommodate his concussion. Does that mean Zilly is out or is he playing fullback with a headache?

- - - Updated - - -

Just had confirmation that it is Zilly to fullback. He must've scored those photos that Ben Jeffrey, Michael Henderson and Steve Michaels got hold of.

[Bayside Titan]

Whisper that Kelly is out and Blair will play in his place. Looking for confirmation. Reasonably good source though.

- - - Updated - - -

NBN news is reporting that Blair likely in for Kelly. It says Mead will move to centres but not that Zillman will be moving to fullback only to accommodate his concussion. Does that mean Zilly is out or is he playing fullback with a headache?

- - - Updated - - -

Just had confirmation that it is Zilly to fullback. He must've scored those photos that Ben Jeffrey, Michael Henderson and Steve Michaels got hold of.

I was just thinking that Zilly must have those photos there is no other explanation for picking Henderson sorry I mean Zilly. This is just one of the many mind numbing selections that Cartwrong makes and if Zilly is being moved to Fullback for some protection to concussion then DON'T PLAY HIM!!!!!!!!Its really that simple and not rocket science. 1 player is out and we make 4 changes now that's 2013 Vintage Cartwright right there.

[Supergoose]

I wonder if Kelly being out was the catalyst for the move. Perhaps Zillman wouldn't have played and Blair would've come in to left centre. One of the issues he would've tussled with was whether Roberts and Tighe have adequately recovered from injury. We really have a new look side for this round. Kind of exciting despite the whole Zillman thing.

[K2G]

Gold Coast’s David Mead has been shifted to centre for the Titans clash against the Warriors
from couriermail.com.au
(http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/gold-coasts-david-mead-has-been-shifted-to-centre-for-the-titans-clash-against-the-warriors/story-fniabool-1226926117151)

Gold Coast’s David Mead, dumped from fullback for William Zillman in his 100th NRL game, has been shifted to a centre position he has rarely played in to oppose New Zealand giant Konrad Hurrell at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday night.

If the NRL media guide is to be believed, 92kg Mead gives away 10kg to Hurrell and both are the same height.

Reality would suggest the 22-year-old Warriors star may have trimmed a few kilos off his actual weight for the sake of publication because he is nothing short of a beast in full flight.

“I wonder why everyone keeps telling me that,” Mead said when Hurrell’s name was brought up.

“Obviously he is a great player, massive, he loves breaking tackles and running over people so I’ve got a big job.”

Two weeks ago Hurrell made headlines for a sex tape leaked on the internet but for rugby league defenders the real R-rated video is of him destroying Canberra later that week where he amassed four line breaks, 14 tackle busts and 222 metres from 14 runs.

Mead knows when it comes to Hurrell he must cut him down before he gathers a full head of steam.

“Don’t give him too much time to run up,” Mead said.

“I think that is mainly where opposition get into trouble, giving him time to run. We just have to look to shut that down.’’

The decision to shift Mead from fullback, where has thrived for several weeks and starred for NSW Country, is a big call by coach John Cartwright and an obvious bid to spark Zillman back to life.

Zillman will be Titans captain this week but has struggled to inject himself at centre since returning from a hamstring injury the past two weeks so Cartwright has rolled the dice with a selection gamble.

Mead has copped the positional change on the chin and is excited to reach his 100 NRL game milestone at home on Saturday.

“I never thought I would get to 100 so it’s a massive honour for me,” Mead said.

“Growing up as a kid I wanted to play a couple of NRL games just to tell everyone I played in the game but to reach 100 is pretty special.”

NRL chief executive Dave Smith attended a Titans board meeting yesterday and gave the club’s new off-field direction, including a new board structure, his seal of approval.

“All the indicators are very positive,” Smith said. “There are always opportunities but the board are well ahead.’’

[Hail Sezer]

that article has made me even more frustrated

[K2G]

Tell me about it HS. I'm seething.

Gotta feel for Meady, couldn't have done much more to cement that spot as his own, and now he's left not sure of his actual position in the team yet again (is he a centre moving forward now?).

The decision has left me confused in so many ways. Would I be satisfied if Zillman had a shocker? Do I want to see Mead's edge leak 50 points - as such a bad coaching decision deserves? (no to both of course ... but damn)

I guess in retrospect, this was all inevitable though, and I will have to suck it up, and get used to it, as Zillman and Carty are here for the long haul.

[teke]

Trust me the left side wont leak pts, Im tipping ole mate to shut down the Beast and give it back to him 10 fold.

With Blair feeding the left side and Henry feeding the right we are in with a decent chance.

The more times Taylor and Mead get the ball the better.

Hail Sezer man up and change your name to Hail Zillman !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[C-Whiz]

Agree. Shows that Cartwight is willing to put Zillys career before Meads.Shows that Cartwright will put Zillys career before the entire Titans franchise.

- - - Updated - - -

The thing is, if Titans win this (which they should), Cartwright will be lauded for his decision making.

If the Titans lose, we were decimated by injury, they played "courageous", blah blah blah.

Either way, Cartwirght and Zillman will be in no immediate threat of not seeing out there 5 year contracts in first grade.

ps, I don't blame Zillman for Cartwirghts man-love for him.

[Smakked]

Yeah well, cant see us winning another game all season

[C-Whiz]

Yeah well, cant see us winning another game all season
Pessimistic much?
I still see us winning this game. It's Meady's 100th. Gotta keep the faith. :thumbsup:

[Toads]

I don't blame Zillman for Cartwirghts man-love for him.

It's reminiscent of the relationship Gould and Fitler had back in the early nineties. :p

[C-Whiz]

It's reminiscent of the relationship Gould and Fitler had back in the early nineties. :pIf Zillman was Fittler I don't think anyone would be complaining. Wouldn't be too worried about Sezer being out for a few months either.

[Mt Smart]

Updates from the Warriors side of things :

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/10070178/Warriors-forced-to-rotate-with-Johnson-in-doubt

[Hail Sezer]

Alby and Johnson both out is sure to lose some crowd numbers..sorry DH!

[DIEHARD]

Alby and Johnson both out is sure to lose some crowd numbers..sorry DH!

That is a damn shame. But can't be helped.

Speaking of Fitler, I wish we had a player like him, he was something else.

[DIEHARD]

Johnson's young replacement may face Titans

A groin strain has Warriors playmaker Shaun Johnson in doubt for this weekend's clash with the Gold Coast Titans.

"He's travelling with us tomorrow, he has got a little bit of a slight groin strain but we expect him to play," says coach Andrew McFadden.

But if Johnson is not fit, 3 News understands 18-year-old Tuimoala Lolohea will make his debut on the Gold Coast.

Lolohea was impressive for the Junior Warriors with his 22 tries last season earning him player of the year honours.

With the Titans missing several key players through injury suspension and Origin duty, this opportunity could be tailor-made for the young speedster.

"They're going to field a team with a lot of enthusiasm with all the young guys that will come in, so it will be pretty challenging for the first 20 or 30 minutes," says Warriors hooker Nathan Friend.

McFadden will have his share of old heads to count on with Jacob Lillyman missing out on Queensland Origin selection, meaning the 30-year-old prop has got plenty to prove.

"It would've been nice to get another crack, but wasn't to be, so just looking forward to going out this weekend and letting rip for the Warriors," he says.

The team should be confident as they go from a narrow loss to the table-topping Bulldogs last week to facing a Gold Coast side that has slipped from the top down to seventh.

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/

[DIEHARD]

Gold Coast’s David Mead has been shifted to centre for the Titans clash against the Warriors

THIS truly is the David v Goliath battle of the NRL.

