Round 2: STORM vs TITANS

[DIEHARD]

STORM vs TITANS
Sunday 13 March 2016
AAMI Park

#NRLStormTitans

[gotitans101_]

Storm with the Monday curse...hopefully.

Stick it to 'em boys.

[karnage]

There will be more Titans fans watching this game in my lounge room on Sunday than there were in the Southern Stand at the game yesterday!:p

[Surfers66]

Hopefully Zillman slips on a banana peel this week...........Terrific game from Mead at the back again....

[JunctionBlock]

Simple fact is that Zillman and Mortimer will get named week in week out. Mortimer until the end of the year, Zillman till the end of 2017 depressingly. This week will be a good gauge on how we go against a top 8 team. I hope Friend sees more game time as we can't afford for the attack to get easy metres when Morts is on. Team needs a benchmark player to move up with and Friend does that, Mortimer does not.

The other worrying thing is that it appears Friend and Mcqueen are the only two players that can slow the play of the ball down. I think it's time for a new wrestling coach.

The other worrying characteristic is the fact we like to defend from sideline to sideline regardless of where the ball play is. Frustrates the heck out of me. You look at a Broncos defence and it's compressed and shifts. No gaps and gives second chances for lazy tackle attempts.

[Show and Go]

I don't think you can change a winning side. Especially not for Zillman. Douglas will come in for one of the bench forwards and that should be the only change IMO.

[JunctionBlock]

Live in hope, die in despair.

[Boonarga]

I hope we don't get butchered by the refs like the Dragons were down there tonight.

[Barrels]

I hope we don't get butchered by the refs like the Dragons were down there tonight.

That refereeing was borderline disgraceful, but melbourne have always gotten the good calls down in melbourne.

[Titanic]

The Dragons showed how to play the Storm in the first 15 but ran out of juice ... historically we go all right in Victardia.

[JunctionBlock]

So who's marking Koroibete? He's looking particularly hard to contain and most of the attack went down his side. Big task.

[DavidBouveng]

it would be Don i imagine.

hopefully Mead playing FB, but otherwise i wish it were he marking him - he did a rediculous job on Semi last year. one of his best defensive games ever imo. up and early, putting pressure on and forced a couple of errors and frustration.

[Titanic]

Maybe you'll get your wish DB because Zillman will waltz into our side but I think we won't see MacDonald this week either so Henry will go with a Cartwright-style selection such as Hoffman and Zillman or Mead in the centres. Add Mortimer into the mix and it's the Storm by as many as you like. I just hope I'm wrong.

[DavidBouveng]

yeah i think we all have that sick feeling in our gut Zill will be back, but i think Mead will play opposite side to Marika anyways

[Surfers66]

TAB pay $1.90 on Titans with a 16.5 points head start. Ill be on this rather than the win at $6 but still hopeful of an upset.

[DIEHARD]

Neil Henry facing several tough decisions at selection table for clash against Storm
http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/nrl/

BOOM youngster Kierran Moseley is edging closer to a *Titans call-up after an impressive showing in his first game of the season.

Moseley and Daniel Mortimer were locked in a struggle for the bench utility spot throughout the pre-season *before Moseley injured his ankle in late January, forcing him out of all trial matches.

But the 21-year-old rake could be named to make his NRL return today after a strong showing for Tweed Heads in their 28-24 Queensland Cup win against Easts at Piggabeen on Sunday.

Moseley played 40 minutes off the bench and impressed Seagulls coach Aaron Zimmerle with both his speed and workrate.

“I thought his decision-making out of dummy-half was excellent and he was that cut above in terms of the little efforts he made,’’ Zimmerle said.

“I think whether it’s this week or next week he won’t be far away from getting a go (with the Titans).’’

A call on Moseley is not the only tough decision that coach Neil Henry faces ahead of naming his team today to play the Storm at AAMI Park in Melbourne on Sunday.

Prop Luke Douglas will return from a one-match suspension but may be forced to come back off the bench after Agnatius Paasi’s Round 1 performance against the Knights.

Eddy Pettybourne left the field late in the Titans’ 30-12 win on Sunday with a bad cork and Douglas could come on to the bench as a straight swap if he is unavailable.

While Mortimer brings versatility with his ability to play at hooker or in the halves, *Moseley was believed to be ahead in the race for the bench utility spot before injury hit.

Mortimer was solid, if not spectacular, in 50 minutes off the bench for the Titans after captain Nathan Friend was forced off late in the first half following a head knock.

But with Greg Bird in top ball-playing form on Sunday, creating two tries, Henry may go for a specialist hooker against the Storm.

Moseley admitted it had been frustrating to be sidelined during the trials after completing the off-season slog.

He has the perfect mentor in Friend, a consummate professional who at 35, has played 222 NRL games.

“Not just on the field, his professionalism off the field is, I think, what inspires a lot of the boys,’’ Moseley said.

Henry admitted he had some tough decisions to make across several positions at the selection table.

With William Zillman (calf) and Nene Macdonald (knee) racing to recover from injuries, Henry has to decide whether to replace debutant centre Nathan Davis or shuffle David Mead back to the wing after his outstanding effort at fullback.

Newcastle forward Pauli Pauli is likely to miss a match after being charged with grade one dangerous contact for his late tackle on Titans debutant Leivaha Pulu.

[timor 2]

Titans
1 David Mead
2 Anthony Don
3 Josh Hoffman
4 Nathan Davis
5 John Olive
6 Tyrone Roberts
7 Ashley Taylor
8 David Shillington
9 Nathan Friend (c)
10 Agnatius Paasi
11 Zeb Taia
12 Chris McQueen
13 Greg Bird

Interchange
14 Eddy Pettybourne
15 Ryan James
16 Leivaha Pulu
17 Daniel Mortimer
18 Luke Douglas
19 Will Zillman (c)

Coach: Neil Henry

[DIEHARD]

Storm
1 Billy Slater
2 Young Tonumaipea
3 Will Chambers
4 Cameron Munster
5 Marika Koroibete
6 Blake Green
7 Cooper Cronk
8 Jesse Bromwich
9 Cameron Smith (c)
10 Jordan McLean
11 Kevin Proctor
12 Tohu Harris
13 Dale Finucane

Interchange
14 Kenny Bromwich
15 Tim Glasby
16 Felise Kaufusi
17 Christian Welch

Coach: Craig Bellamy

[Titanic]

Naming an extended bench is really a cop-out in this scenario ... for sure Douglas comes in, just whether it's for Pettybourne because of injury or Pulu but Zillman ... covering who? That's not the question, it should be kicking-out who? Pathetic :(

[JunctionBlock]

Good to see Mortimer retaining his spot after he had a solid, if not spectacular last game.

I'm starting to think that half of these expert commentators, ex-players and/or journalists don't actually watch games.

