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DIEHARD
08-01-19, 10:25 PM
TITANS vs RAIDERS
5:10pm, Sunday, 17 March 2019 - CBUS SUPER STADIUM

TITAN PETE
09-01-19, 06:14 AM
The countdown begins :thumbsup:

lonegull
09-01-19, 07:00 AM
Cant come quick enough

Menoitios
09-01-19, 08:03 AM
Big Shannon should be pumped for this one! Me too!!!! Bring it on :cool:

DIEHARD
09-01-19, 07:44 PM
I think a bit of a count down adds the the expectation. I can't wait. I'm already really missing the footy.

gotitans101_
10-01-19, 11:53 PM
Bring on the footy since cricket in this country has become a joke.

Menoitios
01-02-19, 10:42 AM
Things never quite clicked for the Gold Coast in 2018 and Garth Brennan will want the squad to figure things out sooner rather than later in 2019.

The biggest question marks are over what to do with breakout star AJ Brimson, who must be in the starting side, and which of three viable options will start at five-eighth alongside Ash Taylor.

There is a chance veteran fullback Michael Gordon could be the odd man out if young gun Brimson is retained at fullback rather than reverting to five-eighth, where recruits Tyrone Peachey, Ryley Jacks and the returning Tyrone Roberts are also options to partner Taylor.

Peachey is also an option at centre, where Dale Copley, Brenko Lee and the returning Brian Kelly are already competing for two spots.Gordon can also play wing, though Anthony Don and Phillip Sami are settled there. Ex-Raiders prop Shannon Boyd bolsters what is now an all-representative starting pack.

Resident NRL.com expert Jamie Soward says:

"I would leave AJ Brimson at fullback and start Tyrone Roberts at five-eighth. The decision for Garth Brennan is does he put Tyrone Peachey on the bench or play him in the centres. The five-eighth role, Peach can handle it and will probably get first crack but Ash Taylor needs an experienced guy outside him and his record with Tyrone Roberts is really good.

"Their forward pack is in the best five or six in the comp but they look skinny out the back so maybe Peachey goes to the centres for Dale Copley, someone like that. Michael Gordon, I think realises he's a back up option these days, Brimson has shown he's capable of handling fullback and those two guys on the wing can handle it."

NRL.com's predicted Round 1 team:

1.AJ Brimson
2.Anthony Don
3.Dale Copley
4.Brian Kelly
5.Phillip Sami
6.Tyrone Peachey
7.Ash Taylor
8.Shannon Boyd
9.Nathan Peats
10.Jarrod Wallace
11.Kevin Proctor
12.Ryan James
13.Jai Arrow
14.Mitch Rein
15.Moeaki Fotuaika
16.Keegan Hipgrave
17.Will Matthews

Other squad members: Jesse Arthars, Morgan Boyle, Bryce Cartwright, Michael Gordon, Ryley Jacks, Max King, Leilani Latu, Brenko Lee, Tyrone Roberts, Jack Stockwell, Jai Whitbread

https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/12/30/gold-coast-titans-2019-round-1-predicted-team/

DIEHARD
04-02-19, 03:17 PM
Left-field selection options available to Gold Coast Titans for 2019 NRL season
https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/

THE NRL season is inching closer and with it comes intrigue about how each team will take the field in Round 1.

With the Gold Coast vastly improving their roster depth, questions are aplenty about how Garth Brennan may construct his 17.

We’re sure to see some left-field selections by the 16 NRL coaches at some point throughout the season so to get in the spirit, the Bulletin looks at five gambles the Titans could take that might just work.

TYRONE PEACHEY TO FULLBACK

Brennan last week declared AJ Brimson will play five-eighth, so perhaps it’s worth considering who could put some pressure on Michael Gordon if the goal-kicking veteran is struggling to make a dent from the back.

Peachey is arguably the game’s most versatile player and lined up in the No.1 jersey for Penrith on four occasions in 2018, including scoring a double in a win over Canberra.

Peachey has a dangerous running game and good ball skills, which could make him an interesting proposition for the custodian role – not to mention the fact Dale Copley and Brian Kelly could capably cover the centre spots.

BRYCE CARTWRIGHT TO RIGHT SECOND-ROW

Cartwright undoubtedly has played his best footy on the right edge of the field and second-row is best suited to him, allowing him to chime in without the playmaking pressures of a halves gig.

The problem is that specific position at the Gold Coast has been occupied by Kiwi international Kevin Proctor in recent years.

It could be a worthwhile experiment to shift Proctor to another role, just to see if it could unlock Cartwright’s massive potential.

MITCH REIN TO STARTING HOOKER

Many Titans fans believed Rein outpointed Nathan Peats in his first season at Parkwood.

Rein is a dynamic runner out of dummy-half and a busy defender but has generally been preferred as a supersub, with former NSW Origin player Peats given the starting duties.

If Rein continues to shine, however, it might be worth giving him increased game time to get the team rolling through the middle of the field.

RYAN JAMES TO SECOND-ROW

OK, this is not a total gamble given that James played his fair share of second-row last year.

James has tended to look more comfortable in the middle of the park but he does possess a running game that could test opposition edges – and such a move would allow Brennan to squeeze him, Jarrod Wallace, Shannon Boyd and Jai Arrow all into the starting team.

MOEAKI FOTUAIKA TO STARTING PROP

Fotuaika enjoyed a brilliant rookie season last year, making 16 appearances, mostly off the bench.

The 19-year-old matched it with the game’s biggest and best props and never took a backward step.

If he continues on that path, perhaps we could see him sneak into the starting side to allow Shannon Boyd to explode in an impact role off the bench?

Menoitios
04-02-19, 04:11 PM
I honestly can't wait for the trials, even though they'll probably just add to the selection headache. I hope everyone fires and GB can't decide who to name for round 1. What a wonderful dilemma that would be!!

DIEHARD
08-02-19, 02:32 PM
Raiders: Croker set for return from injury in trials
https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/02/08/jarrod-croker-set-for-return-from-injury-in-trials/

DIEHARD
13-02-19, 07:59 PM
Titans stars urge Brennan to unleash Moeaki Fotuaika
https://www.nrl.com/

Player power is piling the pressure on Garth Brennan to pick 19-year-old front-rower Moeaki Fotuaika in his starting team when Gold Coast open their season against the Raiders.

Little more than 12 months ago, Fotuaika was on a six-week train-and-trial contract that was first upgraded to a development deal and then ultimately, what at the time, seemed an extraordinary four-year contract.

He went on to play 16 NRL games last season and has continued to impress senior players to the extent that captain Ryan James has touted the Tongan powerhouse as a future leader of the club.

Brennan saw the impact the teen tyro had when he handed him his NRL debut in round nine last year and knows he will have a hard time keeping him out of his side for the March 17 season opener.

“The thing that has blown me away has been the reaction of the players around him,” the Titans coach told NRL.com.

“They love him. When it was announced on the bus on our way to Canberra last year that he was going to be making his debut, the roar on the bus was unlike anything I’d ever seen before.

“Players were jumping over him and cuddling him. We’re talking about senior players like Ryan James, Nathan Peats and Kevin Proctor.

“For them to be so excited to see this young kid make his debut and the way they embrace him at training sums up the aura the kid has. Players just want to play with him; they want him in the team.

He’s a real humble kid and the players just love playing with him

Titans coach Garth Brennan
“There’s no bigger accolade you can get from anyone. You can get Dally M medals and all those sorts of things but to me the greatest accolade you can get in rugby league is players love playing with you.

“He’s really pushing hard for a starting spot. That’s a big 12 months from a kid that was a train and triallist looking for an opportunity.”

Entering his second year as standalone captain, James recently attended a leadership seminar conducted by the RLPA where basketball legend Andrew Bogut was a guest presenter.

He is adamant that the quietly spoken product of Keebra Park High School has the qualities necessary to one day captain the club.

“I reckon Moeaki could be a leader of the future,” James said.

“He does everything right. He trains hard, works hard.

“He doesn’t have much of a voice but everything he does with his actions shows that he wants to be here and contribute to the success of the club in future.”

Brennan says the club should be immensely proud of Fotuaika’s graduation into the top grade.

“It’s been a whirlwind considering where he’s come from the past 12 months,” said Brennan.

“He gives everything he can every time. That’s what I’ve noticed about him above anything else. He gives everything he’s got every time, every drill, every time he’s asked to do something.

“He doesn’t say much Moe. He leads with his actions and what he does on the training paddock.

“He’s a real success story for the Gold Coast Titans. He was behind David Fifita and Payne Haas at Keebra Park, always playing second fiddle to them but he has come out and grabbed his opportunity.

“He’s a real humble kid, he just goes about his business and the players just love playing with him.

“He’s been a revelation.”

JunctionBlock
12-03-19, 01:31 PM
Team list Tuesday. Can't wait. Footy's back!!!!