Gold Coast’s David Mead, dumped from fullback for William Zillman in his 100th NRL game, has been shifted to a centre position he has rarely played in to oppose New Zealand giant Konrad Hurrell at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday night.

If the NRL media guide is to be believed, 92kg Mead gives away 10kg to Hurrell and both are the same height.

Reality would suggest the 22-year-old Warriors star may have trimmed a few kilos off his actual weight for the sake of publication because he is nothing short of a beast in full flight.

“I wonder why everyone keeps telling me that,” Mead said when Hurrell’s name was brought up.

“Obviously he is a great player, massive, he loves breaking tackles and running over people so I’ve got a big job.”

Two weeks ago Hurrell made headlines for a sex tape leaked on the internet but for rugby league defenders the real R-rated video is of him destroying Canberra later that week where he amassed four line breaks, 14 tackle busts and 222 metres from 14 runs.

Mead knows when it comes to Hurrell he must cut him down before he gathers a full head of steam.

“Don’t give him too much time to run up,” Mead said.

“I think that is mainly where opposition get into trouble, giving him time to run. We just have to look to shut that down.’’

The decision to shift Mead from fullback, where has thrived for several weeks and starred for NSW Country, is a big call by coach John Cartwright and an obvious bid to spark Zillman back to life.

Zillman will be Titans captain this week but has struggled to inject himself at centre since returning from a hamstring injury the past two weeks so Cartwright has rolled the dice with a selection gamble.

Mead has copped the positional change on the chin and is excited to reach his 100 NRL game milestone at home on Saturday.

“I never thought I would get to 100 so it’s a massive honour for me,” Mead said.

“Growing up as a kid I wanted to play a couple of NRL games just to tell everyone I played in the game but to reach 100 is pretty special.”

NRL chief executive Dave Smith attended a Titans board meeting yesterday and gave the club’s new off-field direction, including a new board structure, his seal of approval.

“All the indicators are very positive,” Smith said. “There are always opportunities but the board are well ahead.’’

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/

[DIEHARD]

Titans v Warriors
Saturday, 5.30pm Cbus Super Stadium

These two sides have had vastly contrasting starts to the 2014 season but now find themselves slowly heading in the opposite direction to where they were a month ago. The Warriors lost their first two games of the season and then pulled off a massive upset by defeating the Cowboys in Townsville in Round 3. After smashing the Tigers in Round 4, they then went on a three-game losing run before snapping their streak in another unlikely place against the Storm in Melbourne.

So while the 12th-placed Warriors seem to be on the up after two wins from their past three starts, the Titans are now quickly dropping down the NRL ladder and are currently in seventh spot, when only five weeks ago they were competition leaders after six rounds.

Injury and suspension to key names haven't helped the Titans' cause, with big names such as Greg Bird, William Zillman, Aidan Sezer, Albert Kelly and Ashley Harrison all missing games over the last five rounds. In that time the Titans have only won two of those games, contributing to their steady slide down the ladder.

One thing saving the Titans from slipping outside the top eight is their defence because they dead-set struggle to score points. They are the second worst side in the NRL for tries scored with only 27 four-pointers so far this season, which is equal with the last-placed Sharks and only one try behind the Knights who are 15th on the ladder.

If you overlook the two heavy losses against the Tigers (42-12) in Round 2 and Souths (40-18) in Round 9, the Titans have only conceded an average of 14 points per game. This is the sole reason that they are still remain two competition points shy of the top four, although their points difference is slowly taking a hit, now down to -27.

In team changes, Albert Kelly returns to the Titans this weekend for Aidan Sezer who has torn his pectoral and faces a minimum of 12 weeks on the sideline. Co-captain Nate Myles is on Origin duty with veteran Luke Bailey shifting to the starting side and Mark Ioane coming onto the bench. Ben Ridge replaces Cody Nelson on the bench with Nelson dropping back to 18th man.

Ashley Harrison (neck) and Kevin Gordon (knee) have failed to recover from injuries sustained prior to last Friday's clash against the Broncos, while Zillman has been named captain and will return to the centres.

For the Warriors, Kevin Locke comes into the starting side on the wing after starting last weekend from the bench. Ngani Laumape shifts from the wing to the centres with Ben Henry moving to the second row. Ben Matulino returns to his more regular position of prop from the back row while Siliva Havili comes onto the bench for Sione Lousi. Rookie prop Nathaniel Peteru has been named as 18th man for the trip to the glitter strip.

In milestones, David Mead makes his 100th NRL appearance having debuted in Round 13, 2009. For the Warriors, skipper Simon Mannering plays his 199th match and Shaun Johnson is five goals short of 100 in the NRL.

Watch Out Titans: There wasn't much more that Warriors warhorse Jacob Lillyman could have done to earn an Origin recall after a stellar beginning to the 2014 season. With the Maroons staying loyal to back-rowers Ben Te'o and Chris McQueen, Lillyman could be forgiven for feeling slightly aggravated that he didn't receive a phone call from Mal Meninga, or even made the squad as 18th or 19th man. The 30-year-old will now be itching to prove to the Queensland selectors that they made a mistake by not picking him and it all starts with Saturday's clash against the Titans. Having played six games for the Maroons after debuting way back in 2006, the Warriors forward has produced some impressive numbers so far this season, averaging 23 tackles and 140 metres per game. Not noted for doing the flashy things, Lillyman is ever reliable and rarely makes a mistake; this can be attributed to not making a single offload this season, therefore cutting down on his errors, which number just two this season.

Watch Out Warriors: Another victim of Queensland's 'pick and stick' policy is Dave Taylor. The 'Coal Train' looks to be finally fulfilling the potential that was recognised during his fledging days at the Broncos with a series of eye-catching performances for the Titans this year. His numbers this season have been hard to ignore; he has notched up an average of 15 runs per game for 135 metres. He also averages 14 tackles per game and has made 10 offloads and 17 tackle breaks over 10 matches. The one area that lets the 25-year-old down is his handling errors, with a total of 12 so far this season. The Warriors will need to be wary of Taylor, with Titans coach John Cartwright sure to have his leading charger raring to go in the absence of Greg Bird and Ashley Harrison.

Plays To Watch: The Titans' right-edge combination of Brad Takairangi and Anthony Don is still in its infancy and was only conceived out of necessity due to the injury suffered by Will Zillman in Round 3 against the Raiders. Now that Zillman is back from injury, the Takairangi-Don partnership continues into its eighth game this weekend against the Warriors. Given that the left-edge partnership of Zillman and Kalifa Faifai Loa only lasted 19 minutes against the Broncos last Friday, the Titans' right-side pair will most likely see more of the ball due to the continuity they've been building over the last seven matches. Stats wise, these two haven't been setting the world on fire, with only four tries between them – all of them going to winger Don. Takairangi has only made one try assist this season which came last week against Brisbane and the only line breaks from this pair have come from Don, with two so far this season. The match-up of Don and Manu Vatuvei will be a fascinating one as 'The Beast' looks to overpower the inexperienced Titans winger.

Where It Will Be Won: Discipline and completion rates. The Titans will be looking for an improvement in their completion rate and the amount of penalties they concede. Currently the Gold Coast are ranked second in the NRL for penalties conceded (85), only one behind the Wests Tigers. Surprisingly they are also ranked second for penalties awarded, but their most unwanted statistic is the amount of errors they concede per game. They are ranked first for errors in this season with an average of 13 per game, at a completion rate of only 69.5 per cent. This is a long way short of the competition best of 79 per cent, currently held by the Storm. The Warriors are also guilty of a poor completion rate, averaging 71.5 per cent. Their nine second half errors against the Dogs last weekend came at crucial times and was the main instigator for the 16-12 loss at Waikato Stadium according to coach Andrew McFadden.