After watching Fox sports and to have half the panel try and tell us that Nate Myles is the signing of the season across all teams cause of the experience and 80 min "hard" football he can play (I'm looking at you Tallis).

Anyway, good to see our answer for limited interchange is to name a much larger bench. If they are in doubt then name them in Q Cup.

[Manzo]

just looking at individual matchups, storm have us in most but gotta like our 2nd row/,,,

[Barrels]

just looking at individual matchups, storm have us in most but gotta like our 2nd row/,,,

I don't think the Talent level is too far between them, not as much as people would think. Slater, Smith and Cronk are their best players, but Slater looked a bit shaky last week (although he did fix himself up) and Smith and Cronk are only human, they can make some terrible decisions at times. Tyrone and Taylor really need to step up and use feild position to control how hard the Storm work to get the ball out of their own half, get our forwards up in defence as quick as the can. I think we can get the run over them in the forwards they put their bodies on the line as they did last week. Mead should use this game to make a statement to Henry and show he is the only current FG Titan ready of the FB spot. I don't think we'll win, but I wouldn't be too surprised if we did.

[TitanSam]

Tyrone usually has a blinder against Storm ;)

[Mr Bods]

I see good old Skippy aka Nate Myles after one round is already going on The Back Page to do his typical smart Alec Mumbling. What a Wally.
So glad he's gone.

[karnage]

TAB pay $1.90 on Titans with a 16.5 points head start. Ill be on this rather than the win at $6 but still hopeful of an upset.

Ridiculous market!! I took the $2 H2H against the Knights (we closed closer to $1.80) and I will DEFINITELY be taking the +16.5.

[DIEHARD]

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy warns of energetic Gold Coast Titans

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy knows his side can't afford any slip ups against the Gold Coast Titans at AAMI Park on Sunday.

Both clubs won their opening round games last round and they also share a history of close matches at AAMI Park in recent years with Greg Bird kicking a winning conversion in 2014 and Cooper Cronk kicking a winning field goal in 2013.

Bellamy has no doubt the Titans' good form will come with them to Melbourne and he challenged his side to not let the Titans get comfortable on field.

"They always give us a tough struggle here to be honest," Bellamy said. "I know we got a win last year but the four or five years before that we might have won three or four of them, but those games always went down to the wire.

"They seem to enjoy coming down here for whatever reason but what's happened in the past doesn't matter now.

"What I know is that with the way they are going it will be a tough ask for us on Sunday afternoon."

The Titans were projected to miss the finals this season but their impressive forward pack and Bird's outstanding opening round form will challenge Melbourne.

"They are a very energetic team, very enthusiastic team," Bellamy said.

"All of the critics who wrote them off earlier in the year would want to take back their words at the moment.

"I watched their trial against South Sydney and watched their game last weekend and they are going along really well and they should be proud of how they are playing. It will be a real challenge on Sunday.

"If you get complacent when you face the Titans, with the way they are playing you will get hurt."

The Storm have selected an unchanged side for Sunday's game but they could make a game-day change to the side if needed.

Manly utility forward Tom Symonds has performed well against the Storm over the years and when told of reports Symonds is unsettled at Manly and looking for more playing time Bellamy admitted he liked the player.

"I think he is a really handy player," Bellamy said.

"He can play a few different positions, is very versatile and he always does a good job.

"I didn't realise that, we might have a look at that, thanks for that."

The Storm host the Titans at AAMI Park on Sunday at 6.30pm.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/

[karnage]

The NRL Supercoach talk website are reporting that William Zillman is unlikely to play. I hope they're right!!

[JunctionBlock]

Also mentioned Pettybourne out (corked thigh) and Douglas in.

[TitanSam]

Also mentioned Pettybourne out (corked thigh) and Douglas in. also Nene may come in pushing Olive to QCUP

[JunctionBlock]

Travis Meyn ‏@travismeyn 3h3 hours ago
Hearing Nene Macdonald will make comeback for @GCTitans against Storm, pushing John Olive to @IntrustSuperCup. #NRL

[DIEHARD]

Luke Douglas praises the improved mental strength of Gold Coast Titans
http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/nrl/

Gold Coast Titans prop Luke Douglas. Picture: Adam Head
LUKE Douglas praised the improved mental strength of the Titans as the Gold Coast head to AAMI Park tomorrow to play Melbourne.

Douglas is one of just four players – with Greg Bird, David Mead and Anthony Don – left from the Titans team that secured the club’s only win in Melbourne two years ago.

Douglas, who missed the club’s opening round win over Newcastle and may yet be left out of the team tomorrow, said the Titans would need to replicate that “intent” tomorrow if they’re any chance to topple the star-studded Storm.

“I remember it was a great feeling because there’s not many times you can say you beat Melbourne, especially down there,’’ he said.

“I forget how we played, our game plan or anything, but you’ve just got to go with intent, no matter, defence or attack, and try to get that roll-on because as soon as they slow it down it just plays into their hands.

“They’re a quality outfit across the park and they’re pretty clinical.’’

The Titans lost 36-14 in their only meeting with the Storm last year in a match that turned at half-time.

“The first half we definitely had the upper hand.

“I went into half-time thinking we were all over them,’’ Douglas said.

“But they get a bit of a rev-up off the coach and click into gear.

“They had a massive roll-on, they totally nullified us in the second half and it was *really hard to get a quick play-the-ball, and they totally slowed us down, and then their strike players and all their combinations.’’

The Titans will be underdogs in many of the contests this year but Douglas said they were working to change their mindset.

“A few guys at the start of the pre-season were probably not as strong mentally as they are now,’’ he said.

“I think we’ve got a pretty balanced squad who are all striving for the same thing and that’s to have success.

“We’ve just got to stay on that path.’’

Eddy Pettybourne faces a fitness test on his corked leg today which could decide if Douglas is recalled or left out of the team to play the Storm.

He may be the defending Paul Broughton medallist as Titans’ player of the year but Douglas would understand coach Neil Henry’s decision to leave him out.

“What I’ve tried to do my whole career is not give anyone else a chance to take my spot,’’ he said.

“It just shows that we’re going to be a decent forward pack this season if we can continue that.’’

[DIEHARD]

Melbourne Storm v Gold Coast Titans
AAMI Park
Sunday 6.30pm AEDT

The Storm closed out the round on Monday night with a grinding 18-16 win against St George Illawarra, while the Titans ran in three tries in nine minutes early in the second half to put the Knights away 30-12.

Prop Agnatius Paasi and lock Greg Bird were both huge in the Titans' win over Newcastle, both running for more than 150 metres and also getting on the scoresheet. Paasi was played in by Bird for the second try of the game, and Bird also laid on an assist for winger Anthony Don in the second half.

The Storm had an early scare against the Dragons, going down 10-0 inside 15 minutes, but a quickfire double from Marika Koroibete soon after turned the momentum the way of the Melbourne side and they were able to do enough from there to take home the victory.