BundyTitan
12-03-19, 02:08 PM
How good is it to see TLT back. Can't wait to see the teamlist Garth trots out, not expecting any surprises. Just as long as guys like Matthews and Stockwell don't feature in our top 17. Hoping for:

1. Gords
2. Sami
3. Kelly
4. Peach
5. Lee
6. Roberts
7. Ash
8. Wall
9. Peats
10. Boyd
11. James
12. Proctor
13. Arrow
14. Brimson
15. King (I hope to god he is picked and not forgotten after the injury last year)
16. Mo
17. Carty

18. Don
19. Jacks
20. Hipgrave

Bring on Sunday! The best part of the year is upon us lads :thumbsup:

BundyTitan
12-03-19, 03:02 PM
Titans vs Raiders
Sunday, 17 March
Cbus Super Stadium
5:10pm (QLD time)

1. Michael Gordon

2. Brenko Lee

3. Tyrone Peachey

4. Brian Kelly

5. Phillip Sami

6. Tyrone Roberts

7. Ash Taylor

8. Jarrod Wallace

9. Nathan Peats

10. Shannon Boyd

11. Kevin Proctor

12. Ryan James ©

13. Jai Arrow

14. Alexander Brimson

15. Moeaki Fotuaika

16. Max King

17. Bryce Cartwright

18. Mitch Rein

19. Dale Copley

20. Anthony Don

21. Keegan Hipgrave

Mr Bods
12-03-19, 03:33 PM
This is just my opinion
Great to see James in the 2nd Row (thrilled)
Would have preferred Brimson at FB and Gordon on a Wing, Lee Centre, Peachey 5-8 and Roberts on the bench
Not sure I like Cartwright being given a spot in the 17 straight away
Also I’m over the moon we don’t have both Peats/Rein in the 17. I don’t want to ever see them both on the field together again.

I’m sure the team will evolve.
Let’s see our team fired up and go hard on Sunday (in recent years our first 30mins of the season has been ugly)

rj62
12-03-19, 04:18 PM
Happy with that, thought at pains to see AJ on the bench, though that is the depth we have. I’m not about to complain.

Is he also still recovering from minor surgery?

Looking forward to the game big time .

BundyTitan
12-03-19, 05:01 PM
Hoping by at least round 5 that Brimson is starting fullback. Gordon is Mr Reliable but Brimson is an absolute superstar and needs to be there 110%. Gordon can either shift to the wing or be dropped (great depth to have). Other than that I don't have many arguments with the side. Best round 1 roster we've had in almost a decade.

Mr Bods
12-03-19, 05:32 PM
When do we know who the referee is?

And can someone put up the Canberra lineup please

Upthetits
12-03-19, 05:43 PM
Bundy titan abaolutely nailed that lineup well done mate.

Dooldog76
13-03-19, 05:27 AM
Awesome lineup with plenty of depth. I can't wait to see how we go. The team is confident this year, which bodes well.

JunctionBlock
13-03-19, 07:15 AM
https://i.imgur.com/tnSF8kr.jpg

- - - Updated - - -

So how is AJ going to get used?

1. Arrow comes off and Peats to Lock and AJ to Hooker?
2. Arrow off, Peats to Lock, Roberts to Hooker, AJ to halfs?
3. Peats off, AJ to hooker?

I don't understand this "super-sub". Our super sub is already on the field and playing centre. Rein should have kept his spot, Peats gets his rest and King comes on for Arrow.

ozynorts
13-03-19, 07:50 AM
Is he also still recovering from minor surgery?



Shoulder reconstruction..... Major surgery

- - - Updated - - -


https://i.imgur.com/tnSF8kr.jpg

- - - Updated - - -

So how is AJ going to get used?

1. Arrow comes off and Peats to Lock and AJ to Hooker?
2. Arrow off, Peats to Lock, Roberts to Hooker, AJ to halfs?
3. Peats off, AJ to hooker?

I don't understand this "super-sub". Our super sub is already on the field and playing centre. Rein should have kept his spot, Peats gets his rest and King comes on for Arrow.

Yep I don't like the options there. I can't see the merit in swapping combinations to "fit" a player in.

Surfers66
13-03-19, 07:53 AM
https://i.imgur.com/tnSF8kr.jpg

- - - Updated - - -

So how is AJ going to get used?

1. Arrow comes off and Peats to Lock and AJ to Hooker?
2. Arrow off, Peats to Lock, Roberts to Hooker, AJ to halfs?
3. Peats off, AJ to hooker?

I don't understand this "super-sub". Our super sub is already on the field and playing centre. Rein should have kept his spot, Peats gets his rest and King comes on for Arrow.

What about Aj to fullback, Gordon to wing, Brenko to centre and Peachey to hooker - peats off.

Mr Bods
13-03-19, 07:59 AM
Peats could well play the full 80mins. The Interchange strategy is a bit concerning. There could be a lot of swapping positions during the match. Cartwright’s entry could create a reshuffle as well.

psmitty
13-03-19, 12:51 PM
Gold Coast to hit Canberra Raiders with offensive blitz

Tony Webeck
NRL.com reporter
Wed 13 Mar 2019, 07:01 AM

Expect the unexpected.

That's the message from Titans players as their talented and versatile unit prepares to attack the Canberra Raiders from every angle in their Telstra Premiership season-opener on Sunday.

Titans coach Garth Brennan confirmed his team on Tuesday with Michael Gordon regaining his fullback position, Tyrone Roberts named to partner Ash Taylor in the halves, off-season recruit Tyrone Peachey to start in the centres and AJ Brimson and Bryce Cartwright to be used from the interchange bench.


Vowing to use Brimson in his preferred positions in the halves or at fullback, Brennan showcased the adaptability of the back-line in the Titans' final trial against the Broncos, making four positional changes in order to accommodate the 20-year-old just before half-time.

Gordon – who moved to the wing when Brimson came onto the field – said he doesn't expect to see such radical changes every week but believes such flexibility within the squad can be a real trump card for the Titans in 2019.

"The more unpredictable you can be the better it is for sure," Gordon told NRL.com.

"Because everyone does so much homework on left and right and players in certain positions, if you're changing them up then it throws something different at the opposition.

"If your winger or fullback gets injured it makes a massive difference. The teams that can adapt to those sorts of things are generally the best teams.

"Generally you've got one or two players in your team that even if you're not carrying a specialist on the bench they can play in the forwards or if there is an injury in the backs they might be able to cover in the centres.

"Most teams have one or two of those players and we're lucky that we've got quite a few of them.

"We could have four forwards on the bench and feel comfortable or an outside back and someone like Mitch Rein and two forwards. We've got guys like Ryan James who can play on the edge and in the middle and play 80 minutes.

"Having that versatility and variety is probably going to give Garth some headaches."

In an age where players are generally assigned sides of the field in which to operate in, Brian Kelly's switch from right centre to left in the 25-22 loss was a rare occurrence.

Having played on the left side of the field for the past two years at Manly, Kelly is confident playing either side and also believes it is a major strength of this year’s Titans squad.

"I've worked with both sides," Kelly said of his pre-season preparation.

"I worked with Phil (Sami) in pre-season on the left and then he came over to the right with me along with Brenko (Lee) and 'Donny' (Anthony Don). I've got my own little combinations with each of them and I'm used to both sides now.

"With the squad and the depth we've got there are players who can play left or right and with 'Peach' (Peachey) he can pull out of the centres and we can slot other guys in.

"It's a good tool to have for the year."

Entrusted with fast-tracking Brimson's education in fullback play, Gordon also warned of the dangers of changes for change sake and possibly disrupting the cohesion of the team.

"Obviously you want AJ on the field but you don't want five positional changes to happen at the same time," Gordon said.

"You work in your units and develop these combinations all the time and the more you disrupt them the more lack of cohesion you get.

"We’ve all trained in the positions and we’re all familiar with how each other plays but in a game you want to get into the rhythm and feel good together.

"The more you chop and change the more uncertain you probably feel at times. That's what the coaches are debating at the moment."

https://www.titans.com.au/news/2019/03/13/gold-coast-to-hit-canberra-raiders-with-offensive-blitz/


Even Gordon is concerned about too many changes just to fit one guy in.

JunctionBlock
13-03-19, 01:50 PM
Wish we had the same versatility in our second row and our prays would be answered. I hope when we are giving Canberra a flogging AJ gets the last 5 mins on the field, same as how we carried Cartwright for a couple of games last year.

BundyTitan
13-03-19, 06:24 PM
Pete Badel reporting that Shannon Boyd came to the club at 130kg and Brennan told him “I’m not picking you until you are 126kg”. Boyd went even further and is down to 123kg.

The boys are hungry...literally starving

DIEHARD
14-03-19, 12:18 AM
Josh Hodgson says Raiders ready for clash of the Titans
David Polkinghorne
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/

Canberra Raiders co-captain Josh Hodgson has declared the Green Machine is ready to go for their season opener against the Gold Coast Titans.

A revamped Raiders fly to Queensland on Friday with half a new spine and a trimmed down forward pack in the engine room.

Jack Wighton has shifted from fullback to join Aidan Sezer in the halves, while Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad answered the Raiders' call from across the Ditch to become the new custodian.

They've also given their defence a makeover in a bid to return to the NRL finals.

Hodgson was excited for the games to begin.

"If you're not ready now you never will be after three months of pre-season," he said on Wednesday.

"We're all good and ready to go. Everyone's just really excited for the year to be back again, it's been a long old off-season."

Raiders coaching consultant Michael Ennis said the new campaign marked a new beginning for the Green Machine, after a couple of seasons without finals action.

He felt Canberra are a team packed with potential, but they need to be wary not to allow that to be a dirty word.

Ennis has been brought in to help make Hodgson even better, and also re-jig their attack on the opposition's tryline.

"No one gets to the last game in October through sheer luck. It comes on the back of a really strong pre-season, through the foundations you build through the first six weeks of the season and the non-negotiables as a side you're not willing to budge on," he said.

"Canberra have got a side with potential, but potential's a dangerous word.