The History: Played 14; Titans 6, Warriors 8. Don't let the head-to-head statistics fool you because the Warriors have won the past six clashes between these sides dating back to 2011. Prior to that the Titans had won six straight games over the Kiwis, although that was between 2008 and 2010 and a lot has changed since then. The Titans have hosted the Warriors eight times at Robina and won on four occasions with their last win coming in Week 1 of the 2010 Finals Series. These sides clashed twice last year with the Warriors prevailing by one point in Round 8 and two points in Round 24.

Match Officials: Referee – Gavin Morris; Assistant Referee – Henry Perenara; Touch Judges – Paul Holland & Adam Reid; Video Referees – Bernard Sutton & Steve Folkes.

Televised: Fox Sports – Live 5.30pm.

Special Offers: Kids get in free in the Eastern Grandstand. Fans can enjoy a family friendly day at the free Titans Fans Zone, featuring face-painting, a rock-climbing wall and interactive photo booth. Also, in a cross-promotion with the Blues Beach Festival, free shuttle buses will leave from the heart of the festival to ferry spectators to and from the game.

The Way We See It: The Warriors had every chance to beat the barking Bulldogs last weekend but shot themselves in the foot with a series of errors after half-time. If they can maintain their discipline and control the ball for longer periods, they should record a comfortable victory over the injury-hit Titans. The return of Albert Kelly will add some spark around the middle of the park for Gold Coast although Shaun Johnson and Sam Tomkins are expected to do the same for the Warriors. Because the Kiwis aren't troubled by Origin, injury or suspension they should have enough class on hand to defeat the Titans away from home. Warriors by 10 points.

Source: http://www.nrl.com

[C-Whiz]

teke, what's the word for mead as a left centre? He gives up a bit in weight, but I'd think he would relish the chance to have a go there. Wrong side, but better than the wing. Doesn;t sound like Dave's too phased about it.

Anyone know what the go is with Brad Tighe? It might have been asked and answered somewhere else, but when is he meant to be coming back?

[Hail Sezer]

teke, what's the word for mead as a left centre? He gives up a bit in weight, but I'd think he would relish the chance to have a go there. Wrong side, but better than the wing. Doesn;t sound like Dave's too phased about it.

Anyone know what the go is with Brad Tighe? It might have been asked and answered somewhere else, but when is he meant to be coming back?

He played forBurleigh in the weekend and will be playing for them again this weekend I'd say. Him, Blair and Roberts are all back in Qcup

[Mt Smart]

All the talk about Hurrell V Mead....I doubt the plan will be for Mead to cover Hurrell one on one.

With Konrad it only takes one Tackler to hit him to slow the train down. Sure he often bumps that first tackler off....but he has a habit of going into barge mode if he gets over the first tackler , as such he will hog the ball and becomes the responsibility of the other defenders to aim up while he's not thinking about passing.

Hurrell is more of a problem running as a conventional back , getting outside his defender , in that situation he's more likely to draw and pass, which is far more dangerous.

The Bulldogs shut Hurrell down , he and Laumape bumped off plenty of people , but thereafter they were stoppable.

Kicking the ball high in the air at Hurrell and Locke is well worth a shot , Hurrell has zero Airial game , Lockes is untested this year...it wasn't flash last year.

The old trick of kicking in behind Manu who has a turning circle like the Queen Mary...is still an option but the Warriors have changed the way they defend that edge so it needs a bit more thought.

Manu historically comes in off his wing, so nowadays he is actually been encouraged to come in. The left edge defenders next to Manu , cover the space behind him and on his outside.

If you Kick behind Manu , or draw him off his wing....Mannering + Tomkins and Townsend have been scrambling to get across behind Manu and it works ( Left edge defensive Stats this year out rank Right edge defensively ).

How teams have overcome that, is by pressuring the line , they draw Tomkins into the center of the park forcing him to back up two tackles in a row......obviously a quick shift to Manu's Wing while Tomkins is pinned in the middle , stops our team from having the numbers on Manu's side.

[DIEHARD]

NRL Round 11 Preview: Gold Coast Titans to suffer v New Zealand Warriors
http://www.sportal.co.nz/

The Gold Coast Titans are hosting the New Zealand Warriors on Saturday, May 24, in round 11 of the NRL, and we expect the home side to struggle.

Who: Gold Coast Titans v New Zealand Warriors
When: Saturday, May 24 – 7.30pm NZT
Where: Cbus Super Stadium
Form Guide:
Titans: WLWWWWLWLL
Warriors: LLWWLLLWWL

Things You Need to Know:
The Titans will be without young five-eighth Aiden Sezer for a while after a potentially season-ending pectoral tear against Broncos last round. They have also lost Nate Myles to Origin duty whilst fellow co-captain Greg Bird is still out suspended. However they do regain livewire halfback Albert Kelly. The Warriors have lost prop Sione Lousi to a knee injury so Siliva Havili comes onto the bench. After starting the season so well the Titans have only one win in their last four matches so will be desperate to get back in the winning circle. The Warriors have become a bogie team for the Titans in recent seasons having won their last six encounters.

Reason to Watch:
On their day the Warriors are one of the best teams in the competition with their adlib style of play. With Sam Tomkins slowly improving every week and Kevin Locke returning into a backline that includes Shaun Johnson and Konrad Hurrell, four pointers may rain on Saturday night for the away team.

Reason to Turn Away:
The Titans are struggling of late and that trend may be set to continue heading into the Origin period with a depleted team. If the rocks or diamonds Warriors show up as the latter, they may put a cricket score on the home side.

Say What:
"We’ve been very close to the top eight the last couple of years and have lost both games to the Warriors, so you could say they have cost us big time." – Titans coach John Cartwright on seeking revenge this weekend.

Final Word:
The Titans team sheet looks nothing like the one that started the season in a blaze of glory. The young Warriors outfit should be hungry for two points after a close loss to the table-topping Bulldogs last week. Sorry Gold Coast fans, but it could get ugly this week. Warriors by 16.

Tab.co.nz Odds:
Titans $2.80
Warriors $1.40

[DIEHARD]

Lillyman focused after Origin snub

After being snubbed by Queensland selectors ahead of the opening game of the 2014 State of Origin series, Warriors prop Jacob Lillyman is feeling disappointed but determined.

In arguably career-best form, Lillyman had been touted as a potential replacement for Sam Thaiday, who was forced to withdraw from selection due to injury.

Instead the Maroons picked a bench without a recognised front-rower in sight, opting for utility Daly Cherry-Evans and three back-rowers in Ben Te'o, Aidan Guerra and Josh Papalii.

"Obviously there is disappointment – it is always such an honour to pull on that Maroon jersey," Lillyman said.

"I knew given my form that I was probably thereabouts and might have been talked about at the selection table, but they have shown in the past that loyalty is a big thing.

"I was hopeful that I might get a spot, but it wasn't to be and I am sure the guys they have will do the job.

"In saying that it is a long series and a lot can happen, as long as I am performing at club level then you never know.

"If there is an opportunity there I will grab it with both hands."

Warriors coach Andrew McFadden, who singled Lillyman out as the club's best player so far this season, was equally dejected when he heard the man they call 'Bull' had missed out.

"It is very disappointing for Jacob, he has been outstanding for us all year, probably our standout to be honest," McFadden said.

"His numbers on the weekend [against the Bulldogs] were huge, and I am really disappointed he didn't get selected.

"But it is a good thing for us and there are two other games he can push for, so I am still hopeful he will get another crack at Origin level."