Both coaches were clearly happy with how their sides fared in Round 1, with both sides naming the same 17 for this Sunday's match. Gold Coast have added Will Zillman and Luke Douglas to an extended bench, with the pair returning from injury and suspension respectively.

Watch out Storm: Greg Bird was immense during the Titans' 30-12 victory over the Knights in Round 1, and he made an impact all over the park. Bird ran for 158 metres, set the tone defensively, and was one of only eight men during Round 1 to notch two try assists. It was a solid all-round game from Bird, and with the lock loving the freedom that comes with the role, Bird will be looking to cause major problems for Melbourne.

Watch out Titans: Billy Slater and Cameron Munster both had successful returns to the Melbourne Storm line-up in Round 1, after injuries were threatening to postpone the start of their season. A fully fit Slater paired with a strong Storm backline may be enough to cause problems for their inexperienced opponents.

Key match-up: Jesse Bromwich v Agnatius Paasi. After a blistering performance against the Knights in Round 1, Agnatius Paasi will get the chance to go head-to-head with one of the best props in the world on Sunday night. Paasi ran for 165 metres in the opening round, which put him inside the top 15 in the competition for that statistic. Jesse Bromwich is coming off a stellar 2015 with the Storm, and was a big factor in the Storm's home win against the Dragons on Monday. Look for Paasi to try to build on his Round 1 performance against one of the best in the game.

The history: Played 14; Storm 9, Titans 5. Melbourne have the wood over the Gold Coast in their short history, with the Storm winning 64 per cent of the time. The last two results have gone the way of the Victorian club, with the Storm running away convincing 36-14 winners in their only meeting last season.

What are the odds: Sportsbet punters are looking for some value and they've found it with the Titans. There has been twice as much invested on the Gold Coast and incredibly, the Titans 13+ is the best-backed option in margin betting. David Mead has been backed at decent odds to be first tryscorer. Latest odds at Sportsbet.com.au

Match officials: Referee: Ashley Klein. Assistant Referee: Chris Sutton. Touch Judges: Michael Wise, Shane Rehm. Senior RO: Luke Patten. Review Officials: Steve Chiddy, Bryan Norrie.

Televised: Fox Sports (Live) – 6.30pm AEDT

The way we see it: Both teams will be looking to make it two wins on the bounce to begin the season. The Storm may have just enough firepower for the Titans, and the home ground advantage should equate to a Melbourne Storm victory. Melbourne by 10.

[DIEHARD]

Controlled chaos key for Titans
http://www.nrl.com

'Controlled chaos' will be the Titans' mantra as they look for a way to disrupt Melbourne's almost impenetrable defence on home turf and dictate the speed at which the game is played on Sunday.

With captain Cameron Smith calling the shots and halfback Cooper Cronk's execution the most clinical in the competition, the Storm have generated an impressive winning record at AAMI Park when teams score less than 20 points against them.

The Storm have won 13 of 17 games when they have kept a visiting team to less than 20 points at home in the past two seasons, often frustrating the opposition into errors with their own miserly mistake rate and an ability to control the speed of the ruck.

The Dragons on Monday night had 113 of their 143 play-the-balls take three seconds or longer whereas in their 17-4 loss to the Broncos the Eels had just 53 of 129 take at least three seconds.

Perhaps due in part to the torrential rain that lashed Cbus Super Stadium last Sunday the Titans had only 20 of 141 play-the-balls take less than three seconds against the Knights and veteran prop David Shillington knows that is an area where they must match Melbourne to be a chance of causing an upset.

"It's a pretty daunting sort of experience going down to play Melbourne. You know they're strong wherever they play but particularly down there," said Shillington, who has five wins from 15 previous clashes with the Storm.

"We all know that Melbourne can be so clinical in attack and defence.

"They're renowned for being the best wrestlers in the comp so there's no doubt we've got to run hard and try and break tackles and fight as hard as we can to get a quick play-the-ball.

"They want to slow the game down to their speed by controlling the ruck so we've got to play upbeat, fast football and try and cut that out of their game."

The Titans' 11 offloads against Newcastle last week were the fourth-most of any team from Round 1 with Greg Bird the most prominent with four on his own.

Shillington himself is one of the more proficient offloaders of the footy in the NRL and although he was responsible for just one against Newcastle, sees it as an area the Titans should exploit.

"Some second-phase footy can pull apart clinical teams like that," said Shillington.

"We've got some really good offloaders in our team, particularly in the back row with 'Birdy' and Zeb Taia, so hopefully those guys can do some safe, calculated offloads this week.

"When you have got people like Tyrone [Roberts] and 'Meady' (David Mead) who can run onto the ball through half a gap, hopefully we can be dangerous."

If he starts at fullback as named David Mead will have a critical role to play for the Titans in lessening the impact of the kicking game of Cronk and Smith by getting to as many kicks as possible on the full.

Whilst he highlights the need to complete at a high rate in order to keep pace with the Storm, Mead also said the halves combination of Tyrone Roberts and Ashley Taylor will need to chance their hand when they have the opportunity.

"We've just got to go down there and make sure we execute because Melbourne are a side that if you give them cheap ball they'll make the most of it. For us it's just about holding onto the ball," Mead said.

"Melbourne are probably one of the best teams at grinding out games so you want to get a bit creative as well and I think we've got that with Tyrone and Ash Taylor there.

"If those halves can provide a bit of creativity against a side like Melbourne I think we'll go all right."

[DIEHARD]

John Olive has vowed to fight way back into a permanent centre spot
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/

RABBITOHS recruit John Olive has vowed to fight his way back into permanent centre spot at the Titans after leaving the Redfern burrow for more opportunities on the Gold Coast.

Olive made his Titans debut at Cbus Super Stadium last Sunday as the Gold Coast trumped Newcastle but is likely to play for Tweed Heads in the Intrust Super Cup on Sunday.

World All Stars representative Nene Macdonald has recovered from a knee injury and should earn a recall against the Storm in Melbourne at Olive’s expense.

The 19-year-old Olive didn’t look out of place against Newcastle as he scored his first NRL try despite landing on the Gold Coast just a week earlier.

The NSW under-20s representative last year committed to the Titans for 2017-18 but was released in the final week of the pre-season to join the Gold Coast early and said he was relishing the opportunity.

“I was just focusing on playing for the Rabbitohs but unfortunately something happened,” Olive said.

“Souths and Titans came to an agreement. I was happy enough to come up.

“Footy’s a business. I’m just trying to focus on where I’m playing.

“It was a bit of a change and opportunity to play first grade. I’m trying to get as much first grade under my belt.

John Olive in action during a Gold Coast Titans training session. Pics Adam Head
“No matter who I’m playing for I’ll put my best foot forward to do what I can to get back in first grade.”

Olive travelled a winding path to the NRL, having been cut by St George-Illawarra as a 16-year-old only to be given a shot by South Sydney two years later.