"You've got to be able to galvanise as a group and be willing to do all the things that we've seen from the likes of the Roosters and Melbourne that have been able to do that for so long.

"It's an exciting opportunity for them to be able to do that. It's a clean slate."

The Raiders will be without Michael Oldfield (groin), who is set to miss the opening two-four rounds.

With star flyer Jordan Rapana (shoulder) also out, it's opened the door for Bailey Simonsson to make his NRL debut after starting the pre-season on a train-and-trial contract.

Hodgson said a similar opportunity opened up for Nick Cotric on the eve of the 2017 season, when salary cap issues forced Edrick Lee to join Cronulla just days before round one.

"We've got depth, which is what we needed this year, we've got the depth to cover it," Hodgson said.

"With someone of Oldie's experience and we saw how well he went last year when he got a chance with us when Rapa was out with his hammy.

"He's always a loss for us, he's such an experienced kid and he's loved by all the boys, we love playing alongside him, but that's footy and sometimes that's what it takes for kids to get a chance.

"A couple of years ago we lost Edrick Lee for salary cap reasons and we ended up breaking Nick Cotric onto the scene and we saw how well he's gone from there.

"This is the opportunity that kids get and they've just got to take it with both hands."

Corey Horsburgh's another who has bashed the door down to earn his NRL debut against the Titans.

He was named on the bench after impressing in the pre-season trials.

"I know when [Ricky Stuart] spoke to me and a few other blokes about what our thoughts were on the team, he was in all our teams," Hodgson said.

"I think that speaks volumes - if you're a young kid and the senior players in the team are all picking you.

"I think he deserves a crack. He's really worked hard and I know he's really excited to be in the team."

DIEHARD
14-03-19, 12:22 AM
Titans v Raiders: Tyrone and Taylor reunite; CNK gets gig\
https://www.nrl.com/

The final match of the opening round pits two sides desperate to make a return to September action after a couple of seasons in the wilderness.

The Titans finished eighth in 2016 and were sent packing in week one by the Broncos. In the ensuing two years they have struggled into 14th and 15th and won a total of 15 games.

The Raiders were on fire in 2016, finishing the regular season in second place and going all the way to the preliminary final, where they were narrowly beaten by the Storm. Since then the Green Machine has spluttered into 10th spot in 2017 and 2018.

The Cbus Super Stadium clash also pits ex-Raider Shannon Boyd against his former club and the Titans will be hoping the former Test prop is ready to rip and tear and churn out some big metres.

The Titans' pack looms as massive strength in 2019 as Boyd joins the impressive Ryan James, Jarrod Wallace, Kevin Proctor and Jai Arrow.

If Garth Brennan can get big minutes and big impact out of his starting forwards then the Titans can certainly push for a return to finals footy.

Titans: Michael Gordon is the Gold Coast fullback with AJ Brimson the bench utility, with Tyrone Roberts reuniting with Ash Taylor in the halves. New signing Tyrone Peachey is in the centres while Shannon Boyd starts at prop.

Raiders: New signing Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad lines up at fullback with Bailey Simonsson on the wing in place of the injured Jordan Rapana. English recruit John Bateman starts at lock with countryman Ryan Sutton named on the interchange alongside rookie Corey Horsburgh.

Venue:Cbus Super Stadium

Key match-up
The battle of the playmakers is always critical but the one to watch here could be former Blues No.9 Nathan Peats matching motors with the crafty Englishman Josh Hodgson. A torn ACL suffered at the 2017 World Cup kept Hodgson sidelined until round 15 last year and his absence was sorely felt in the national capital. They won three of their first four upon his return but had conceded too much ground to the leading contenders. Peats played all three Origins for NSW in 2017 and will be keen to hit the ground running as he looks to stake a claim for the jersey currently in the hands of Damien Cook.

For the Titans to win
They need a bumper crowd to roll in for round one and create an intimidating environment which will throw the Raiders out of their rhythm. And they need to find a strike weapon who can get to the tryline more regularly. The reliable Anthony Don (15 tries) and Phillip Sami (14) led the way in 2018 but it's time the inside men supplied enough quality ball for a centre or winger to bag 20-odd tries in a season. The club record still stands at 16 tries in a season (David Mead 2011, James Roberts 2015) and it's high time that was broken.

For the Raiders to win
Play field position all day long and let Hodgson do his stuff from close range. If Aidan Sezer and Jack Wighton have their kicking game in order and pin the home side deep in their own territory, they can crank up their defence and force errors. With Hodgson calling the shots, the likes of Nick Cotric, Joey Leilua and Jarrod Croker should latch on to plenty of quality ball and we've all seen what the Green Machine can do when it slips into overdrive. Only South Sydney (582) scored more points than the Raiders (563) last season.

And another thing
The Raiders have to find a way to win close matches. In games where the margin was fewer than six points last season they lost eight and won only three. When these two sides met in the opening round in 2018 the Raiders let an 18-0 lead slip away before going down 30-28.

Brett Kimmorley says ...
Both sides will play a lot of football and ask a lot of questions. I would like to see the Titans be a bit more consistent and be a top-eight side, I would love to see them in the finals. Having Mal Meninga up there will breathe a bit of confidence into the whole club. For the Raiders, I'm very excited with the prospect of Jack Wighton playing at five-eighth. He's a wonderful running player – he reminds me a lot of Laurie Daley's frame as a running back who can take on any defender. Titans by 4

Titans Stat Attack
Of the eight teams that failed to make the finals last year the Titans conceded the second highest amount of penalties with 218, at an average of nine penalties per match. Interestingly, the only non-finals side to give away more penalties in the regular season was Canberra (225 penalties).

Raiders Stat Attack
The Raiders' potent attacking skills produced 111 line breaks in 2018, third best in the NRL behind Souths and Cronulla. Powerhouse winger Nick Cotric was responsible for 20 of those line breaks and he'll be a constant danger to the Titans' defence.

Head to head in the NRL era (since 1998)
Played: 22; Titans 12 wins, Raiders 10 wins
Latest result: Raiders won 32-18 in round 9, 2018
At this venue: Titans 47% wins, Raiders 36% wins

Bayside Titan
14-03-19, 04:23 PM
Taylor could be out for the game.

psmitty
14-03-19, 04:40 PM
Taylor could be out for the game.

Why what are you hearing?

Hail Sezer
14-03-19, 04:49 PM
Taylor could be out for the game.

Just to clarify - I believe this was posted on Twitter by Readingtheplay who usually has some good inside information.

Unless you’ve received this from elsewhere BT?

Mr Bods
14-03-19, 05:04 PM
I found it interesting that both Copley and Don were picked on the extended bench. This Taylor theory sort of explains why. More options.

Taylor wasn’t mentioned in the injury update

Does anyone have anything to add to this?? Someone must have some mail.

DavidBouveng
14-03-19, 06:39 PM
courier mail has a paywalled article about it,

I figured Rein will just come onto the bench and Aj slots into halves if it happens,

SCoast Titan
14-03-19, 06:47 PM
AJ Brimson on call as Ash Taylor faces uphill battle to be fit for Round 1 clash with the Raiders
MARCH 14, 2019
Emerging Titans star AJ Brimson is bracing for an eleventh hour starting call-up as halfback Ash Taylor battles to prove his fitness for Sunday’s Round 1 clash against the Raiders.

Taylor was quarantined from training on Thursday after coming down with an illness three days before the Titans kick off their 2019 campaign at Cbus Super Stadium.


Ash Taylor is in doubt for Round 1. Picture: Adam Head
Gold Coast coach Garth Brennan is expecting Taylor to play, however Brimson has been placed on standby.

If Taylor is ruled out, Brimson will move into the five-eighth role he starred in last year, with Tyrone Roberts shifting to halfback.

Brimson, 20, played 15 NRL games in his debut season to be nominated for the Dally M rookie of the year, but was named to come off the bench against Canberra as he continues his return from a shoulder reconstruction.


AJ Brimson is on standby in the case Ash Taylor doesn’t play. Picture: Adam Head
Brennan said he believed Taylor would be cleared to play.

“He didn’t train because he has been feeling a bit crook,” Brennan said.

“He will be ready to go, I don’t anticipate any issues.

“He was kept off the park. If he is crook I didn’t want it going through the team so I kept him out.

“He should train (Saturday) and if not he will be ready by Sunday. I’m not too concerned.”

If Brimson is promoted to the starting side, it is likely hooker Mitch Rein will be called on to the bench.

Firetruck
14-03-19, 07:10 PM
I was at training on Tuesday and Taylor was absent. Roberts ran at half and Brimson at No.6 for the full session

Mr Bods
14-03-19, 07:56 PM
Thanks everyone for those posts
If he was crook on Tuesday I like his chances of recovering

AND does anyone know if the Raptors are doing the $5 parking again on Sunday?

Bayside Titan
14-03-19, 09:17 PM
Just to clarify - I believe this was posted on Twitter by Readingtheplay who usually has some good inside information.

Unless you’ve received this from elsewhere BT?

Nah mate. As you said saw the post by RTP. He seems to have a good rate at getting inside info correct.

https://twitter.com/dungeylee/status/1106076891927080960?s=21

rj62
14-03-19, 09:43 PM
I’m sure we have a ready made half in Ryley Jacks floating around somewhere

JunctionBlock
15-03-19, 07:53 AM
Bench will make more sense if he's out.

PS great to see the Donkeys go down last night.