After the first 10 rounds of the NRL season, Lillyman is the only Warriors player to have run for over 100 metres in every game, with an average of 140.

That number dwarfs his 2013 average of 97 metres per game, while his work rate on the other side of the ball has improved too, including a 35-tackle haul in last week's 16-12 loss to the Bulldogs.

Lillyman's NRL Fantasy prospects have risen significantly as well. With an average round score of 36.9, his value has increased by $18,858 since the start of the season.

The 30-year-old former Cowboy says an extended pre-season campaign and maturing of the mind is behind his positive start to the year.

"At the time it was pretty sad coming back on the 28th of October [for pre-season training], but it meant that we had a lot of time to work on things and get the body up to really good strength and fitness levels," he said.

"This year a big goal for me was to be really consistent. I think I have achieved that so far, but there is still a long way to go."

With Sam Rapira still battling injury, and Sione Lousi limping off the park with a knee injury last week, the depleted Warriors front-row face a Gold Coast side also missing a key big-bopper in Nate Myles, who is in camp with the Maroons.

http://www.nrl.com/

[Titanic]

Hurrell is a defence liability and Mead will show that ... this I am not woried about but I am certainly worried about Zillman ... WTF are our coaches thinking? Henry must be just bending over and begging to receive! In fact let's give his his title ... Neil Ben Dover .. FFS.

[teke]

teke, what's the word for mead as a left centre? He gives up a bit in weight, but I'd think he would relish the chance to have a go there. Wrong side, but better than the wing. Doesn;t sound like Dave's too phased about it.

He will be fine, he wont do as much running which will leave him more explosive, its on the better side for a right hander to pass. He has the defensive brain for the position, the mungrel on impact and a pt to prove, its his 100th game and he hasnt scored many tries this yr. which could equal some excitement.

[Mt Smart]

Hurrell is a defence liability and Mead will show that ... this I am not woried about but I am certainly worried about Zillman ... WTF are our coaches thinking? Henry must be just bending over and begging to receive! In fact let's give his his title ... Neil Ben Dover .. FFS.Certainly true when Hurrell is unfit. I know this players game very well. What you are saying is supported by Hurrells right edge defensive stats as well , 2014 it's a bit blurry because even though the Warriors right edge has been the successful go to side....a lot of that has been without Hurell out there.

Still......your point stands. Consider that Hurrell historically struggles when he is not fully fit....this year he has only managed to be fit for two 80 minute games ( the last two ).

When Hurrells fit he is an excellent defender ( 2013 he averaged 16 tackles more than any Warriors back x 2 his miss stats were low as well once he built game fitness ).

As I say , in the air he has nothing. But this is like a round 3 game if we are talking Hurrell playing full minutes and tackling the whole time.

I would attack that edge too if I were the Titans , however if Hurrell is up to it.....I would use a strategy to keep it balanced with the Warriors Left edge which is a well known quantity with Manu's ten years of video scrutiny.

So Low Kicks at Manu...High Kicks at Hurrell / Locke.

[ozynorts]

Zillwoman had better hope that Mead doesn't "slide off" a tackle on Hurrell and lets him have a free run at our illustrious fullback.

[gotitans101_]

Mead drops one bomb against the Broncos and loses his FB spot to the lovechild.

##### Cartwright. Maybe if the rest of our team played with a bit of structure then Mead could show his magic like he did on the Country team. Stop switching our f**king team around like this because it isn't going to change a thing. Zillman is not our saviour for christ's sake.

[DavidBouveng]

yeah hiding Zillman infuriates me.

Did i read correctly that Carty stated Mead had work to do to improve defensively?

and moves Zillman, whose opposite scored 4 tries on him two weeks ago, and last week knocked himsef out tackling someone a short while into the game? Bulldust! Carty just protecting his golden child, who has been golden for so long we cant exactly remember what he did to become this protected species.

[Hail Sezer]

yeah hiding Zillman infuriates me.

Did i read correctly that Carty stated Mead had work to do to improve defensively?

and moves Zillman, whose opposite scored 4 tries on him two weeks ago, and last week knocked himsef out tackling someone a short while into the game? Bulldust! Carty just protecting his golden child, who has been golden for so long we cant exactly remember what he did to become this protected species.

Yes you did man. Ridiculous eh? Feel so bad for Meady..he was clearly shattered judging by his responses in that article.

[C-Whiz]

Zillman is not our saviour for christ's sake.This is the thing that gets me the most, Cartwrights idea that somehow Zillion is going to grow an extra leg and start scoring triples. What does Cartwright honestly think Zillion is going to do? I'd just like to know what Cartwright honestly thinks is about to magically happen by consistently putting an under performing Zillman into the squad.

[DIEHARD]

Zillman will be 28 in July.

[DIEHARD]

Cowboys' Kalifa FaiFai Loa enjoying NRL journey

League Kiwi-born Tetevano accused of bashing partner Cowboys' Kalifa FaiFai Loa enjoying NRL journey Merrin backs Marshall to come good for Dragons Warriors forced to rotate with Johnson in doubt Knights' Alex McKinnon makes further progress Ferguson gets off-field coach job with Roosters Blocker Roach backs Woods to shine in Origin Canberra coach Ricky Stuart hit with $10K fine Daniel Tupou 'shocked' at his Origin selection Dumped Pearce could still have role with Blues

It could have been an awkward reunion with the coach who stunted his NRL career at North Queensland Cowboys, but Kalifa FaiFai Loa has no issue with Neil Henry also joining the Gold Coast Titans this season.

The pair left Townsville in contrasting circumstances - FaiFai Loa by choice and Henry reluctantly - at the end of last year, and although the Wellington-born wing has still battled for game time in 2014, there is no animosity towards John Cartwright's assistant.

FaiFai Loa made a superb start to his career at the Cowboys in 2011 when he scored 10 tries - many of them capped by an extravagant finish - in 22 appearances, yet he played only 13 games in his next two seasons as Henry preferred Ash Graham, Antonio Winterstein and Wayne Ulugia on the flanks.

"Everyone thinks it's his fault, but it's not," the 24-year-old told Fairfax Media ahead of his second game for the Titans - tomorrow's round 11 clash with the Warriors at CBUS Stadium.

"He actually gave me advice and stuff.

"I don't blame him for not playing me. If you're not happy somewhere, you can't play good footy."

The Cowboys seemed like an ideal fit for FaiFai Loa - who played two tests for the Kiwis against the Kangaroos at the end of 2011 - though even the prospect of playing in a backline with Johnathan Thurston and Brent Tate could not compensate for having to live in Far North Queensland.

"The boys were awesome . . . I don't know, I was just over everything. I was just sick of [Townsville].

"It's too hot to do anything there, you just stay at home with the aircon," he said.

FaiFai Loa was released last October and pondered a move to Super League before negotiating a one-season deal with the Titans.

"I thought I'd have one more go [in the NRL]," said FaiFai Loa, who was initially scouted by the Newcastle Knights after representing the New Zealand under-16s against Queensland.

He left Auckland at 17 to play SG Ball for the Knights, scored seven tries in 10 games for the under-20s in 2008 but then fell into the traps set for many young players.

A homesick FaiFai Loa was ejected from homestays for ill discipline - a drink driving conviction preceded his sacking so he headed home until St George Illawarra offered him a lifeline in 2009.

He recorded 29 tries in 45 games for the under-20s, made the NYC team of the year in 2010 and was handed a first grade debut at the end of that season.

However, salary cap pressure prompted a move to the Cowboys and although he re-signed at the end of 2011 for another two years he regretted the commitment while languishing in reserve grade and struggling with the climate.