He made his NRL debut as an 18-year-old on the wing but sees his future at left centre.

“Most likely left centre but anywhere at my age is good,” he said.

“Having a full pre-season under my belt really helped me.

“I felt pretty good (last week).”

Olive’s left-side partner Josh Hoffman said the youngster had brought plenty of enthusiasm to the Titans.

“He came straight in with a bit of larrikin about him,” Hoffman said.

“He adds energy and excitement to the team. He showed that on Sunday.”

Co-captain William Zillman will have to pass a fitness test on Saturday if he is to replace David Mead at fullback while coach Neil Henry will make a decision on whether Luke Douglas earns a recall after assessing Eddy Pettybourne’s corked leg.

[JunctionBlock]

Rumours around that Slater is out for tomorrow.

[TITAN PETE]

Rumours around that Slater is out for tomorrow.

They lose nothing with Munster going to the back

[karnage]

Yep, reports are Slater is out - here's hoping!! So with Olive making way for McDonald does Davis stay in the centres or move to the wing?? I'd be really worried, defensively, about a side of the field with McDonald and Davis together. Both are big bodies and neither of them look like they can turn really fast so Cronk could absolutely terrorise them kicking in behind.

- - - Updated - - -


They lose nothing with Munster going to the back

Haha!! Spoken like a true Blues supporter!!

[TitanSam]

They lose nothing with Munster going to the back id rather have Davis defending someone like Kennar than Munster I think.

[TITAN PETE]

Yep, reports are Slater is out - here's hoping!! So with Olive making way for McDonald does Davis stay in the centres or move to the wing?? I'd be really worried, defensively, about a side of the field with McDonald and Davis together. Both are big bodies and neither of them look like they can turn really fast so Cronk could absolutely terrorise them kicking in behind.

- - - Updated - - -



Haha!! Spoken like a true Blues supporter!!

You know if Slater played for us he'd probably be in the centres :thumbsup:

[Just-a-Fan]

Hi I feel a bit sorry for Olive he saved Hoffmans ass a few time last game but understand y Hoffman stays not Olive I hope Macdonald swaps with Hoffman and Hoffman plays the wing better that way I think

[Manzo]

macdonald on the wings sucks abit., hes a great center..........(defensive issues but good attacker) munster at the back is still a force, but makes the center job easier on davis like TS said

[karnage]

macdonald on the wings sucks abit., hes a great center..........(defensive issues but good attacker) munster at the back is still a force, but makes the center job easier on davis like TS said

He is lightyears away from being a GREAT centre. Right now, he is probably only just average NRL player standard. Like every single other player in our backline, he has got a hell of a long way to go.

I really hope that the Titans watched Souths destroy the Knights yesterday so that they get a bit of a reality check about exactly how well they played against the Knights last week. They need to improve from that game just to be competitive with the Storm - who are in a completely different class to the hopeless Knights.

[DIEHARD]

LATE MAIL FORM MELBOURNE
Billy Slater is out of the Storm side because of a shoulder injury. 18-year-old Curtis Scott will make his debut at fullback in his place. Also Ben Hampton comes onto the bench in place of Christian Welch.
For the Titans, Nene Macdonald will start on the wing and Ryan James will start in the front row with Agnatius Paasi dropping to the bench. As earlier announced John Olive is out, and :Luke Douglas returns to replace the injured Eddy Pettybourne on the bench.

[DIEHARD]

We have a chance with Slater being out.

[Supergoose]

Shillington knock on defies gravity. Based on the first 2 Reef decisions, this could be a long night

[Manzo]

bugger mead out of postiton

- - - Updated - - -

no kick pressure titans!

[JunctionBlock]

If he wasn't defending on the line then Smith could have walked through the gap. Lack of communication basically. Refs are on fire in Melbourne as always.

[Manzo]

mate they slowing play the ball down

[JunctionBlock]

Ash Taylor has that ball on remote control off his boot. Talk about accurate.

[Manzo]

finally a penatly

[Barrels]

looking ok now
try would be nice

[Manzo]

perfect play!

[Barrels]

looking good

[Manzo]

storm fb out of postiton

[JunctionBlock]

And all three Titans supporters in Melbourne go up in a collective cheer as Hoffy scores for the Titans courtesy of an Ash Taylor Cronk special.

[Barrels]

beautiful. Taylor looking a treat.

[Manzo]

cant affor to miss conversions

[JunctionBlock]

OK so by the looks of things we need to score under the posts from here on in.

[Manzo]

bring on passi

[JunctionBlock]

Penalties turning into points this arvo for both sides.

[Manzo]

davis - bird try assist

[Barrels]

oh yeah!!!!

- - - Updated - - -

that is a great play

- - - Updated - - -

every time we got into their 20 we've scored

[JunctionBlock]

Look at Meady, he's just everywhere offering options to anyone.

[Manzo]

we need kick chase

[Barrels]

davis is down

[JunctionBlock]

If Zeb plays 80 he's going in my fantasy team.

[Manzo]

sh#@t watch ur pass meady

[JunctionBlock]

Jesus, we aren't helping ourselves here.

[Manzo]

need to do big defensive set

[Barrels]

aye we are burning out

[Manzo]

yes kenny dropped

[Toads]

we're lookin' the slightly better team.

[JunctionBlock]

We haven't had a KFC ad, I was right in front but can we show all those people at home that we are sponsored by KFC please.

[Barrels]

wow a 40/20 ffs

[JunctionBlock]

Unfortunately Mead should have defended that (melbournes 2nd try).

And they're in again. FML And hoffy should have defended that (3rd try)

[Manzo]

we have opened up

[Barrels]

our defense tho

[Supergoose]

Will Chambers giving Hoffman a bath. Luke Douglas just scored for the Storm. Knock on and then a bad defensive read

[Barrels]

the sad part is that i think we have been the better team this half

[titanfan1980]

Douglas comes on 1 penalty 1 error, nothing you can do about that 4/20.. And I think shillington James starting is the way to go as it gets the other team tired and then bring passi on for massive impact maybe even turn the game.

[teke]

Titans playing good footy, it's the honest play the club has been looking for

[Barrels]

hope King has a good half time speech

[gotitans101_]

Will Chambers giving Hoffman a bath. Luke Douglas just scored for the Storm. Knock on and then a bad defensive read

Wouldn't be a Titans game without Dougie's drop ball.

[Barrels]

last 5 mins of the half melbourne had 100% possession

[Titanic]

Totally disagree with the starting pack ... Shillington, Friend and Paasi or Douglas but on tonight's form he'll be playing QCup. Funny how our middle third just went to pieces when he came on and I wonder if there's something there. James doesn't have big minutes in him, imho.

Hoffman no passes in 40 minutes and Mead seems to have adapted the Zillman jinks before the line ... take it up with speed!

[Barrels]

Douglas lloks a bit lazy imo. i would start him with shillo and bring paasi and james on.