BundyTitan
15-03-19, 10:35 AM
Hopefully it's just a precautionary thing, resting him from training so he's all good for game day. Ash would be a big loss but if he's out surely AJ to 5/8 and Rein to bench utility.

This game is an absolute must win. In the next 3 weeks we face Sharks, Bunnies and Warriors all away from home. Need to beat the Raiders and then knock off at least one more of those teams to at least start 2-2.

Mr Bods
15-03-19, 11:06 AM
^^^ absolutely. You must be at least 2-2 at the end of round 4. You make a great point. We can’t be sluggish we need to get this win on Sunday or we are already under huge pressure.

BundyTitan
15-03-19, 11:30 AM
@SimonBrunsdon from Fox Sports
Ash Taylor in serious doubt for the @GCTitans ... quad injury has flared up today. Tyrone Peachey could jump into the halves, and either Dale Copley or Anthony Don could come into the backline. AJ Brimson on the pine too .... plenty of cover if Taylor ruled out. Titans run pretty deep this year!

GCTTSD
15-03-19, 11:33 AM
If ash is out I think I'd rather see Peachey start at 6 then move to a ballplaying lock when AJ comes on, either way we'll find out if Roberts is the real deal

Mr Bods
15-03-19, 11:59 AM
@SimonBrunsdon from Fox Sports
Ash Taylor in serious doubt for the @GCTitans ... quad injury has flared up today. Tyrone Peachey could jump into the halves, and either Dale Copley or Anthony Don could come into the backline. AJ Brimson on the pine too .... plenty of cover if Taylor ruled out. Titans run pretty deep this year!

So the “illness” is now a “quad injury”??
What to believe.

JunctionBlock
15-03-19, 12:22 PM
If ash is out I think I'd rather see Peachey start at 6 then move to a ballplaying lock when AJ comes on, either way we'll find out if Roberts is the real deal

Who's the ball playing lock?

GCTTSD
15-03-19, 12:24 PM
Who's the ball playing lock?

Peachey when AJ comes on at 6

JunctionBlock
15-03-19, 01:14 PM
Peachey when AJ comes on at 6

Oh I get it.

Mexican titan
15-03-19, 03:08 PM
If ash is out I think I'd rather see Peachey start at 6 then move to a ballplaying lock when AJ comes on, either way we'll find out if Roberts is the real deal

I'm a simple man and need a simple life. If Taylor is out wouldn't AJ just come straight in to his position, without the need to disrupt anyone else. Then I assume Rein on to the bench.

JunctionBlock
15-03-19, 06:32 PM
https://i.imgur.com/upNdtfM.png

Anyone there that hates us Bods?

DavidBouveng
15-03-19, 06:58 PM
^^^ absolutely. You must be at least 2-2 at the end of round 4. You make a great point. We can’t be sluggish we need to get this win on Sunday or we are already under huge pressure.

Hahahahah.

We haven't played a single game for the year and we are already in a mini GF!

Laughing with you mate, not having a go at you.

Mr Bods
15-03-19, 08:43 PM
https://i.imgur.com/upNdtfM.png

Anyone there that hates us Bods?


Bunch of Neville’s. Good.

- - - Updated - - -


Hahahahah.

We haven't played a single game for the year and we are already in a mini GF!

Laughing with you mate, not having a go at you.

Ha ha...very good. We must be 2-2 at worst after round 4. To avoid me saying mini GF early in the year we need to get this win. Team/Fans/Owners/Community need this one.
Go Titans
Go Beautiful City
Go Beautiful Club

Mr Bods
16-03-19, 09:57 AM
Please-does anyone know If the Raptors are doing parking tomorrow???

DIEHARD
16-03-19, 12:40 PM
Taylor up for the test
http://www.gcbulletin.com.au

TITANS halfback Ash Taylor has spoken of his mission to live up to his $3 million contract after bouncing back from the lowest point of his career.

Taylor is racing to prove his fitness for tomorrow’s Round 1 NRL clash against Canberra at Cbus Super Stadium after being struck down by illness and injury.

The Gold Coast No.7 has been battling a virus and thigh injury this week and needs to pass a fitness test at training this morning to be cleared to face the Raiders.

Taylor will celebrate his 24th birthday tomorrow and would love nothing more than to kick off the Gold Coast’s 2019 NRL campaign with a victory on home soil.

Taylor is in the first year of a $1 million-a-season contract, making him the Gold Coast’s highest-paid player and one of the NRL’s elite earners.

Taylor said last year was the toughest of his blossoming career, but he was ready to live up to the hype.

“I want to improve on last year, I started well last year and faded away a little bit,” Taylor said. “There was a lot of pressure on me to perform and I took that on.

“It was just a slump in my career. I’ve never been that low in my career before and it was tough trying to pick it back up.

“I need to do a better job this year. I’m better for it. I’m more experienced and have had another pre-season under my belt where I have trained my backside off.”

Taylor has stripped 5kg under the Gold Coast’s new fitness regimen and is better prepared for the rigours of the NRL than ever.

But despite his lofty salary, the former Brisbane Broncos junior is adamant he cannot carry the Titans on his own.

The return of close friend Tyrone Roberts in the No. 6 jersey has alleviated some of the pressure on Taylor, and the Gold Coast has recruited well with NSW Origin utility Tyrone Peachey another attacking threat.

“You can’t really go well if the rest of the team ain’t going well,” Taylor said.

“There are 13 players out on that field, people forget that. People tend to make mistakes and that’s part of the game.”

DIEHARD
16-03-19, 01:19 PM
'No excuses' for Canberra Raiders against Gold Coast Titans: Stuart
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/no-excuses-for-canberra-raiders-against-gold-coast-titans-stuart-20190315-p514fz.html

No excuses. Not the new halves pairing. Not the raft of debutantes. Not the revamped defence. Not even the Sydney storms that wreaked havoc with their travel plans.

Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is having none of it. His players are fully prepared for their season opener against the Gold Coast Titans, now it comes down to individuals performing on Sunday.

They had their flights to the Gold Coast moved forward on Friday, only for delays to then see them fly out at a similar time to originally planned.

But with their captain's run on Saturday, the Green Machine's long pre-season is done. Now the fun begins.

As the second-best attack in the NRL last season, the Raiders have put a massive focus on fixing their defence, which ranked fifth for points conceded in 2018.

Stuart said it was now down to the players putting all their hard work into practice against the Titans.

"We've had a lot of preparation and training around it. Now it's about individual performance in regards to both sides - defence and attack - and the overall result comes back to the individual performance," Stuart said on Friday.

"I'm expecting everyone to play well. We've had a very good off-season and there's certainly no excuses."

It's a vastly different Raiders outfit running out against the Titans, who have had an overhaul of their own.

Plenty of questions will start to get answered when the Green Machine run out against the Gold Coast.

Although Stuart said his Canberra side will be something of a work in progress.

Jack Wighton has jumped into the Canberra halves alongside Aidan Sezer, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad flew across the ditch to fill a hole at fullback, while Jordan Rapana's (shoulder) absence has given Bailey Simonsson his NRL debut on the wing.

While 50 per cent of the spine has changed, Stuart was happy with their cohesion - especially given Nicoll-Klokstad only arrived in Canberra about a month ago.

The Titans have a forward pack bolstered by the arrival of ex-Raiders prop Shannon Boyd, while their centres have been strengthened by Tyrone Peachey (Penrith) and Brian Kelly (Manly) joining them.

Tyrone Roberts has returned to the Gold Coast after playing in the Super League grand final last year.

"The new combinations will take a bit of time, but I'm very happy with how the cohesion and the combination with a short time together has worked at training," Stuart said.

There's also been an overhaul of the forward pack, which has been trimmed down to have more mobility.

Josh Papalii has emerged as their front-row enforcer, with another NRL debutant in Corey Horsburgh banging the door down with his efforts in the pre-season.

They've also added John Bateman and Ryan Sutton from England.

Bateman has played 15 Tests for England and more than 150 Super League games, while Sutton has more than 100 appearances for Wigan.

Nicoll-Klokstad played seven NRL games for the New Zealand Warriors before joining the Raiders in February.

In all they have five players making their Raiders debut, with two of those making their first-grade debut, but Stuart said that wasn't a concern.

"Having five new players is exciting for the club and they've got a great opportunity being a Raider and being proud of the jumper," he said.

"The best way to be proud of it is by playing well."

DIEHARD
16-03-19, 01:20 PM
LeagueUnlimited match preview: https://leagueunlimited.com/news/32884-titans-v-raiders-preview/

TITAN PETE
16-03-19, 05:15 PM
1 sleep before it’s Christmas morning & let’s hope the storms can hold off till after full time as we all now how Shyte a Raiders crowd is on a sunny day....

Don’t care about the weather or the crowd just want the win :thumbsup:

#ponchopacked

JunctionBlock
16-03-19, 09:41 PM
WB. Rain isn't looking like it will be cooperating. Hopefully we put 40 on them.

SCoast Titan
17-03-19, 06:16 AM
Mal Meninga’s blunt message to Titans: ‘Failure not an option’
FEBRUARY 26, 2019
Titans performance boss Mal Meninga has warned Gold Coast players there are “no excuses” and says they must make the finals this season to ensure the club’s long-term survival.

The Sunday Mail can reveal Meninga has personally addressed the entire Titans squad to declare he will not accept failure ahead of Sunday’s season-opener against Canberra at Cbus Super Stadium.

Appointed in November as the Titans’ performance and culture chief, Meninga launches his Gold Coast era determined to drive new standards of excellence, ironically against his former Canberra club. The Titans run out against the Raiders under mounting pressure to rectify almost a decade of abject underachievement.