FaiFai Loa also started this year in the Intrust Super Cup, though understandably following a sluggish start to the pre-season.

"I was thinking to myself what a waste of money it was bringing me here. I had forwards beating me at fitness," he said.

Fortunately since November he shed 7kg to weigh in at 94kg - that perseverance and performances for feeder club Tweed Heads eventually saw him debut for the Titans against Brisbane last Friday for an injured Kevin Gordon.

He will struggle to retain his place once Gordon's knee recovers but FaiFai Loa was relaxed as he plays for his future.

"It's like a journey for me. This journey's continuing."

Meanwhile, that process involves a return trip to the Townsville Magistrates Court, the jurisdiction handling his assault charge following an altercation during St Patrick's Day last year.

FaiFai Loa was charged after allegedly knocking a 50-year-old man unconscious outside a nightclub but was typically laid back regarding his predicament.

"The guy just wants money. He's trying to get 59 grand out of me. Wow. It should be good, it'll be alright." Fairfax NZ

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/

[Mt Smart]

I read about John Cartwright here , and shiver about the time when most Warriors fans wished he was coaching us....

Still we had our Bluey Mclennan and Matty Elliot.

There are some crazy ' NRL epxerts' in NZ....the stuff we hear over here is on that level of incompetence.

Richie Barnett was asked on the Radio this morning who would slot into Six if iJohnson is out.

" I really don't know......Feleti ? "

" Lolohea ...oh yeah I forgot about him "

Richie Barnett is Kiwis Selector :doh:

The Same guy wants Greg Bird to play Five eight for New South wales

[Mt Smart]

Warriors insider Sir Peter Leitch sent an Instagram Pic of the Warriors GPS units case.

Going by that.....reports that kevin Locke didn't train today look solid ( he is missing from the line up ) and David Fusitua is there instead.

[ozynorts]

So it is confirmed that Kelly is out and Blair is into 5/8. Lets hope he plays the house down. I may have to try and retrieve my vbookie bet now.....

[hatchy84]

I am actually excited about the new halves there's every chance of them throwing the game plan out the window and scoring 40 points

[nimud]

I am actually excited about the new halves there's every chance of them throwing the game plan out the window and scoring 40 points

40 points would be wonderful, but I am worried about how NZ has the wood on us recently (albeit, their two wins last season were totally dodgy).

[Bayside Titan]

With Cartys back line adjustments I will be surprised of we don't have a cricket score put on us.

I agree with Gotitans101 what the #### tis Carty thinking? To me it looks like that Carty is comfortable in putting Zilly before David Meads time at our club and and ignore the fact that Mead is in the Blues mind for FULLBACK not wing not centre!!!!!! Just like persisting playing Myles in the front row, he is a SECONDROWER CARTY for gods sake. Did he not win the SECONDROWER of the year award not two years ago. Oh FFS. AS Moley says "Heads or Tails" that's how it seems is how the selection decisions are made.

[Titanic]

double-headed coin in this case ... heads Zillman will play fb.

[TITAN PETE]

I went down & watched the Warriors train this morning & they look quite sharp , Johnson is Definatly playing but Locke didn't train & won't be playing, if I could steal one player from that line up it would be Tompkins without a doubt put him @ 1,6 or 7 he has talent to burn :thumbsup:

After watching them run through their plays the most popular 5th tackle option was "FaiFai" , they don't rate him under the high ball ..

[teke]

I went down & watched the Warriors train this morning & they look quite sharp , Johnson is Definatly playing but Locke didn't train & won't be playing, if I could steal one player from that line up it would be Tompkins without a doubt put him @ 1,6 or 7 he has talent to burn :thumbsup:

After watching them run through their plays the most popular 5th tackle option was "FaiFai" , they don't rate him under the high ball ..kffl was scratchy for tweed under the highball and was very hesitant to get near it in the broncos game. He will be peppered with bombs if they get into position

[DIEHARD]

Not many people backing the Titans. vbookie is 50 v 500!

[TITAN PETE]

kffl was scratchy for tweed under the highball and was very hesitant to get near it in the broncos game. He will be peppered with bombs if they get into position

Hurrell looked very sus under the high ball too so I would hope Henry is sending plenty of high balls his way & Meady picking up the scraps.

[DIEHARD]

Locke keen to combine with Tomkins

The arrival of Sam Tomkins in Auckland has effectively forced Kevin Locke out of the only NRL club he has ever played for, but any bad blood that exists between the pair certainly isn't being shown publicly.

At season's end Locke will head off to the Salford City Reds on a three-year contract, stating a desire to play the fullback position as the reasoning behind the big move.

That will never happen while Tomkins is fit and available for the Warriors, a fact which has become clear over the opening 10 rounds of the competition. But Locke will start alongside Tomkins on Saturday after being named on the wing against the Titans.

"He (Tomkins) is an awesome bloke, a class player and hopefully we can link up in the game," Locke said.

"We spoke at training, I said, 'Mate, you need to put me over the try-line, I don't want to be on a nudie run at the end of the year – we can't do that'."

After a spending the first month of the season recovering from a knee injury, Locke has played the last two matches off the bench for the Warriors.

Filling in at hooker, the role was foreign to a fullback who was once compared to Billy Slater.

This week against the Titans Locke gets his first start on the year, returning to the wing position where he debuted back in 2009.

Coach Andrew McFadden said mid-week that Locke still had a big role to play in his final months at the club, and hoped he would flourish on the flank.

"I want him to be in the game. Obviously he plays a different style of wing, but the more times he can be involved in and around the ball the better," McFadden said.

"That is going to be the challenge this week on the wing. Usually at fullback you are built into play, but I am sure he will add something this week for us."

Most Warriors fans telegraphed Locke's departure from the day Tomkins put pen to paper at the club; having two international fullbacks on your books in the salary cap era simply isn't economical.

Given the quality he has displayed in six seasons of first grade, where he has scored 26 tries in 87 appearances, it came as a surprise to hear Locke was heading to the Super League competition

"It is not that I couldn't have worked hard to push Sammy (Tomkins) somewhere else, it was just a case of getting to play fullback, a position I love playing, so that is the reason why," he said.

"I want to finish strong, I have still got a few more games left in the season. I have new challenges and a new future for me next year, but that doesn't start until next year."

The move away from New Zealand affects much more than just footy; Locke has a one-year-old son, Louie, who will remain in New Zealand with his mother.

"I have a little kid now, his mother and I aren't together so it will definitely be tough leaving the little fella over here."

http://www.nrl.com/

[DIEHARD]

Shame there will be no Locke.

[Titanic]

You don't need to bomb if you're scoring tries … oh well, one can dream.

[Bayside Titan]

Just on the Mead being moved to centre. I still can't believe it.

Mead would have every right to feel sold out by John Cartwright. Mead prefers fullback and plays fullback a lot better than Zilly does and Mead has played is way into a rep jumper in the fullback position. Cartwright could say he is seeing if Zilly can play his way into form ( But really at the expense of the best fullback playing out of position- Not good enough. ) if true then Zilly should be like everyone else and play QCup to play into form. Would not be surprised if Mead is not with the Club after his current contract if Carty keeps treating him this way.

- - - Updated - - -


double-headed coin in this case ... heads Zillman will play fb.

It would have Zillys head on the Coin.