[JunctionBlock]

Could be worse, could still have Myles. Hopefully Pettybourne is back next week. Or isn't there some guy from Canberra too?

And I'm very worried as to when Morts is coming on.

[Barrels]

very characteristic defense there

[DIEHARD]

Exciting game so far, lots to be happy about. Hopefully we can pull off a come back.

[JunctionBlock]

Best set of 6 I've seen all night. Repeat set.

[DIEHARD]

Amazing catch by Munster. Wow.

[JunctionBlock]

Morts is on. I guess if we want Friend to be an 80 minute player we can't expect him to make every tackle that comes up the middle. Huge effort.

[Barrels]

melbourne attack is way too good

[gotitans101_]

Thanks Shillo

[rj62]

that just sounded too easy

[JunctionBlock]

That shot of Henry filled me with real confidence. I hope he just has a toothache cause he looks like a defeated man. Hope taht didn't go on the big screen cause the players don't need to see that.

[Supergoose]

I get nervous everytime the Storm come towards Hoffman's edge. He's a disaster defensively

[rj62]

I get nervous everytime the Storm come towards Hoffman's edge. He's a disaster defensively

Maybe they should replace him with Zilly.....................not

[JunctionBlock]

Needed a bigger effort from Nene to try and take that aerial take. Hoffman apparently can add can't tackle to a list of things he can't do as well.

[rj62]

Just hope they don't throw in the towel. They have to continue to compete

[Supergoose]

Wanted: one left Centre who can hold an edge together defensively.

Not wanted: Josh Hoffman. :sigh:

[Barrels]

i think they have just given up

[JunctionBlock]

Wanted: one left Centre who can hold an edge together defensively.

Not wanted: Josh Hoffman. :sigh:

Maybe that trade with St george for Matauatia would be a good thing.

[Titanic]

Two weeks in a row we haven't found touch :(

[Barrels]

ROBERTS MISSED TOUCH AGAIN!!!!!!! ARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!

[DIEHARD]

Just getting torn apart now, undoing a lot of the good work. :/

[Barrels]

HOW CAN YOU MISS TOUCH. SERIOUSLY. HOW HARD IS IT.

[Toads]

What's Hoffman doin' out there.. :fist:

[DIEHARD]

Just hope they don't throw in the towel. They have to continue to compete

Yea me too. We want a team that keeps fighting. The score line doesnt reflect the match.

[gotitans101_]

See, we're still bad. Knights were just far worse.

[Supergoose]

I predicted a Will Chambers 2nd half hattrick at halftime. I wish I wasn't right. Hope that Konrad Hurrell move comes to fruition. Can't be worse than Hoffman. Hopefully he learns from this.

[JunctionBlock]

Well there you go. Zilly is finally better than someone in the team. Congratulations Hoffy, you win. You'll probably be awarded the captaincy and a 5 year contract.

[titanfan1980]

It absolutely does my head in when players come back early from injury!! Nene is obviously not 100% and he's playing like it getting beat in defense every time it's round 2!! If it were round 26 id understand

[Barrels]

Paasi and Taia and Mcqueen are still playing with heart at least

- - - Updated - - -

surely a try to us

[JunctionBlock]

Mortimer with a try assist. You have entered, the Twilight Zone. Do do do do do do do do ........

[Barrels]

so thats a knock on. might as well make it if they drop the ball at all its a handover

[JunctionBlock]

Melbourne on the attack after a dubious fwd pass call, I wonder which edge they'll attack?

[rj62]

What's the chance of a Zillman recall now after Hoffmans effort.....

Something to look forward too....

[JunctionBlock]

Don doesn't appear to have any speed. Had nothing but space between him and the try line and he didn't look like he even got two steps in before Koribete had him tied up.

[Barrels]

Hoffman is ****

[JunctionBlock]

And again on the kick return, he just got made to look foolish. Hopefully we can hold them out for the last minute.

[Nols of the Goldy]

Well that went well :doh::ugh:

[gotitans101_]

and that is why I refused to get carried away with last week's win.

[teke]

Melbourne played well so the result is expected.

A few one on one miss tackles in the defensive 20 killed us.

There are a few players that are very weak With their carries and it will never change

[Nam78]

Well things did change since the first 30 mins when we actually looked like a half decent team. Does our team even train together? Because it looks like they don't even have faith in one another. I feel Zillman will be back next week and so will Hoffman, they have to play them to justify their cost. Nene should have been given another week, Olive should of been left in at wing. I really can't believe how much some of these boys are on, and play that terrible. I'm impressed with Davis, he looked really good in the first half running all over the shop. Oh well that was kinda not worth the effort. So next week again boys.

[Titanic]

What can we really expect? Not too bad in patches but without any strike in the centres we will always struggle. Hurrell won't come but we do have Olive who will get a promotion now as will bloody Zillman.

[Manzo]

notice hoffman moved to wing near the end?? postives is no injuries (i think), ash is looking better and nathan davis is improving

[gotitans101_]

our defense on the edges is still so, so soft. If that's not bad enough, our forwards seem to love dropping ball and giving away stupid penalties.

[John Smith Sith]

Any idea why Nathan Friend doesn't get the full 80 minutes. He was playing great, why did they have to sub him in?

[Manzo]

cause morts is so good :(

[gotitans101_]

^ I can't answer your question but what I can say is Mortimer's service out of dummy half was friggin' terrible.

[Titan4Life]

God some of our fans need to take a hard look at themselves. No point sugar coating it but I've already heard people saying we should just deadset sack players or they are changing teams. While we fell apart, what more can you expect from a team like Melbourne? They are the classiest team in the comp and we just gave them too much possession.

Ash Taylor and Davis probably our best. Hoff had a shocker in D.

Good effort though imo for a team that has gone through a full rebuild.

[Nam78]

Pity Davis will probably make way for Zillman. Zillman to FB, mead to the wing again and Hoffman and nene in the centres.

[TitanSam]

I didn't think we were too bad.. Just Storm were too good. There were some negatives but still quite a few positives. I didn't think we were going to win anyways but it still wasn't a bad effort.

[John Smith Sith]

You would think you would try to have your CAPTAIN have as much time out there unless you want him barking orders from the bench. ****ing *face palm*

[JunctionBlock]

God some of our fans need to take a hard look at themselves. No point sugar coating it but I've already heard people saying we should just deadset sack players or they are changing teams. While we fell apart, what more can you expect from a team like Melbourne? They are the classiest team in the comp and we just gave them too much possession.

Ash Taylor and Davis probably our best. Hoff had a shocker in D.

Good effort though imo for a team that has gone through a full rebuild.

Same team that last week barely beat St George which is the same St George that got an absolute toweling from the Sharks today. I guess we will gauge our performances on bottom 8 teams. Let's see what happens against the Tigers next week.