Mal Meninga says 2019 is now or never for the Titans. Picture: Adam Head
The Gold Coast have made the playoffs just once since 2010. They have finished in the bottom four five times in the past eight seasons, sinking to an embarrassing nadir in 2011 when they won just six games to finish with the wooden spoon.

A fortnight ago, Meninga summoned the Titans squad for a meeting at a team camp at Kingscliff. The league Immortal made it clear – it’s time to perform and make the finals or risk the Titans perishing.

“If we don’t make the playoffs this season, we are kidding ourselves,” Titans skipper Ryan James said.


Ryan James says the Titans have been rebuilding long enough and it is finals or bust in 2019. Picture: Getty Images
“Mal has spoken to the group. There’s no two ways about it – finals is the expectation this season, 100 per cent.

“We had a camp at Kingscliff a few weeks ago and Mal spoke to the team at length about respect and what the Titans mean to the region.

“He said there’s no excuses. We have to do something for the Gold Coast this year. Mal has such an aura that it really hit home with the players.

“He said we have to respect the past to ensure the club’s future. He told us what we have to play for and the success we need to keep this club alive on the Gold Coast.”


The Titans begin their 2019 campaigh against the Raiders in the final match of round one. Picture: Nigel Hallett
The Titans finished 14th last season but enter the 2019 premiership armed with the playing depth to be a serious contender for the top eight.

Origin and Test star Tyrone Peachey, an off-season recruit from Penrith, adds class in the centres.

The clever Tyrone Roberts returns from England to partner $1 million man Ash Taylor in the halves and 126kg monster Shannon Boyd will make his Titans debut today against his former Raiders club.

Test coach Meninga believes the Titans have the talent, smarts and toughness to be a finals force, but says they must develop a harder mental edge to realise their potential.

“We need to build the players’ physical and mental strength to consistently win tight games,” Meninga said.

psmitty
17-03-19, 06:29 AM
Game day is finally here. Great time of the year where we can all dream again. Here is hoping for a good year. Titans by 8 in this mini GF

Mexican titan
17-03-19, 08:47 AM
I only have two fears for today. One is that we will lose this mini GF, hopefully not. The other is that my car, which will be parked at the train station will be under one of the possible severe storms that are predicted. It's not long repaired from hail damage.
In relation to the mini GF, if we want to play finals we must beat the sides that are around the same standard as us, especially at home. Looking forward to it.

Mr Bods
17-03-19, 09:02 AM
I’m not declaring today a mini GF but a loss today and I won’t be far off declaring an upcoming game one already. Be a massive disappointment and Brennan will be under the pump if we do get done. Titans fans put up with too much crap from our team. Get the job done and get us a win at home.

Is there any news on Taylor??

rj62
17-03-19, 09:09 AM
I really can’t see round 1 being a make or break, sorry. I mean, take a look at the Cowboys run a few years ago. It’s a long season.

I would much prefer the game not be played in rain, though am still confident either way.

Looking forward to it with poncho packed.

Mr Bods
17-03-19, 10:11 AM
Is there a Curtain Raiser Game today?

TITAN PETE
17-03-19, 10:25 AM
Is there a Curtain Raiser Game today?

There is a junior game u13 I think

Mr Bods
17-03-19, 11:41 AM
There is a junior game u13 I think

Thanks TP....I have plenty of respect for the kids playing footy but that’s not the news I was hoping to hear.
Better than a game of Touch though.

TITAN PETE
17-03-19, 12:10 PM
Thanks TP....I have plenty of respect for the kids playing footy but that’s not the news I was hoping to hear.
Better than a game of Touch though.

If they are 2 of the better sides running around they can surprise you to their skill levels are Mcdrew will have a better idea about them but I do hear what you are saying

- - - Updated - - -

With Rein starting for Tweed we can be sure Taylor is over his injuries

mdrew
17-03-19, 12:21 PM
The 13 boys playing today, it would be fair to say are some of the best running round on the Coast and what a big thrill for them and their families, more than a few were wearing Titans jersey's at Mudgeeraba in February


If they are 2 of the better sides running around they can surprise you to their skill levels are Mcdrew will have a better idea about them but I do hear what you are saying

- - - Updated - - -

With Rein starting for Tweed we can be sure Taylor is over his injuries

Mr Bods
17-03-19, 12:28 PM
Mitch Rein playing for Tweed.
So if Taylor isn’t playing then Copley must be the one that comes into the team.

Oops just noticed TP beat me to the news on Rein.
Copley didn’t play QCup so I wouldn’t be 100% sure Taylor is playing yet.

Double Oops-Copley has already been cut, it was Hipgrave and Rein that survived the first cut and Hipgrave is playing for Tweed too so I guess that does mean Taylor is right to go.

I wonder why Copley played no footy this weekend then?

DIEHARD
17-03-19, 01:55 PM
Slimmed down Shannon Boyd looks to win back Roos jersey
https://www.couriermail.com.au/

A slimmed down Shannon Boyd is bracing for an explosive showdown with his former Canberra teammates as the Gold Coast Titans’ star signing revealed his desire to win back a Kangaroos jersey.

Boyd will make his Titans debut against his former club at Cbus Super Stadium today when the Gold Coast kicks off its 2019 NRL campaign against the Raiders.

Boyd is the fittest he has ever been after stripping down to an intimidating 126kg, making him one of the biggest front rowers in the NRL.

Titans coach Garth Brennan has been blown away by Boyd’s physical presence, claiming he is 100kg of pure muscle.

Boyd, 27, said he was ready to relaunch his career at the Titans and a brutal clash with the Raiders was his first mission.

“I’m a little bit nervous, I’ve got to perform for the club being a new signing,” Boyd told The Sunday Mail.

“I think Sia (Soliola) probably will (come after me). We are good mates but he always puts a challenge out there. I’d say he will try and get me.

“I reckon they will all try to get one on me for a laugh but I’ll also try to go after a few of the boys as well.”

Boyd secured a $2 million four-year deal with the Titans as one of Brennan’s big name recruits for 2019.

He played 111 NRL games for the Raiders after debuting in 2014 and made four Test appearances for the Kangaroos in 2016.

But Boyd’s form dipped over the past two years and he only averaged 35 minutes a game last year, prompting him to look elsewhere to revitalise his career.

“I got a bit complacent and relaxed,” Boyd admitted.

“I got too heavy and made it a bit harder on myself. I needed a freshen up with my career.

“Garth sounded really good when I talked to him and he’s done a good job with the squad he’s been building. I can see the club going somewhere.

“I’m in the best shape I’ve been in my career. I feel really good and hopefully that can come out in my footy and I can play rep again.

“It wasn’t really my choice to play those minutes, it’s how the interchange was at Canberra.

“Hopefully Garth gives me the chance to play a few more minutes. I’ve done it before and there’s no reason I can’t do it.

“I’d love to play 45-50 minutes a game but I need to be effective. I’m more about bending the line and making an impact rather than playing so many minutes.”

He made an eye-catching 20-minute performance in the Titans’ trial loss to Brisbane before being sidelined with a hand injury and will start in the front row alongside Queensland Origin prop Jarrod Wallace today.

Brennan said he had been blown away by Boyd’s physical presence and dedication to training.

“We did some scans and he barely has an ounce of fat on him, he is 100kg of just straight out muscle, that’s just phenomenal,” he said.

“I have never seen anyone with his muscle and size in the NRL. For a big guy he has a good motor and just keeps going.

“He was 130kg which is massive and he is getting around the field a bit better which is great. He is now back to the weight he was at when he played for Australia.

“I said to Shannon ‘mate you need to be 126kg or I won’t pick you in the team’. That’s the mindset I want for the players in the squad.”

Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga, now on the Titans payroll, said Boyd could have a huge impact on the Gold Coast.

“Shannon can have a real influence on the success of the Titans,” he said.

“I gave him his first Test jumper. He is a huge body, he is one of the biggest men I have seen play the game.

“He lost his way a bit at the Raiders but he’s got a pretty good motor for a big man and he has been very good in his attitude since he’s come to the Titans.

“He’s definitely representative quality. I hope he can get back to his best form because if he does, it will make the Titans a better team.”

DIEHARD
17-03-19, 02:07 PM
Envious as hell of everyone getting into their pre-match day rituals.

I'm keen to see how Peachey goes, he is the type of player I enjoy watching in out game and I'm happy he has seemed to settle in. AJ's impact and where and how he comes in. See if the addition of Roberts helps Ash with his game. And see how Boyd goes against his old club.

Overall I'm more confident than several past seasons.

It's show time.

DIEHARD
17-03-19, 02:15 PM
Boyd, Cartwright focused on restoring trust
https://www.nrl.com/

Titans recruit Shannon Boyd carries the tag of being a "former" Kangaroo.

Bryce Cartwright has been weighed down by the expectation that comes from being a member of Penrith's first family of rugby league and a mix of size and talent that made hard work an optional extra.

Both men begin the 2019 season with something to prove.

At 194cm and more than 120kg, Boyd is literally the biggest off-season signing in Titans history and will be charged with laying a platform in the middle of the field.

He was part of the Raiders pack that tore into the Gold Coast middles in the corresponding game 12 months ago and has spent the past three months trying to prove he can be even better on the Gold Coast.

The 26-year-old weighed in at 133kg at times during the 2018 season but will start this season around the 125kg mark, a playing weight far closer to that which convinced Mal Meninga to select him for the 2016 Four Nations tournament.