[DIEHARD]

Game Day Info
http://www.titans.com.au/tickets/game_day_info.html

http://wa1.www.titans.com.au/content/dam/titans/site-images/tickets/titansvwarriors-header.jpg

[CoastSportsFan]

With the chooks causing the upset last night against the dogs, this game suddenly will most likely decide whether the Titans stay in the top 8. Lose and there is a very high chance they'll fall out of the top 8. It's feeling like a must win to me otherwise I'm thinking they'll suffer the same fate as they did last season. Gotta stop the rut tonight.

[TITAN PETE]

With the chooks causing the upset last night against the dogs, this game suddenly will most likely decide whether the Titans stay in the top 8. Lose and there is a very high chance they'll fall out of the top 8. It's feeling like a must win to me otherwise I'm thinking they'll suffer the same fate as they did last season. Gotta stop the rut tonight.

Chooks with the Upset,,,,u really don't follow Rugby League , the Roosters were $1.40 favorites against $3.50 for the Dogs not sure how u call that an upset

[DIEHARD]

Chooks with the Upset,,,,u really don't follow Rugby League , the Roosters were $1.40 favorites against $3.50 for the Dogs not sure how u call that an upset

Especially with their halves Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson out!

[DIEHARD]

With Albert Kelly injured again, Gold Coast coach John Cartwright will field his fifth halves pairing

GOLD Coast coach John Cartwright has issued star halfback Albert Kelly an ultimatum — no train, no play.

Cartwright will be forced to field his fifth different halves combination in the 11th match of the season when the Titans tackle New Zealand Warriors at Cbus Super Stadium.

Kelly will miss his second straight game because of due to a minor hamstring strain and corked leg.

The livewire playmaker trained strongly early in the this week but couldn’t complete Wednesday’s session and was ruled out on Friday, leaving Maurice Blair and Beau Henry to partner each other for the first time.

With Aidan Sezer (pectoral) out for at least three months, Kelly is going to be the key playmaker for the Titans, who are attempting to break a three-year finals exile.

Kelly scored five tries in the opening five rounds of the season but hasn’t crossed since and Cartwright said he wouldn’t be playing his first-choice halfback until he completely overcame his injuries.

“He’s just not comfortable getting around on his leg,” he said.

“There’s no break. It’s a severe cork. Until he can do a full week’s training, as a team we can’t afford to go in with that sort of preparation every week.

“Until he can get out there and do at least three quarters of the week on the field, we won’t use him.

“The major reason for Albert not playing this week is we want to get some continuity with our training and get our service players on the field as much as we can.”

Kelly, Sezer, Blair, Henry, Ashley Harrison, Paul Carter and Greg Bird have all featured in the Gold Coast’s playmaking department this year.

The inconsistency has been a reason for the club’s patchy attack and Cartwright said it was hard to find continuity with constant changes.

“It does make it hard to improve your football,” he said.

“That’s where we’ve struggled a bit. In most areas we’ve been pretty consistent but as far as scoring points, that’s where we’ve lacked.

“It won’t be as slick as what we’d like and it’s very hard to make any sort of changes to the way you play once your season starts.

“You can probably lay a little bit of blame on myself really for not being a bit more stringent with making sure we pick a side that trains.

“We’re probably going to go down that avenue a bit more.”

The Titans are expected to face a tough Warriors outfit who have won two of their past three games and lost to competition leaders Canterbury last weekend by four points.

Star halfback Shaun Johnson trained strongly at Pizzey Park on Friday and is expected to play in what is a further mountain for the Titans to climb.

“They’re always tough. That’s the way the cards have fallen this time,” Cartwright said.

“We believe we’ve got a side that can win the game.”

After an outstanding start to the season, the Titans have lost three of their past four games and could fall out of the top eight if they lose this game.

But vice-captain William Zillman, who will return to his favoured position of fullback, backed the undermanned *Titans to lift.

“We are a very tight-knit group,” he said.

“I’m sure a lot of teams would say that but this year we’ve got a lot more depth.”

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl

[Mexican titan]

Chooks with the Upset,,,,u really don't follow Rugby League , the Roosters were $1.40 favorites against $3.50 for the Dogs not sure how u call that an upset

Was just about to say the same thing. I think finally he has shown his true colours and should stop the bluff that he has any interest in the NRL.

[C-Whiz]

Chooks with the Upset,,,,u really don't follow Rugby League , the Roosters were $1.40 favorites against $3.50 for the Dogs not sure how u call that an upsetHaha, yeah, cute how he used the term "chooks" though. He must have Googled that somewhere.


Especially with their halves Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson out!Who are they? Are they important?


Was just about to say the same thing. I think finally he has shown his true colours and should stop the bluff that he has any interest in the NRL.Finally? I think he shows his true colours every time he opens a post with "You will probably call me an afl troll but..."

His next post will be claiming we took him out of context, he gets crucified for making one mistake or he is just misunderstood on this forum.

[thelwall]

Well after 2 seasons of not going to a titans game purely because of the idiot in the coaching box. I will be attending as I have 2 free tickets hahaha :)

[Mt Smart]

Whats the weather like ? fast track tonight or a heavy track on the GC guys ?

[CoastSportsFan]

Chooks with the Upset,,,,u really don't follow Rugby League , the Roosters were $1.40 favorites against $3.50 for the Dogs not sure how u call that an upset

Bulldogs were and are still on the top of the ladder. They were on a 7 game winning streak going into the game while the Roosters were 5-5. Yes, they were missing their halves combo but I still thought they'd put up a better fight than they did. I don't care what the bookies say.


Whats the weather like ? fast track tonight or a heavy track on the GC guys ?

Sunny and 24. Can't see any dark clouds out Robina way but forecasts show there may be some light rain later in the afternoon.

[Mt Smart]

Sunny and 24. Can't see any dark clouds out Robina way but forecasts show there may be some light rain later in the afternoon.
Thanks for the update CoastSF

[CoastSportsFan]

Thanks for the update CoastSF

No worries. How do you think your boys will go today?

[Mexican titan]

Bulldogs were and are still on the top of the ladder. They were on a 7 game winning streak going into the game while the Roosters were 5-5. Yes, they were missing their halves combo but I still thought they'd put up a better fight than they did. I don't care what the bookies say.



Sunny and 24. Can't see any dark clouds out Robina way but forecasts show there may be some light rain later in the afternoon.

You don't care what the bookies say eh? Where do you think their odds come from - simply the weight of money that punters put on a team. And you thought the Dogs would put up more of a fight - it was 2 points the difference with about 20 to go I recall.

As for your weather advice to Mt Smart, where do you get the info about light rain - I gather you hope that happens so to affect the Titans crowd. The Bureau of Met have had this forecast up all day and I quote "Patchy morning fog. Sunny afternoon. Winds westerly and light tending easterly 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon then becoming light in the late afternoon." I will not doubt that somehow you can read ito the forecast that means some light rain.
Your credibility is gone old mate.

[Titanic Believer]

Haha, yeah, cute how he used the term "chooks" though. He must have Googled that somewhere.

Who are they? Are they important?

Finally? I think he shows his true colours every time he opens a post with "You will probably call me an afl troll but..."

His next post will be claiming we took him out of context, he gets crucified for making one mistake or he is just misunderstood on this forum.

Not sure the history of this but to a casual observer the attacks on the comment seem unwarranted. Have I missed something?

[CoastSportsFan]

You don't care what the bookies say eh? Where do you think their odds come from - simply the weight of money that punters put on a team. And you thought the Dogs would put up more of a fight - it was 2 points the difference with about 20 to go I recall.

As for your weather advice to Mt Smart, where do you get the info about light rain - I gather you hope that happens so to affect the Titans crowd. The Bureau of Met have had this forecast up all day and I quote "Patchy morning fog. Sunny afternoon. Winds westerly and light tending easterly 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon then becoming light in the late afternoon." I will not doubt that somehow you can read ito the forecast that means some light rain.
Your credibility is gone old mate.