Perhaps if people are going to give interviews about making left centre their own and have the coaches backing they need to back it up with performances rather than finding another spot on the field which they can't play in. He finsihed the game on the wing and perhaps that's all he is, a winger. Broncos knew it.

[Barrels]

I really like Davis. I think we play people like Hoffman and Zillman in an attempt to justify us buying them in the first place and not playing players who have earned it. I've never seen much in Hoffy ( as many of you are probably aware) and I it's no secret how we all feel about Zillman. Mead played well at fullback and should stay there. Nene takes Hoffman's spot and Davis keeps his centre spot. Our forwards play alright. Douglas had a better second half and Shillo made a few errors but was pretty solid. Paasi plays with so much courage he has really earn't my admiration. Pulu is beginning too aswell. Bring back olive, and have don on the other wing.

I didn't have much hope for us to beat Melbourne. They are too good, but the longer the season goes on without King addressing these issues than will be beaten week in week out. We played the first 30 minutes and then went to sleep and it isn't good enough.

[Mexican titan]

God some of our fans need to take a hard look at themselves. No point sugar coating it but I've already heard people saying we should just deadset sack players or they are changing teams. While we fell apart, what more can you expect from a team like Melbourne? They are the classiest team in the comp and we just gave them too much possession. Ash Taylor and Davis probably our best. Hoff had a shocker in D.

Good effort though imo for a team that has gone through a full rebuild.

Classiest team in the comp - you must be joking and they will struggle to make the top 6. I agree with your second point though in that we gave them too much possession and that sums up the crash and burn in the last bit of the first half. I think we are a workman like side but I was critical of buying blokes like Shillo etc as they are the ones coughing up the ball and putting us under pressure. All that said, I thought that there was a bit to like as we showed promise in patches, although the kicking game was back to kick high and hope.
Someone posted earlier today that our backline was great (or words to that effect). Well they were shown up badly tonight and I must agree with comments re Hoffman. Nothing positive about his performance at all.

[JunctionBlock]

Fresh off the NEWS limited press....

HAVING made it to within one game of last season’s grand final without their champion fullback, the Melbourne Storm have proven before there is life after Billy Slater.
Now, as Slater prepares to undergo exploratory surgery this week on the chronically injured left shoulder that could keep him out of the game for another extended period, they will have to prove they can do it again.
The initial signs in a mostly impressive 34-16 victory over the Gold Coast Titans at AAMI Park were promising. Particularly the seamless way Slater’s brilliant young understudy Cameron Munster returned to full-back and played a starring role in a rollicking victory.
Munster’s rampaging second half try was merely the punctuation mark on an excellent performance during which the 21 year-old revelled in the extra space — space which he seemed to miss when moved to the centres for the season-opener against St George-Illawarra to make way for Slater.
But if Munster’s brilliant form was reassuring, the Storm will still be anxious about the extent of Slater’s injury and, most particularly, how long they will have to deal with his absence.
Slater had scans on the injured shoulder after last week’s two point victory over the Dragons during which the champion full-back had appeared to make a successful return.
The Storm concealed Slater’s injury until about an hour before yesterday’s game when they put out a media release stating Slater had ‘’pulled up sore’’ after Monday night’s game. He will have an arthroscopy this week to determine the extent of the damage.
Munster’s immediate impact at full-back was an obvious fillip for the Storm. But over the long haul Slater’s absence could still prove a tough test of their depth.
Munster’s place in the centres was taken by 18 year-old debutant Curtis Scott, the former Cronulla schoolboy prodigy who had been pursued by a dozen NRL clubs before signing with Melbourne.

Scott had some nervous moments early in his first game. On his first carry he was dragged backwards 10 metres by a pair of Titans tacklers and, soon after, he dropped the ball as the Storm looked to attack.
With Scott seemingly vulnerable, the Titans looked to exploit the Storm’s apparent inexperience on the left side where five-eighth Blake Green and Marika Koroibete appeared, for a time, vulnerable.
The Storm had taken an early lead when Dale Finucane seized on Cameron Smith’s perfectly placed grubber. But when Titans’ half-back Ashley Taylor connected with Tyrone Roberts to score Gold Coast’s first try and centre Nathan Davis exploited those apparent holes in the Storm’s left side defence to score another, suddenly Melbourne was on the back foot.
But the Storm responded strongly, tries by Blake Green and Will Chambers before halftime restoring their lead and seemingly sapping the Titans confidence.

Melbourne put on three more unanswered tries in the second half before the Titans could regain their composure. Encouragingly for the home team, Scott became more involved and Munster’s typically barnstorming try ignited the crowd while the Titans looked more like the bedraggled outfit that had struggled for much of last season.
Having endured Slater’s absence, the Storm will take some confidence on their trip to play Wellington next Sunday. But Melbourne — and Queensland — will be hanging on his long-term prognosis.
Only two weeks ago, Slater had been talking confidently about the season ahead. Now his decision to play the opening game after a limited preparation will come under scrutiny.


My God it's like reading communist propaganda.

[Barrels]

Also thought Taylor and Roberts played really well. Taylor's kicking was near perfect for me and he had the ball on the string for alot of the night. Tyrone is starting to look like a more range kicker but I kinda wish he would run the ball a bit more. Just me maybe but i thought halves were good. Bird also set up some nice attacking plays and is looking in good form, would probably like to see him come off late first half and back midway second half. McQueen and Taia were also ok. Defence is the only issue i could really pick up on. We also seem to have some mentality problems like penalties and giving up after multiple defensive sets but i guess we're not the only team like that.

[TITAN PETE]

It's a reality check tonight that most of us realists expected & I'm not fazed by the scoreline it was about the difference between the 2 sides Bellamy recognized Hoffman as a weakness & the rest is history...

Douglas is a great bloke but he's the weakest big man in the roster, like Zillman the team can't carry good blokes anymore..

[JunctionBlock]

Wasn't Douglas our best player last year?

[Mexican titan]

Wasn't Douglas our best player last year?

Yep and I am prepared to give him one bad game. I thought a few of our forwards tonight didn't so much play badly, but no one really lifted. I thought Ryan James for one would be doing a bit more than he has shown so far.

[karnage]

I am surprised at the negativity on here after that performance. If you came into this season thinking that we were even going to win half of our games you were way over optimistic. The thing is, we played top 8 standard football for the first 35 minutes. For 35 minutes we were playing like a team that could win in Melbourne. Then, as a realist would expect from a young and rebuilding team, we fell away. But we never gave up. We never dropped our heads and we gave them hell until the very last minute.

Yep, Hoffman was rubbish.

Yep, we lose a lot in the middle third when Morts replaces Friend.

But there were so many positives. We have got something in Davis and definitely in Ash Taylor. But more than that we played with as we moved over midfield. Our halves could run to the line with options inside and out and out the back with Mead (who hopefully did enough to retain his spot against the Tigers!!).