"Big Country" has ripped into his first pre-season at a club other than Canberra desperate to prove his worth but knows he won't earn the full trust of his new teammates until he delivers in the field of battle.

"That trust will come more so in games," Boyd told NRL.com.

"I need to start the season well and play some good footy for the boys, make sure that they know I’m going to do my job.

"It's easy to do it on the training paddock. You can be the best trainer in the world but you might not be the best player when you run out there.

“I’ve got to go out there and prove myself in that sense as well."

In his only pre-season appearance for the Titans, Boyd played little more than 20 minutes against the Broncos, spared a second stint due to fears of a broken hand from being stepped on.

In order to play that game, Boyd had to fly back from Canberra on the Saturday morning after serving as best man at a friend's wedding and then drive down from Brisbane.

"I would have liked to have played the second half but we had a bit of a hiccup with my hand so I didn't go back on just as a precaution," Boyd said.

"I felt good when I came off, like I could have gone 25-30 minutes, which is pretty good for me in a trial building into round one.

"I'm probably a couple of kilos under where I have been the last couple of years and feel a lot quicker getting up off the ground.

"Everything in general I'm feeling a little bit better about so hopefully that will show in my football."

Cartwright also began pre-season with a point to prove.

So disappointed was he with his performances in 2018 that Cartwright sought out Titans fitness sadist Nathan Peats to jump-start his 2019 campaign.

Before coach Garth Brennan called all his players back for training, Cartwright and Peats worked together at Pizzey Park in Burleigh to lay a base from which to build from.

Still, at 24, Cartwright's physical transformation over summer has been noticeable and it has transferred to eye-catching pre-season trial performances.

Yes, there was a customary Cartwright flick pass that cost his side a try against the Cowboys and there was a defensive miss for which he was maligned last season but his 80 minutes against the Broncos was virtually faultless.

He flattened Brisbane tyro David Fifita in the opening minutes, ran hard and distributed the Steeden void of mistakes, those behind the walls at the Titans convinced it was his best display in club colours.

Brennan had no choice but to pick him in the team for round one and now he intends to prove to his teammates that he deserves to stay there.

"I felt like I let them down a lot last year.

"I wanted to come back to pre-season first day and show them that I can be the player that I know I can.

"I just had to start off by putting in the effort at training and showing them that I can do it. Now it’s time for me to put that into the game."

rj62
17-03-19, 02:49 PM
It is PI$$ing down at my place

Im wanting to leave but holy sh1t!!

Anyone at the stadium ?

shamus
17-03-19, 03:10 PM
More than pi$$ing down mate. I have lived at Merrimac (1klm as the crow flies from the stadium) and if we had the storm 1 hour later the game would have been called off. Absolute shocker. Thunder and lightning, very very frightening...

PS. My man cave is now a pool room.

ozynorts
17-03-19, 04:07 PM
Taylor out, AJ into 5/8 and Copley onto the bench

rj62
17-03-19, 04:43 PM
Field still looks good

JunctionBlock
17-03-19, 05:29 PM
Brennan must have had a crystal ball and knew we needed AJ. I lost transmission due to the rain, what happened to Roberts?

Mr Bods
17-03-19, 05:30 PM
Roberts injury update please

GCTTSD
17-03-19, 05:33 PM
Achilles Injury, the said Its not snapped though

JunctionBlock
17-03-19, 05:43 PM
JWal killing the team today with the penalties

5 Year Contract
17-03-19, 05:57 PM
Hard to judge given the conditions but our handling is just absolutely disgraceful. Defence has been great but we just haven't given ourselves any chance. Silly mistakes and letting a try in just before halftime. Losing Roberts is massive as it throws us off our game. When we did have the ball we looked good but that last 15 was an absolute joke.

Mr Bods
17-03-19, 05:58 PM
As a spectator in the stands I’m not liking our effort and the usual poor leadership has not been addressed

Titanic
17-03-19, 06:01 PM
With 5YC and Bodsie, the last 15 we looked completely disorganized.

BundyTitan
17-03-19, 06:02 PM
It’s looking tough out there to score points without our two best halves. Hopefully we can turn it around but not sure we’ll have the points in us without a bit of luck and missing a genuine playmaker.

Dooldog76
17-03-19, 06:02 PM
I disagree bods. We are looking good so far. There are some punishing hits being dished out. Just need to build pressure and its ours.

teke
17-03-19, 06:03 PM
Positives - Field looks fantastic

Negatives - Raiders playing better

Whats Doing
17-03-19, 06:03 PM
Different year but same sh!t.

Boyd and Wallace were disgraceful first half and we are getting a lesson on kicking in wet weather where we are getting hammered.

Whoever made the decision not to go for goal on 2 separate occasions in pissing down rain ought to be shot. Just disgraceful decisions.

5 Year Contract
17-03-19, 06:05 PM
Robert kicking game looked exactly what we needed but again the footy gods decide to **** on the titans nice and early. From there its a shamble. Peachy isnt a 5/8. Our go forward has been good but again how many years do we have to talk about handling. Im with you bodsie who is leading our team right now? All the offseason talk to put up a stock standard last 15 minutes I have seen produced by us the last 5 years.

Postitives: Defence has looked good especially around the edges. Carty has been defending well. When we hold the ball our forwards get a good roll on. Still too much sideways from Sami for me. Proctor has been putting in but again I have yet to see him break the line out wide. Big 40 coming up.

Mr Bods
17-03-19, 06:07 PM
I disagree bods. We are looking good so far. There are some punishing hits being dished out. Just need to build pressure and its ours.

Canberra look more enthusiastic and this is our home game

- - - Updated - - -


Different year but same sh!t.

Boyd and Wallace were disgraceful first half and we are getting a lesson on kicking in wet weather where we are getting hammered.

Whoever made the decision not to go for goal on 2 separate occasions in pissing down rain ought to be shot. Just disgraceful decisions.

Great summary

Titanic
17-03-19, 06:08 PM
Positive gentlemen let’s get positive ... contrary to the commentary we just don’t seem to have points in us. Our attack looks really clunky and that’s because we don’t have any real dash from our edge forwards.

gotitans101_
17-03-19, 06:17 PM
Wooden spoon here we come.

JunctionBlock
17-03-19, 06:34 PM
Miserable weather and we lost both our starting halfs, who would expect miracles?

Mr Bods
17-03-19, 06:37 PM
Post Game there will be lots of philosophical stuff written
Sitting in the stands with a very wet bum
This is total crap
Brennan has some explaining to do

DIEHARD
17-03-19, 06:39 PM
What the hell was that? Knock on? Forward pass? Make up your mind refs. Looked like a try to me. But I only got one look at it.

JunctionBlock
17-03-19, 06:42 PM
You can head home now Bods

- - - Updated - - -


What the hell was that? Knock on? Forward pass? Make up your mind refs. Looked like a try to me. But I only got one look at it.

It wasn't a try no matter what they called, ball went forward

DIEHARD
17-03-19, 06:42 PM
Jesus. That raiders try looked scripted. Simonsson has been amazing for them. Deserved that try.

5 Year Contract
17-03-19, 06:42 PM
Feels like deja vu writting this again but this is below par across the field. Yes its hard conditions. yes we lost out 2 playmakers but what we served up again after ALL the pre season hype (and lets be honest it happens every year) but this was woeful. May as well cross it off hope for the best but loooong season ahead gents.

Whats Doing
17-03-19, 06:46 PM
It’s a shame Meningas performance culture has not had an impact on the players

JunctionBlock
17-03-19, 06:46 PM
I won't judge the teams chances for the year in conditions and lack of halfs like we've had today.

DIEHARD
17-03-19, 06:50 PM
I echo 5YC and JBs comments. I’ll hold judgement. But it was a very disappointing start to our season.

DIEHARD
17-03-19, 06:50 PM
10 to go. Can we get on the board?

DIEHARD
17-03-19, 06:56 PM
Loss of Ash (before) and Roberts during the game is a big deal. But I thought we had the depth to cover.

rj62
17-03-19, 07:01 PM
I won't judge the teams chances for the year in conditions and lack of halfs like we've had today.

100% agree - very disappointed yes, wet bum no.

Total crap conditions and lacking our two leading playmakers. Can’t help thinking how Ryley Jacks would have driven that team tonight in the absence of our two.

Certainly not going to slash my wrists just yet though and won’t burn Garth at the stake.

There’s plenty more to come from this team yet.

Dooldog76
17-03-19, 07:04 PM
Ok. I'll eat my words. That was disgraceful

gotitans101_
17-03-19, 07:11 PM
Good thing Garth and the rest of the high praisers of this team can blame that loss on players missing.

I can tell that Bodsy is not sold on this team and neither am I.

DIEHARD
17-03-19, 07:13 PM
Hats off to every Titans fan who braved the conditions.

What sort of prognosis could we be looking at for Tyrone Roberts?

indoallstars
17-03-19, 07:16 PM
What an absolute shocker, even with our halves out that is not acceptable.

**** list: Copley, Sami (can even make metres these two)
Average list: every other player
Played well: no one

Didn't see our markers move up at all, they where always retreating. Had gaps all through the line. Got completely out muscled in the back. No control in attack and pushed so many unnecessary passes.

Hope Garth tears them a new asshole

Whats Doing
17-03-19, 07:32 PM
To be honest the Raiders would have put 40 on us in dry conditions.