The bookies don't always accurately show where each team stands against one other. Yes it was close and then the Roosters ran away with it. Could have gone the other way but it didn't.

This is where I got the idea of rain from:

http://i.imgur.com/ZzP4jTw.png

You've just got an issue with everything I post.

[DIEHARD]

We sure do.

[CoastSportsFan]

We sure do.

I'm really surprised an administrator is so willing to get in on the action. Generally admins are the ones telling people off for having personal attacks on a forum.

[DIEHARD]

An administrator's role is to enforce rules and protect the community and the users. Since the day you materialised you have been breaching rules. You'll hear more about this soon. But for now enjoy the football, Rugby League that is.

[Mt Smart]

Phenomenal defence from the Titans U20's side....someone is doing a great job with the defensive systems at the club.

[CoastSportsFan]

An administrator's role is to enforce rules and protect the community and the users. Since the day you materialised you have been breaching rules. You'll hear more about this soon. But for now enjoy the football, Rugby League that is.

Please tell me which rules I've been breaking so I can refrain from those actions in the future. I never intended to break any rules.

[Bayside Titan]

Against my better judgement I'm going tonight. See how the night progresses. Anyone going tonight I like to faces to names so PM me so I can come say hello or I can tell you my seat numbers as I will have two spare seats in front of me that people can use.

[CoastSportsFan]

Straight out of the forum guidelines post:


The forum is for those interested in discussing Rugby League without fear of being "bullied" as one does not agree with his/her opinion.

My post on Origin Game 1:


NSW supporters are looking at the Hayne Train like he's the saviour again. They are going to get a rude awakening in 9 days at Suncorp

DH's responses:


Wow it's true. most Victorians do cheer for the Maroons. (I'm not Victorian)

If you are, you are doing it wrong. (in reference to me saying I'm a Queenslander)

Go cheer on the Allies you gimp.

And take your political idol with you. (Pauline Hanson. Not my political idol btw.)

How is this not bullying? I was trying to discuss RL and you spout this out?

[DIEHARD]

This issue will be soon discussed, but today is not that day. So save your ammo. Besides I'd rather be called a Victorian or a gimp than a bigot. Like you called me, some time ago.

[CoastSportsFan]

This issue will be soon discussed, but today is not that day. So save your ammo. Besides I'd rather be called a Victorian or a gimp than a bigot. Like you called me, some time ago.

Because that's how I believed you were acting at the time. Anyone CAN slip in and out of bigotry, a Queenslander CAN'T be a Victorian when he wasn't born or lived there at all in his life. As for being a gimp... well, let's just look at the definition:

Gimp
A physically disabled or lame person.

THAT is very offensive. Not the first person to accuse me of having a physical/mental disability on here either.

[Mt Smart]

Voss just tweeted Takarangi out , injured , Tighe in

[DIEHARD]

Coast"Sports"Fan there is more than one definition/usage of the word gimp, than that North American one that you just quoted. I would never make fun of disability.

[CoastSportsFan]

Coast"Sports"Fan there is more than one definition/usage of the word gimp, than that North American one that you just quoted. I would never make fun of disability.

Could you please tell me what you meant by it then? I was very offended when I first read that. Also, how do you explain your proclamation that a racist politician is my idol?


Phenomenal defence from the Titans U20's side....someone is doing a great job with the defensive systems at the club.

Possession got the Titans U20s unstuck in that second half. Sometimes good defence isn't enough to win a game despite leading at half time.

[DIEHARD]

(2) An insult implying that someone is incompetent, stupid, etc. Can also be used to imply that the person is uncool or can't/won't do what everyone else is doing.

(3) See the movie Pulp Fiction....

[CoastSportsFan]

(2) An insult implying that someone is incompetent, stupid, etc. Can also be used to imply that the person is uncool or can't/won't do what everyone else is doing.

(3) See the movie Pulp Fiction....

Okay so you openly admit you were insulting me which is a form of bullying. This is a clear breach of the guidelines when one is trying to express his/her opinion on RL. Not only that but the word you used has several definitions of which most are very insulting. Maybe you should choose your words more wisely next time or be more specific in your usage.

[DIEHARD]

T Minus 25 minutes.

[CoastSportsFan]

You also completely ignored the fact that you accused me of idolising a racist.

[Titan4Life]

Coast Sports Fan needs to stop being a sook (sorry did I offended you).:laugh:

[K2G]

Taka out Tighe in.

Edit: Sorry Mt Smart - I didn't see your post about this earlier...

[DIEHARD]

Okay so you openly admit you were insulting me which is a form of bullying. This is a clear breach of the guidelines when one is trying to express his/her opinion on RL. Not only that but the word you used has several definitions of which most are very insulting. Maybe you should choose your words more wisely next time or be more specific in your usage.

This is a rugby league forum, there is always going to be some niggle and a bit of sledging. I'm comfortable using low grade insults that are found in PG rated television. God even in children's television they use the word lame. You'd better go start writing angry letters to the BBC and ABC and Nickelodeon and Disney. Get on it.

[CoastSportsFan]

This is a rugby league forum, there is always going to be some niggle and a bit of sledging. I'm comfortable using low grade insults that are found in PG rated television. God even in children's television they use the word lame. You'd better go start writing angry letters to the BBC and ABC and Nickelodeon and Disney. Get on it.

And what about your accusation that I idolise a racist? That is defamatory which is also a breach of the guidelines.

[Skyfire]

Let's talk about the footy, take your pathetic complaints to private please.

I'm tipping Titans by 8. Don to score two. We got to win or we are going to have some big trouble.

[Bayside Titan]

Has anyone noticed that Charlie from SeaFm always wears short skirts ??? Not complaining tho. :-)

[C-Whiz]

Just ban CSF, we all tolerated him, gave him every chance, now he is proving to be an ungrateful sook who is the definition of the Pulp fiction Gimp.

He has been proven wrong on almost every thing he has posted, and it is clear why he is on here.
Cya CSF, wouldn't want to be ya. Biggest tosser this forum has ever seen.

Anyway, if Brad Tighe is playing to cover Taka, wtf wasn't he playing left centre in the first place?

- - - Updated - - -


Not many people backing the Titans. vbookie is 50 v 500!Crap odds mate, bookies have them close to $4 now.

[Titanic Believer]

not getting my hopes up but I would like to see some positive signs from the players getting a chance especially Henry.

[DIEHARD]

Finally my livestream is working. I was worried for a second. Strap in for footy. I really give the Warriors a lot of respect. Hopefully we can turn our season around here. It's critical especially with a less than spectacular for and against.

[DIEHARD]

Meady leads our the side. Game 100. A great achievement and honour.

[DIEHARD]

Nice penalty for us there, totally undeserved. Oh sweet another. Get some early points boys.

[DIEHARD]

6 to go. Wow. Hopefully we capitalise on this possession.

[Titan4Life]

Hate to say it but Zilly looking good so far in opening minutes. Some lucky calls haha ;)

[DIEHARD]

Tough call that this was forward. Good put down. Warriors in possession. Let's see what they can do.

Warriors chant goes up strong in the stands. Really adds to the atmosphere.

[C-Whiz]

Not many people backing the Titans. vbookie is 50 v 500!Crap odds mate, bookies have them close to $4 now.

[Titan4Life]

Ridge has a good tackling skill. Hittin' hard

[DIEHARD]

Hate to say it but Zilly looking good so far in opening minutes. Some lucky calls haha ;)

Be interesting to see how he goes. He'd be hungry to do well, especially with the criticism levelled. Which is a good thing IMO.