We scored 16 points (should have been 18 to cover the 16.5 point spread!!) and all those points were genuinely scored - there was nothing fluky about them at all.

We are 1-1 with the Tigers (home) and the Raiders (no halves) on deck. I am really pleased at the start to the season. If you are not pleased now then you are in for a long dark winter when the injuries set into the squad and when we lose Bird to Origin duties and his annual suspension.

- - - Updated - - -


It's a reality check tonight that most of us realists expected & I'm not fazed by the scoreline it was about the difference between the 2 sides Bellamy recognized Hoffman as a weakness & the rest is history...

Douglas is a great bloke but he's the weakest big man in the roster, like Zillman the team can't carry good blokes anymore..

Douglas isn't worse than Shilington. That was his first game of the year and he didn't get the benefit all the other guys got of playing a QCup game against the Knights. Like a stayer first up on a Melbourne Cup campaign, he will be better for the run.

[Barrels]

Hoffman is the only player i'd consider moving from the team. Douglas wasn't great but he was alright. as MT said, none played bad but none lifted. Against a lower class team we would've won. Hoffman for Nene and that free wing spot for Olive. Pettybourne for Pulu for now, but I am more than happy to have Pulu back in in the future. We need to get the legion involved in having a chant for Paasi. He has blown me away by his playing style and I think he has become a cult hero the likes of Fui Fui. Give the kid and a catchy chant and he'll lift.

[DavidBouveng]

i agree Pete - dougie looked far off the pace tonight. he made some big runs in last few minutes but damage was done. first game of the year from him, so maybe he was not quite match ready. ill let it slide for now

across the first two weeks... Ryan james has been our most consistent prop. he played most minutes out of the props last week and made tonnes of tackles and hit ups, and this week he seemed to be the one most likely in both of his stints. He also has our quickest play the ball and makes the next forward look good. Paasi was a freak last week, and maybe needs to start?

Mead was out of position a couple of places tonight, but Zillman is most weeks, and Mead was still safe under the high ball - he just looks uncomfortable when he runs his sweeping lines and is trying to pass.

Ash is looking slightly better each week, and i think tyrone and him will develop into a good pairing. early on, the long high kicks was keeping melbourne pinned and starting their set from on their 10 metre line.

It was errors from Shillo and Dougie that started the rot and storm punished us to the full 6 points for most of the errors we made. shillo had shades of Myles in him tonght, but also made some sdtrong runs in there as well.

Hoffman was a shambles in defense tonight. Ash taylor showed more gumption stopping blokes.

Davis is holding his own. would have preferred olive on wing and nene in centres, but Davis has put in and played strong, making it hard for henry to drop him.

against a clinical storm - might also have preferred to have the experienced pettybourne in the side and let Pulu drop out ( someone correct me if petty was injured i just saw the omission and it didnt say any injury).

overall i think we are a young side who wont get smashed in the forward as often as we did before, and we have some good young halves improving as a pair, but it will take a while to get the consistency over 80 minutes as a team to match good sides. while we are going from competing for 40 minutes, to 50 to 60 to 80, which will take a year or more, hopefully a couple of guys drop out of the side and others come into the team.

- - - Updated - - -


Hoffman is the only player i'd consider moving from the team. Douglas wasn't great but he was alright. as MT said, none played bad but none lifted. Against a lower class team we would've won. Hoffman for Nene and that free wing spot for Olive. Pettybourne for Pulu for now, but I am more than happy to have Pulu back in in the future. We need to get the legion involved in having a chant for Paasi. He has blown me away by his playing style and I think he has become a cult hero the likes of Fui Fui. Give the kid and a catchy chant and he'll lift.

I think Ryan james lifted, and not just the hit and try, he was full of action all game.

But i love Paasi too. He is the cult hero for sure, but James performance seems to be going under the radar and is travelling really well.

[teke]

I didnt mind the Titans performance, they dominated areas of the game in patches.

[Mexican titan]

I think Ryan james lifted, and not just the hit and try, he was full of action all game.

But i love Paasi too. He is the cult hero for sure, but James performance seems to be going under the radar and is travelling really well.

We must have watched different games then, but I guess it's an opinion thing. I'm not saying Ryan is playing badly but I was just hoping he would really stamp himself this year. I guess King agrees with me because you don't start with your best players on the bench. It's a long season though.

[DavidBouveng]

We must have watched different games then, but I guess it's an opinion thing. I'm not saying Ryan is playing badly but I was just hoping he would really stamp himself this year. I guess King agrees with me because you don't start with your best players on the bench. It's a long season though.

thanks for proving my point so perfectly. King moved Paasi to the bench and started James.

maybe we were watching different games. In the match I watched James ran for the most metres of all of our forwards and was the forward who showed the most urgency when things were looking dire.

- - - Updated - - -

i didnt get it immediately either though. Went home last week after the game and was bummed thinking James had fallen behind all of these new forwards, but watched it again on TV, and he was really good. busy, made lots of runs and tackles, and was making good yards with quick play the balls. he was also playing that Dougie roll and passing at the line to the second runner. so i watched him a bit closer this week and he really quite good.

[Manzo]

just remember hoffman was one of the games best wingers.... maybe he can try that again

[DavidBouveng]

just remember hoffman was one of the games best wingers.... maybe he can try that again

id settle for some tackles. he has proven to be almost as much as waste of cash as Zillman. I had really high hopes for him too. i wonder if he will get picked up anywhere after us? i cant imagine he would.

[Supergoose]

Hoffman and a rusty Luke Douglas were the reasons we got behind on the scoreboard. Mortimer compounded that when he came on. Shillington was stripped by Cameron Smith early on leading to the first try. Other than that we were very decent and didn't deserve that scoreline, most of which can be attributed to Hoffman. If we can move him at least to left wing that should repair that left edge somewhat. I'm still hopeful we will finish higher than 13th.

[titanfan1980]

i agree Pete - dougie looked far off the pace tonight. he made some big runs in last few minutes but damage was done. first game of the year from him, so maybe he was not quite match ready. ill let it slide for now

across the first two weeks... Ryan james has been our most consistent prop. he played most minutes out of the props last week and made tonnes of tackles and hit ups, and this week he seemed to be the one most likely in both of his stints. He also has our quickest play the ball and makes the next forward look good. Paasi was a freak last week, and maybe needs to start?

Mead was out of position a couple of places tonight, but Zillman is most weeks, and Mead was still safe under the high ball - he just looks uncomfortable when he runs his sweeping lines and is trying to pass.

Ash is looking slightly better each week, and i think tyrone and him will develop into a good pairing. early on, the long high kicks was keeping melbourne pinned and starting their set from on their 10 metre line.

It was errors from Shillo and Dougie that started the rot and storm punished us to the full 6 points for most of the errors we made. shillo had shades of Myles in him tonght, but also made some sdtrong runs in there as well.

Hoffman was a shambles in defense tonight. Ash taylor showed more gumption stopping blokes.