Having halves out does not stop players running straight and hard, play the ball quicker, speed off the line and showing some ticker which the Raiders showed in buckets.

Having 2 slow and cumbersome props in Boyd and Wallace will inhibit the team and result in us losing the ruck area more often than not which is where most games are won or lost

Titanic
17-03-19, 07:35 PM
My read was how slow Peats service is ... he should be on notice.

Dooldog76
17-03-19, 07:45 PM
I actually thought boyd was great. Some of his hits were brutal. I enjoyed watching him. Just the stupid penalties and errors killed us. That one by sami was unforgivable.

gotitans101_
17-03-19, 07:53 PM
How much did the Raiders miss Boyd tonight?

.....

.....

C-Whiz
17-03-19, 08:07 PM
I was at the game, stood at the northern end goal posts in the rain the whole game, hard to say what was the worst part of the night. We were hopelessly outgunned, got bent back on almost every Raiders hit up, we were flat, looked tired, had nothing to offer in attack and got owned on the kicking game.
I can't find a single positive out of tonight. I honestly wonder what they have done at training for the entire off/pre-season.
We had a chance for a consolation 2 points at the end, decided to run it, and looked like a team that had no idea what to do when they should have had that 1 play, that hail Mary, that one thing they trained when they needed to pull off a miracle, but we just kicked it in the air and hoped something special happened.
I've got nothing. Seriously, was there anything that we can look at and say, "that was promising"???

TITAN PETE
17-03-19, 08:08 PM
I’ll give a pat on the back to James,Cartwright.Arrow & AJ

There’s no team in the comp that could lose their 6 & 7 & still play the game plan they have trained for Raiders could have won by 50 if not for our defensive efforts, 3 tries against us 2 off kicks & the other from a scrum with a pathetic attempt at a tackle from Peachy..

I spoke to Taylor & asked if he’d be right for next week he said only a maybe

DavidBouveng
17-03-19, 08:36 PM
i thought the forward battle was closer than they are getting credit for. some fearful hits and collisions from both sides, our lack of a kicking game made it almost no contest though.

I thought their backs carried the ball back a lot stronger than ours except for Brenko who seemed ok to me.

It was a grind for most of the night and on a night when kicking is even more important than normal due to the weather, we had no halves - just two ball runners who unfortunately had no idea how to control the ball in the wet.

During the Cartright era i learnt to numb myself after efforts like that, so perhaps i'm too lenient.

Mexican titan
17-03-19, 08:47 PM
I thought their forwards murdered ours, controlled well by Hodgson. As Titanic said Peats should be on notice as the difference between the two hookers was miles. A few decent hits by Boyd in defence but his running along with Wallace and James was soft and never bent their line at all. I've been a supporter of Proctor for too long, does he ever make a break.

Due to the conditions and the disruption caused by the injuries to the halves I give a fair bit of leeway but the goodwill will not last long if that type of effort is repeated.

rj62
17-03-19, 08:52 PM
Good thing Garth and the rest of the high praisers of this team can blame that loss on players missing.

I can tell that Bodsy is not sold on this team and neither am I.

And conditions, it was crap and Raiders handled it much better than we did.

Peachy hasn’t trained at half and Brimson is back from surgery.

One thing I do think is that tonight shows Peachy shouldn’t be in the halves. We had no kicking game or organisation to which I wasn’t surprised. I much prefer him doing his thing out wide.

Copley didn’t excite me much either but being one of the high praisers (how dare I be a fan and supporter) of this team I’m still backing them and believe we are way better than previous years .

If you want to throw your toys out the cot after one round in crap conditions with our two prime playmakers out then so be it.

Boonarga
17-03-19, 09:17 PM
Is it too much to expect professionals to play wet weather football in wet weather?

Hail Sezer
17-03-19, 09:23 PM
How much did the Raiders miss Boyd tonight?

.....

.....

....who cares??

Not a lot to praise but like a lot of others have said, shocking conditions and missing your 2 starting halves in an already disjointed round 1 team is always going to be a tough watch

Defensive system is better but there was a lot of schoolboy level stuff out there tonight on both sides of the ball. Disappointing

TitanPremiership
18-03-19, 10:25 AM
I feel as though a lot of you are being a bit harsh given the circumstances.

I didn't go to the game so it probably didn't hurt quite as much however watching at home it was obvious the Raiders were dominating due predominantly to their kicking game. Without our two first choice halves this was always going to be a near impossible task. Defensively I thought we were strong especially given the positions probably got a fair shake up. The glaring issue from the game was probably the amount of handling errors. Obviously it was wet etc. but every time I got excited for a set down their end we seemed to drop it within three tackles (would like to see our completion rate down their end of the field).

Last time Roberts and Taylor were in the halves we averaged over 21 points a game and I feel we have more attacking weapons this year. (Add that to the fact Raiders probably would've had less solid field position and we got a game)

Fully fit team going in, or at least the two of Roberts, Taylor and Jacks (I will have to check when Taylor was in doubt as it would've been nice to have him in the 21/19 if Garth knew Taylor was unlikely before naming the team.), I feel the team showed enough to get a win or at least make a game of it so not going to judge them for this loss.

Titanic Believer
18-03-19, 11:34 AM
Getting tired of hearing 'we've got to be better than that'. Wanting to hear 'we've made great improvement'

Mr Bods
18-03-19, 12:05 PM
We were tripe.
Effort fail
Leadership fail
Skills fail
Adaptability fail
Embarrassing.

First Home game and now it’s going to be hard to get fringe supporters to want to go back
I’m seething

C-Whiz
18-03-19, 02:23 PM
Is anyone else concerned that with seconds on the clock, a penalty right in front, down 21 points, we choose not to kick for consolation points but to run it and we don't have a single play, no idea of a play to put on when it's all or nothing?

And I don't care that out halves weren't there, we have enough big men to at least look like we are going to run hard and threaten the line, rather than kick it to nobody and hope something happens??? This is what really bothers me, the idea that we have no plays in the back pocket for these types of moments.

Titanic
18-03-19, 04:21 PM
Is it too much to expect professionals to play wet weather football in wet weather?Amen to this which sums it up to a tee.

Just-a-Fan
18-03-19, 05:04 PM
Mr Bods won't agree with me but James is not a wide runner of the ball needs to be hitting it up in the middle
Peachy looked lost and cant lead as we all can see now
AJ is just a runner of the ball not a ball player so we had no chance of attacking the line (FB)
I was a little bit shocked that Gordon got trapped so many times normally can read play a lot better
No kicking game wet weather kick it to to corners let them ruck it out
But mostly what the F why was Rein not in the side what did he do wrong to get dropped for Copley
But I think on a dry track our forward are going to be a force

JunctionBlock
18-03-19, 05:38 PM
Taylor out next week too. Roberts 2-3 weeks

- - - Updated - - -


How much did the Raiders miss Boyd tonight?

.....

.....

How much are the Panthers missing Peachey?

Mexican titan
18-03-19, 05:42 PM
Is anyone else concerned that with seconds on the clock, a penalty right in front, down 21 points, we choose not to kick for consolation points but to run it and we don't have a single play, no idea of a play to put on when it's all or nothing?


No, I don't think many sides kick for goal 21 points down. Someone near me yelled out jokingly to take the two points and many people laughed so I think kicking for goal mighthave been ridiculed. However I take your point about that last play, just clueless - or couldn't give a stuff.

Mr Bods
18-03-19, 06:48 PM
Taylor being out another week is disappointing as they seem to have poorly managed him and he might well be in for another horrible year carrying this injury

The Roberts news on the other hand is pretty good. I expected worse.

Mexican titan
18-03-19, 08:11 PM
Mal's email to members just received. A pretty good summary and reflection of where the club is at in my opinion.

"You’ve heard the saying that premierships aren’t won in March. Well, they aren’t lost then either.

It would be great to be able to talk to you today after starting our season with a win over the Raiders, but that is not the way the cards fell on Sunday.

It was a disappointing day on a lot of levels for everyone involved with the club.

The reason it hurts is because we care, and that can never be a bad thing. But I think we need to be careful about falling into the trap of buying into the “new year, same old Titans” narrative that is being pushed in certain sections after one disappointing day at the office.

This is a new era for the Titans, and there is an amazing amount of work being done across all areas of the club. None of that stops or changes on the basis of one lost game, the same as no one would have been thinking “job done” had we got the two points against the Raiders.

It was one loss, and a disappointing one. But every single club in the NRL will experience that at some stage this season.

As members of the Titans family, I know you share our passion. What we need now is patience, and ultimately performance.

And there were plenty of positives to take out of the game. Defence is all about attitude, and from what I saw from the Titans on Sunday, the players’ attitude is first-rate.

They were physical and committed in their initial contact, worked hard to win the contest, and scrambled well in the first half to keep the Raiders at bay.

Ultimately though, the sheer amount of defence exhausted them. They made mistakes with the ball in absolutely atrocious conditions, and had to do more tackling. Fatigue from defence led to more mistakes, which led to more defence.

It’s rugby league’s vicious circle, but I admired the way the Titans kept fighting even when it became clear it was not going to be their night.

Think back to Round 3 last season when the Titans were blown off the park by the Dragons in Toowoomba. You would have been forgiven for thinking they would not win another game all season on the strength of that performance. But the next weekend, they turned around and beat the Broncos in Brisbane in one of their best displays of the year. Fortunes can change that quickly in rugby league. A week really is a long time in footy.

