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  1. #16
    Administrator DIEHARD's Avatar
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    Born to play

    SOME men are born to play football, and Matt Srama is one of them, according to Gold Coast Titans coach John Cartwright.

    The 20-year-old will wear the Titans? No.9 jersey for the first time against Penrith Panthers on Saturday, after impressing in his surprise debut against the Bulldogs at the weekend.

    Cartwright rated Srama the club?s best in that game in his full 80-minute performance.

    ?He deserves to be there and in my opinion he was our best player the other night,? Cartwright said.

    ?While ever he?s doing that there?ll be a place in first grade for him.

    "It?s a tough position to play and not many guys in the game at the moment can do it for 80 minutes, even the guys that have been there a long time.

    "So for a lot of reasons, if we had?ve won the game I?m sure Matty would have got more headlines out of it.?

    Srama got through plenty of work against the Bulldogs, making 36 tackles, plus making 120 metres from 14 runs, with an offload thrown in.

    He was composed and mature beyond his years, showing promising signs with the hooker?s role almost certainly his upon Nathan Friend?s departure at season?s end.

    ?I think he is just born to play football, I think ... the general benchmark is between 50 and 100 games before you become a seasoned first grader,? Cartwright said.

    ?I am not saying Matty is there yet, but you can only go on what you have seen, and what we saw the other night ? his composure, his energy, fitness and his ability to keep up with the game even though he is tired ? you don?t see that in many individuals.?

    With Friend injured, Srama?s extra game time this year will be to the Titans? benefit in 2012.

    ?It is like anyone, the more first grade they can play, the better they get and the quicker they get there,? Cartwright said.

    ?There are opportunities there for him now, he has cracked it into the first grade, he has held on to his spot. It gets harder and harder, but the first signs are great.?

    The Titans? season isn?t over yet, Cartwright says.

    He just wants to see more consistency in his side and says that success will follow.

    http://www.coolum-news.com.au
    PUT EM TO THE SWORD! SHOW SOME STEEL!

    Moejoe: "REMEMBER!!!! SLIP - SLOP - SLAP in the sun. Skin Cancer is a growing problem. It could happen to anyone!!"
    TITANS, DIEHARDS, WARRINGTON WOLVES, MAROONS, KANGAROOS, HONG KONG THUNDER

  2. #17
    Administrator DIEHARD's Avatar
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    PRINCE: Matt Srama is special

    I KNEW Matt Srama was good.

    Last Friday night against the Bulldogs he proved that to the entire club.

    In a game that was more notable for our missed opportunities than anything else, young Matty stood tall.

    Most players take a few games to find their feet at the top level. Not this bloke.

    He played the full 80 minutes in the toughest position on the field.

    The first time I really believed the Packman (his nickname because of his Filipino heritage and likeness to that country's boxing legend Manny Pacquiao) could make it at NRL level was in a pre-season trial this year against Souths at Coffs Harbour.

    He stood up to the big Rabbitoh forward pack and showed great composure in his decision-making and passing when fatigued and under pressure.

    But what convinced me was a training session earlier this year.

    Matty was already identified as a possible replacement for our champion No.9 Nathan Friend, when the youngster was named as the under 20s' player of the year for 2010.

    His good form has continued in that grade in 2011, but he was also elevated to the top squad for training sessions.

    During one particular session our strength and conditioning guru, Macca, had us doing 40-metre shuttle sprints.
    You have a set amount of time to sprint the 40m, recover and then line up again.

    After about 23 I had had enough. I was completely stuffed. Workaholic forwards like Ash Harrison made it to about 40 before collapsing.

    The ranks thinned until there was just one person left -- Matt Srama. When he reached 50 it was Macca who just shook his head and said: "OK, that's enough."

    It takes something pretty special to surprise me at training. I have seen some of the best over a pretty long career. But I walked off the training paddock that day thinking I had seen something that I would probably never see again.

    Matt that day proved he was made of the same stuff as blokes like Friendy. They not only have the toughness to mix it with some of the biggest and meanest players in the game, but they also have that big motor that keeps going for 80 minutes.

    Against the Bulldogs Matt showed another admirable side to his character. He is not fazed by what is in front of him.