Davis is holding his own. would have preferred olive on wing and nene in centres, but Davis has put in and played strong, making it hard for henry to drop him.

against a clinical storm - might also have preferred to have the experienced pettybourne in the side and let Pulu drop out ( someone correct me if petty was injured i just saw the omission and it didnt say any injury).

overall i think we are a young side who wont get smashed in the forward as often as we did before, and we have some good young halves improving as a pair, but it will take a while to get the consistency over 80 minutes as a team to match good sides. while we are going from competing for 40 minutes, to 50 to 60 to 80, which will take a year or more, hopefully a couple of guys drop out of the side and others come into the team.

- - - Updated - - -



I think Ryan james lifted, and not just the hit and try, he was full of action all game.

But i love Paasi too. He is the cult hero for sure, but James performance seems to be going under the radar and is travelling really well.

I must be seeing what you are, last week 2 of his quick play the balls lead to 2 try's and against Melbourne had the most hit up and and the only forward to run for 100 plus meters!! Talk about not giving up smashes Munster at the end re gathers the ball and scores.. And the thing I'm happiest with is his penalties but this year he hasn't given away one so he must have worked on it.

[DavidBouveng]

I must be seeing what you are, last week 2 of his quick play the balls lead to 2 try's and against Melbourne had the most hit up and and the only forward to run for 100 plus meters!! Talk about not giving up smashes Munster at the end re gathers the ball and scores.. And the thing I'm happiest with is his penalties but this year he hasn't given away one so he must have worked on it.

yep most metres, minutes, zero errors and penalties... but thats only in our version of the match we watched. there is an alternate match out there confusing people.

[shamus]

I said some time ago (Auckland 9's thread I think) that Ashley Taylor wasn't ready for NRL. I was wrong...

......also I can't believe no one has mentioned Mortimers grubber through for McQueen on the 1st tackle in the middle of the field! LOL.. even McQueen wasn't aware of it! Admittedly the game was already lost but handing back possession after 1 tackle :doh:

[DIEHARD]

Match highlights: v Storm
<script height="349px" width="620px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=fd5fc71d2bcc4b60a622cf8d3348d605&ec=xmZHR5MTE6b6reZuqWfmj1Y4Zrj3waP-"></script>

[DIEHARD]

Media conference: v Storm
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[JunctionBlock]

Did Henry just throw Ash Taylor under the bus as using him as the example of an inexperienced team? I think it was mentioned during the game, our kicking game was good, our kick chase was non-existent.

Friend putting his hand up for Melbourne's try after the 40-20 but the whole team seems confused as to whether they are coming hard up off the line or hanging back. I think the inexperience is in the team as a team itself. SO many changes from last season it's a brand new team. It comes back to lack of communication across the team and I would have thought that was Henry's job. Anyway, hopefully we can sort it out a bit better for next week or the only positive I can see is that Tedesco is my FB in Fantasy NRL.

[Show and Go]

My take on the game was that we matched them up forward but once they shifted wide it was all over. Plus they were getting quick play the balls and we rarely did. I thought bringing Paasi off the bench was a mistake. Why change something that worked? Hoffman is terrible defensively. Chambers gave him a hiding out there last night. The halves did pretty well but need to get a bit creative with their kicking game. Another big difference between the 2 sides was pressure on the kicker. It seemed like Roberts and Taylor had no time to kick. As others have said the kick chase was poor also.

[DavidBouveng]

I said some time ago (Auckland 9's thread I think) that Ashley Taylor wasn't ready for NRL. I was wrong...

......also I can't believe no one has mentioned Mortimers grubber through for McQueen on the 1st tackle in the middle of the field! LOL.. even McQueen wasn't aware of it! Admittedly the game was already lost but handing back possession after 1 tackle :doh:

ha i messaged teke or Hs about it at the time. funny thing is, i actually rewound foxtel to check who the hell it was saying out loud to wife ' who would grubber like that on the handover - seriously!'....get back and see mortimer who i had forgotten was on and immediately it made sense.

so funny.

and Ash is coming along nicely. good kicking, nice short kicking, is holding his own in defense and doesnt mind getting stuck in. pleasantly surprised by his physicality

- - - Updated - - -


My take on the game was that we matched them up forward but once they shifted wide it was all over. Plus they were getting quick play the balls and we rarely did. I thought bringing Paasi off the bench was a mistake. Why change something that worked? Hoffman is terrible defensively. Chambers gave him a hiding out there last night. The halves did pretty well but need to get a bit creative with their kicking game. Another big difference between the 2 sides was pressure on the kicker. It seemed like Roberts and Taylor had no time to kick. As others have said the kick chase was poor also.

i agree with you about benching Paasi being a mistake - however we played our best before he came on last night. i think that maybe no matter if he or james started that Shillo and someones else error would have cost us.

[titanfan1980]

ha i messaged teke or Hs about it at the time. funny thing is, i actually rewound foxtel to check who the hell it was saying out loud to wife ' who would grubber like that on the handover - seriously!'....get back and see mortimer who i had forgotten was on and immediately it made sense.

so funny.

and Ash is coming along nicely. good kicking, nice short kicking, is holding his own in defense and doesnt mind getting stuck in. pleasantly surprised by his physicality

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i agree with you about benching Paasi being a mistake - however we played our best before he came on last night. i think that maybe no matter if he or james started that Shillo and someones else error would have cost us.

I think ash should kick every ball!! He puts it so close to the try line and can actually get repeat sets.. Tyrone just puts up bombs.. Anyone ever think how bad Newcastle are going and think they still didn't want him.. Good news is Kane just resigned as I mentioned earlier I was confident he wouldn't can see ash and Kane being the future.. And I know everyone is high on passi.. But I think the more games the better he will b.. He's not as good in defense as we need him to be yet... Tbh I'd start him and James.. Take passi off after 25 bring on shillington then swap James for Douglas at 30...

[JunctionBlock]

Would it be conceivable that perhaps Mortimer thought that he was still playing in the Nines and thought he had a "free shot" or whatever they called it after an infringement, cause if he seriously thought that was the smart play then how can they justify his inclusion in our team?

[ozynorts]

We lost the game but on the bright side we are higher on the ladder than Manly......

[DavidBouveng]

We lost the game but on the bright side we are higher on the ladder than Manly......

i had a peek on their forum and there is MYLES of dissapointment. he is very high on the **** list.

[Nols of the Goldy]

I also went onto the Manly forum :laugh: They sure are giving it to Myles and their million dollar star player :rolf: I would take Elgey and Taylor and even Roberts over giraffe neck any day. He isn't worth the dollars, thats for sure. Nate plodded along tonight as we all knew he would. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside seeing them all imploding.

[DavidBouveng]

Paasi, Nathan friend, Nathan Davis and maybe you could squeeze in one more low coast player whose 4 salaries combined would be near what Myles was earning alone.