That is why I was disappointed with the line that the loss to the Raiders was “the same old Titans”. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was one loss, nothing more.

It did nothing to erode the outstanding work that this club does through the Titans Community Foundation which, I can tell you from first-hand experience, is better than anything being done by any other club in the NRL.

One loss doesn’t damage the terrific work being done in our development programs to give kids from the Gold Coast and Northern Rivers a pathway to the NRL, nor does it dilute the excellent ground that is being made in recruitment to make this club as good as it can be.

Anyone that says nothing has changed at the Titans does not have a grasp of the full story.

The biggest change at the club is that everyone here now has to deal with expectations for success. We know those expectations were not met on the field on Sunday, but a season is never judged on just one game.

The Titans are fighting hard to find their self-belief, and when they do, winning will become a habit.

It is a fight that no one at this club will back away from.

Mal Meninga"

JunctionBlock
19-03-19, 07:02 AM
Great to see the feedback from the club and address the white anting of the club by some of it's own members, however I can see these words being used against him if we get blown out of park at any stage. Moving on....

Titanic
19-03-19, 08:38 AM
Agree JB but I’m impressed by the rapid response and the quality of his sentiments. I replied to him positively.

Toads
19-03-19, 09:02 AM
Well.. There appears to be a bit of room for improvement after that effort. Was there any positives apart from the Coast getting a good drenching?

JunctionBlock
19-03-19, 09:09 AM
Well.. There appears to be a bit of room for improvement after that effort. Was there any positives apart from the Coast getting a good drenching?

Cartwright wasn't terrible. Arrow is a machine but need him on for more minutes.

Toads
19-03-19, 09:26 AM
There we go, we got something to draw on. Arrow's a worthy point, Cartwright not so much. Thought I seen one try-scorer step around him, but it could've also camera angle that gave the impression he could've done something defensively.

Roll on, Round Two!

Surfers66
19-03-19, 09:41 AM
Well.. There appears to be a bit of room for improvement after that effort. Was there any positives apart from the Coast getting a good drenching?

Tweed getting the win over the Blackhawks was great.. Spry was good but most of the Titans boys had a good game with the exception of Latu who is going backwards real fast.

Mr Bods
19-03-19, 10:08 AM
Great to see the feedback from the club and address the white anting of the club by some of it's own members, however I can see these words being used against him if we get blown out of park at any stage. Moving on....

If the white ants you refer to are those of us like me having a whinge about our crappy effort and performance here in the forum JB then turn it up. It was an opportunity to not just get the season off on the right foot but also get the community enthused.

Memberships cost heaps-it’s quite a luxury and to have wives/kids seeing tripe and not wanting to go anymore is heartbreaking and a big problem in growing and sustaining the club.

When I read that piece yesterday by Mal I just thought well here we have another administrator waltzing in and saying be patient but for the long term fans it is just never ending bashing of the head against a brick wall.

JunctionBlock
19-03-19, 10:53 AM
If the white ants you refer to are those of us like me having a whinge about our crappy effort and performance here in the forum JB then turn it up. It was an opportunity to not just get the season off on the right foot but also get the community enthused.

Memberships cost heaps-it’s quite a luxury and to have wives/kids seeing tripe and not wanting to go anymore is heartbreaking and a big problem in growing and sustaining the club.

When I read that piece yesterday by Mal I just thought well here we have another administrator waltzing in and saying be patient but for the long term fans it is just never ending bashing of the head against a brick wall.

If it makes you feel better I wasn't referring to you Bods. There was too much negativity across social and main stream media for the club not to comment. We are better than what happened on Sunday. Can't say much more.

Mr Bods
19-03-19, 11:48 AM
^^^ thanks JB. I didn’t see any of that, I don’t have social media like FB, Twitter etc and I no longer get the papers either so pretty much all the info and feedback I get these days is League of Titans and Fox Sports.

I’d hate to have seen the Courier Mail comments section. That’s a brutal place. I guess the Titans FB page wouldn’t have been pretty either.

rj62
19-03-19, 12:12 PM
If it makes you feel better I wasn't referring to you Bods. There was too much negativity across social and main stream media for the club not to comment. We are better than what happened on Sunday. Can't say much more.

:thumbsup:

gotitans101_
19-03-19, 12:27 PM
If it makes you feel better I wasn't referring to you Bods. There was too much negativity across social and main stream media for the club not to comment. We are better than what happened on Sunday. Can't say much more.

How do you know that? Some people have us getting the spoon for a reason. We haven't been competitive for years so what makes you think we're any better this year?

For me it's a case of I'll believe it when I see it. I'm sick of falling for all the false hope of the past few years.

JunctionBlock
19-03-19, 04:22 PM
How do you know that? Some people have us getting the spoon for a reason. We haven't been competitive for years so what makes you think we're any better this year?

For me it's a case of I'll believe it when I see it. I'm sick of falling for all the false hope of the past few years.

Yeah it's annoying when you don't win every game. How do I know we're better than this, well I guess I don't but we did have our starting halfs out and had to reshuffle during a game so I guess I'm 98% sure that we are better than this.

gotitans101_
19-03-19, 05:08 PM
Yeah it's annoying when you don't win every game. How do I know we're better than this, well I guess I don't but we did have our starting halfs out and had to reshuffle during a game so I guess I'm 98% sure that we are better than this.

The sarcasm. I don't care if we lose a game so long as the effort is there. There were some close ones we lost last year where I even said we played well and was happy with their effort while some people cried about "how much that loss hurts". I can cop a close 1-10 point loss on the chin but not 20+. That's what really hurts.

And yes, I do agree we are better than that but it has to be on a consistent basis or it means nothing. We were competitive for a few games last year but so what? We still fell outside of the 8.

BundyTitan
19-03-19, 05:25 PM
I think a lot of people (inside this forum and outside) are really underestimating the MASSIVE disadvantage of losing both (not one..both!) of your half's. Their literal job is to direct a team around, get good kicks away and work on set plays. With Roberts I think we win that game but missing both Ash & Tyrone made it almost impossible to score and win. We didn't even look like scoring which is to be expected with a centre and a fullback, both with no kicking game, playing makeshift half's. We will be a lot better with Jacks there this week to help AJ.

Yes the effort could have been better and stupid mistakes by Wall & MoFo were despicable, but you take both half's out of any team and they struggle e.g. Morgan & TMM for Cowboys, Milford & Nikorima for the Donkeys, Keary & Cronk for the Chooks. You can't win a game without any half's.

gotitans101_
19-03-19, 05:33 PM
I think a lot of people (inside this forum and outside) are really underestimating the MASSIVE disadvantage of losing both (not one..both!) of your half's. Their literal job is to direct a team around, get good kicks away and work on set plays. With Roberts I think we win that game but missing both Ash & Tyrone made it almost impossible to score and win. We didn't even look like scoring which is to be expected with a centre and a fullback, both with no kicking game, playing makeshift half's. We will be a lot better with Jacks there this week to help AJ.

Yes the effort could have been better and stupid mistakes by Wall & MoFo were despicable, but you take both half's out of any team and they struggle e.g. Morgan & TMM for Cowboys, Milford & Nikorima for the Donkeys, Keary & Cronk for the Chooks. You can't win a game without any half's.

Point taken. I guess I'm being a bit harsh but man is it a struggle to watch this team sometimes...

BundyTitan
19-03-19, 05:38 PM
Point taken. I guess I'm being a bit harsh but man is it a struggle to watch this team sometimes...

Oh don't worry man I'm with you. I almost rage turned off the TV but unfortunately my loyalty made me stick through it. Seeing some of the offloads in wet weather footy by Peach, Wallace and MoFo had me absolutely scratching my eyes out. We need to be smarter and we need to be better but we can't keep hearing Brennan trot that line of "we will and need to improve" out every week. We need to actually see that something is happening. But I can understand the clunkiness as we had no half and I hope and pray that this week with a drier game and Jacks in the 7, we can have a better performance.

JunctionBlock
19-03-19, 07:35 PM
We're all disappointed with a first round loss. See y'all in the round 2 pages.

DIEHARD
20-03-19, 10:48 AM
Speaking of social media, it doesn't cope well with it's ankle deep and impulsive comments.

At least people here and at the game earn their stripes and are entitled to have a blow up.

It is so frustrating. 0-21 scorelines makes it difficult to bring in viewers and attendees, as well as keeping our own friends and family happy.

I have to admit the club probably got a bit carried away in the lead up with all kinds of hype videos and posts. They even titled one "Rnd 1 - Hype" (https://www.facebook.com/GCTitans/videos/303552616992818/?v=303552616992818)

I know this isn't the Titans fault, but the NRL's slogan for this season is stupid. You can't just call a New Era, you need to justify it. And I can't see it.

Anyway, very disappointed for us to get struck with such key injuries so early but that is no excuse for our forwards.

Toads
20-03-19, 02:43 PM
The new era doesn't start until we literally have points on the board?

Sorry, couldn't resist. :p

But yeah, it's bleedin' obvious we were hobbled without our regular halves. Best/Quickest way to screw any team over.

Still, nothing cuts more than being held to nought. Which is most likely the reason a few blew up about it.

Anyway, it's done and dusted. Roll on Round 2!

DIEHARD
21-03-19, 11:32 PM
Still, nothing cuts more than being held to nought. Which is most likely the reason a few blew up about it.

Anyway, it's done and dusted. Roll on Round 2!

I see it as a huge humiliation. I remember being proud of the fact that no one niled us for many years. And then it happened, again and again.