[DIEHARD]

Seems we going pretty well so far, Warriors chancing their arm. Let's see how this levels out.

[Titan4Life]

We're looking determined. Hopefully we can keep it up.

- - - Updated - - -

Good tackle Zilly

[DIEHARD]

Cut us wide open. Damn. Just when I was enjoying the tussle. God we all got drawed.

[Titan4Life]

What a pass. Fooled us totally.

[DIEHARD]

Warriors miss conversion. 4-0 12mins in.

[DIEHARD]

Woah exciting calamity.

[Titan4Life]

Oh oh..... knock on 30m out.

[DIEHARD]

LOL 21 tackled himself. Im sure he appreciated that pass.

[Titan4Life]

Haha Hurrel aiming for the crowd.

- - - Updated - - -

Falloon off after 15?? Is he injured or something?

[DIEHARD]

I smell points.

[Titan4Life]

TRY Taylor!!! Nice kick and lucky knock on by Tomkins.

[DIEHARD]

Oh Tomkins. I thought he had that covered. Well don't Blair for setting that up. 4-4 kick to come

[hatchy84]

Blair excellent early carter everywhere

[Titan4Life]

Nice kick Henry :thumbsup:

[Titanic Believer]

"Blair looking sharp". is carty listening

[Titan4Life]

Zillman good pass.

[DIEHARD]

Wow Johnson, out of no where. Zillman just didn't have the pace to cover him.

[hatchy84]

Meady would of ran him down soft defence on fusitua

[DIEHARD]

Just when I was feeling very comfortable...

[DIEHARD]

Braybrook says its a possible back injury for Falloon. Could be gone for the match.

[Nick]

Anyone still loving KFFL?


..edit: then he makes a great intercept haha

[DIEHARD]

Strip by Warriors. And they get the scrum. LOL and they lose it. Kalifa gets some justice.

Exciting game though.

[DIEHARD]

Warriors should have a Gold Coast membership. Brisbane and Melbourne too. :P

[DIEHARD]

Taylor just willed to score. Amazing. That was a message to Mal and the Maroons!

[DIEHARD]

That's a try for sure. Give it.

[Titan4Life]

Good try Taylor!! 2 tries tonight. 10-10 ktc.

[hatchy84]

Taylor making a statement

[DIEHARD]

Oh Henry misses. 10all folks.

[Bayside Titan]

Sorry to say by KFFL and Don should be our wingers.

[Titan4Life]

Back three performing well. Halves doing good as well.

[DIEHARD]

Warriors getting smashed in penalties. 7-1!

[Bayside Titan]

Tonight is the first night I have this year that the bench have been vocal and into the game.

[Titan4Life]

We nearly executed a back line move. Let's go boys. Keep up the hard work.

[C-Whiz]

2 penalties, back to back, on their 10metre line. What are we going to do?
Dunno, they haven't trained for that....

[DIEHARD]

Warriors with an impressive try. That may put us 14-0 down but what a spectacle. An entertaining match for the crowd and viewers/listeners.

[Titan4Life]

Damn Warriors score :(

- - - Updated - - -

Missed the kick. Still 14-10

[C-Whiz]

Dave Taylor should be our centre.

[Titan4Life]

TRY!! Taylor 3 tries. Qld regretting their decision. Maybe a little knock on :D

[hatchy84]

Taylor on fire glad I put him in supercoach this week

[teke]

Taylor best in comp easy, mofo gonna score 5 tonight

[hatchy84]

94 in supercoach already for Taylor

[DIEHARD]

We should thank QLD for not selecting him!

[hatchy84]

Blair excellent aswell good half from everyone even zilly

[The Birdman]

Paul Carter is going to be an amazing footballer. Total belief in himself. Great half from him.

[Skyfire]

Wow impressed by the Titans. Happy to be 16 to 14. We got dis.

[CoastSportsFan]

Taylor is a man on a mission. Obviously wants a Maroon jersey for game two.

[Titan4Life]

Hopefully we don't throw it away. Everyone performing brilliant. Can't say anyone has been terrible. Let's go boys!!

[Mt Smart]

Tough game from the Titans. Impressive. If possession stats don't shift to evens in the second half the Warriors are done here.

Addit: Dave Taylor is playing the game of his life , awesome player in that mood , unstoppable , he's got Hurrell hiding like a little boy

[Bayside Titan]

Falloon out for night. He is dressed. Said it was a really bad cork.

[Titan4Life]

Need to stop Warriors offloads. They are deadly!!

[5 Year Contract]

Titans looking the goods but just shocking defensive lapses. Interesting second half coming up! Also first post! long time lurker first time poster

[Titan4Life]

Welcome to the forum!

[DIEHARD]

Follow the stats here http://www.leagueoftitans.com.au/score_stats.php

[DIEHARD]

Titans looking the goods but just shocking defensive lapses. Interesting second half coming up! Also first post! long time lurker first time poster

Welcome friend! 10/10 for the creative username! Very funny.

[Nick]

Well done to zilly for pulling the ball well and truly on the try line

[Titan4Life]

I didn't think their was conclusive evidence TBH. But oh well pay the price for letting them get upfield.

- - - Updated - - -

Good effort by Zillman and co.

- - - Updated - - -

Please shut down their offloads.

[DIEHARD]

My stream dropped out now we are 20-16, what happened?

[Titan4Life]

Mannering went over close to the line.

[5 Year Contract]

Thanks for the welcome. Yep username sums up my feelings towards the 'total package'. Why is fullback? Im yet to see him stop a try or even be in the vicinity of where the try is being scored. You will normally see him in his habitat of just making the edge of the try replay frame in 'cover defense'. That said we are doing the best of what we have at this stage and these guys are out there giving there all with a depleted team. Need to stop the silly penalties

[Mt Smart]

A bit of soft penalty square up going on after half time......our refs don't inspire any confidence , it's like they can only watch one team at a time.

[DIEHARD]

Mannering went over close to the line.

Thanks Titans4Life.

[DIEHARD]

18,763 crowd (I think)

Better than many of us hoped and a quality game to match. Very worthy.

[Titan4Life]

Thanks for the welcome. Yep username sums up my feelings towards the 'total package'. Why is fullback? Im yet to see him stop a try or even be in the vicinity of where the try is being scored. You will normally see him in his habitat of just making the edge of the try replay frame in 'cover defense'. That said we are doing the best of what we have at this stage and these guys are out there giving there all with a depleted team. Need to stop the silly penalties
TBH I think Zilly is having a pretty good game. A better game than usual from him.

[Dopamine]

Listening on the radio, sounds like a good game... Apart from the score line and the errors. Commentators saying Zilly playing good. Are they bullsh!ting or is he playing good?

[DIEHARD]

Lovely defuse by Tomkins. That was a testing kick.

[Titan4Life]

Listening on the radio, sounds like a good game... Apart from the score line and the errors. Commentators saying Zilly playing good. Are they bullsh!ting or is he playing good?

I think he's going alright. At times he seems dangerous.

[Bayside Titan]

Titans looking the goods but just shocking defensive lapses. Interesting second half coming up! Also first post! long time lurker first time poster

Welcome mate.

[The Birdman]

KFFL came in and stuffed up that read. No faith in his centre.

[5 Year Contract]

KFFL hopeless!

[Titan4Life]

Why did Fai fai loa come in

[Nick]

He didn't even come in, he was standing in no mans land.

[DIEHARD]

Holy. ****. Hurrell offload was amazing.

[5 Year Contract]

high ball just isn't working tonight need to try for some repeat sets!