    He made his debut in a team that has been misfiring all season. But he approached it in a refreshing way. Here was a young bloke out playing the game that he loves with passion.

    He carried no baggage with him, just a desire to do the best for his teammates; to play with courage; to give everything for his jersey; but also to have a good time.

    He played the game for what it was.

    Matty reminded all of us of what this club is about and how we should prepare and play.

    I am a great believer in preparation. That means always arriving early for training. Always giving your best at training.

    The Packman did something for all of us last Friday night. For me he fanned the flame of desire that has always burned in me.

    And for that I thank him.

    But I will also remind him that that was one game. The good NRL players are able to replicate that week in, week out.

    I believe Matty can do that. But that is up to him.

    http://www.goldcoast.com.au/
    PUT EM TO THE SWORD! SHOW SOME STEEL!

    Moejoe: "REMEMBER!!!! SLIP - SLOP - SLAP in the sun. Skin Cancer is a growing problem. It could happen to anyone!!"
    TITANS, DIEHARDS, WARRINGTON WOLVES, MAROONS, KANGAROOS, HONG KONG THUNDER

  3. #18
    Titans First Grader Rage's Avatar
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    I'm pretty excited to see if Srama can replicate his efforts on a week to week basis. I know there's been alot of hype about him but last week was the first time I saw him play so if that was a typical performance, things are looking good

  4. #19
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    Like to see srama try a few kicks to ease pressure on prince and presto and keep defence guessing.

  5. #20
    One Clubman Ryan's Avatar
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    Pacman got a nice rap from Lockyer in today's Courier Mail! Lockyer put him in his Supercoach team, as did I
    The girl from the ring watched a highlights reel of Greg Bird, she died 7 days later.....


  6. #21
    Junior Titan Super_Matt's Avatar
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    Alright so - Nathan who?

    Srama's game last night was like a better version of Friend
    Mark Minichiello ---> Team Italy

  7. #22
    One Clubman Ryan's Avatar
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    No joke!
    He is playing 80mins, holding up in defense, offers more in attack and is so far consistent!
    ****ing Champion!
    The girl from the ring watched a highlights reel of Greg Bird, she died 7 days later.....


  8. #23
    Junior Titan Super_Matt's Avatar
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    Riley Brown - LOL
    Mark Minichiello ---> Team Italy

  9. #24
    BLADE dee13's Avatar
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    WOW!!!! He was a star for us last night. Well done Matt.


  10. #25
    Coach teke's Avatar
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    As Bennett said a month ago, if you can gain a half a second in speed in every play the ball while on attack it makes a hell of a difference to the offensive structure of the set.

    Srama has come in and instantly given Prince/Presto more time to do what they want.

    Srama for President

  11. #26
    Titans First Grader Rage's Avatar
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    The best thing about having him is that now we can also enjoy the signing of Idris and the like without complaining about how we didn't spend that money on a hooker instead.

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rage View Post
    The best thing about having him is that now we can also enjoy the signing of Idris and the like without complaining about how we didn't spend that money on a hooker instead.
    I was one of those people who heavily criticised the Idris signing, especially when it meant losing Friend. However it seems as though Srama fills that void quite well, and being about 10 years younger and a fair bit cheaper (at this stage anyway) means that he is alot better value than Friend. I still think the money spent on Idris could have been better spent elsewhere though (like retaining Tonga and signing another high profile forward).

  13. #28
    Administrator DIEHARD's Avatar
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    Just like the rest of you, I'm terribly excited about him. He really gets us moving and is a terrier in defence. He is class. And class is hard to find.
    PUT EM TO THE SWORD! SHOW SOME STEEL!

    Moejoe: "REMEMBER!!!! SLIP - SLOP - SLAP in the sun. Skin Cancer is a growing problem. It could happen to anyone!!"
    TITANS, DIEHARDS, WARRINGTON WOLVES, MAROONS, KANGAROOS, HONG KONG THUNDER

  14. #29
    Captain patskE's Avatar
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    love the way he skips out and takes a few steps to get us going before he passes it.
    cant wait to see him develop!
    great guy to, had a quick word to him after the game

  15. #30
    First Grader Smakked's Avatar
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    He is playing pretty good for now but i wont pass judgement till he has 10 games or so in topgrade to see if he keeps it up, but so far so good.


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