Round 12 Double Header: Canterbury Bulldogs vs Gold Coast Titans

[AmericanTitan]

Ash's nose looked pretty awful. Wouldn't surprise me a bit if he couldn't play this week.

Hopefully we get at least one of the two back for the match especially with the Dogs getting Ennis back.

[DIEHARD]

There are plenty of tickets left for the Double Header and kick off of our game is 8:45pm, so if you can, please come and join us.

[DIEHARD]

Titans' Srama head on with Ennis


Matt Srama is likely to go head-to-head with NSW hardman Michael Ennis tonight. Pic: Jay Nel-McIntosh

THE Titans will pitchfork talented Toyota Cup prospect Matt Srama into a head-on battle with NSW rake Michael Ennis in their crunch showdown against the Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium tonight.

With the Titans expected to make a decision on the availability of State of Origin toilers Greg Bird and Ashley Harrison today, coach John Cartwright has called on Srama as the Titans look to snap their disappointing start to the season.

While Cartwright was reluctant to confirm Srama's selection yesterday, the 20-year-old trained strongly at dummy-half as Riley Brown, who was named to start in the No.9, watched much of the session from the sideline.

Brown's ability to step into the back row could see him retain a seat on the bench together with emerging forward Ben Ridge if Cartwright decides to rest Harrison and Bird.

Despite the major test awaiting Srama, both Cartwright and captain Scott Prince tipped last season's Titans' under-20 player of the year to handle the situation.

After recently signing a three-year deal keeping him at the Titans until the end of 2014, Srama is considered by many as the logical choice to replace departing star Nathan Friend.

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/

[DIEHARD]

PRINCE: We need to have fun with it
Scott Prince

I REMEMBER my first rugby league jumper.

"Grab a jersey," Mr (Wayne) Bloomfield, the Townies under-7s coach, barked at us just minutes before my first game of rugby league.

I was five. It was a chilly Saturday morning in Mt Isa 26 years ago, but I was shaking more from excitement than the cold.

I raced over to the pile of neatly folded maroon and white jerseys and, by chance, pulled out No.7.

I immediately put it on. It was way too big -- sleeves were too long and it came down to my knees. But to me it was perfect.

I tucked it in my shorts and Mum rolled up the sleeves.

All my Christmases had just arrived. I was a rugby league player.

Tonight against the Bulldogs -- a lifetime later -- I will again slip on the No.7. This time it will fit a little better -- no need to roll up the sleeves.

After 26 years in this great game there are plenty of things I am proud of, but to me, one of the most significant is that I am still as eager to run out and play as that five-year-old all those years ago.

There are plenty of reasons why players can become jaded and lose the love that first caused them to want to keep playing rugby league but fortunately that has never happen to me.

I was thinking about that first No.7 this week when speculation arose that tonight against the Dogs I may be wearing '7' but playing more of a traditional '6' role, with Preston Campbell subbing in at half.

All I can say is that situation is not new. On occasions in the past Presto and I have done just that.

If Carty makes that call then I will be happy to oblige. In fact I will be rapt.

Playing with Presto alongside me is like jumping into a time machine and travelling back to Mt Isa and Townies. If ever there is a bloke who plays rugby league purely for the love of the game it is Presto.

So when we pair up it is like we are a couple of kids down the park throwing a footy about without a care in the world.

His excitement and enthusiasm is contagious. And after all these years I am starting to read his game.

Presto plays from the heart, so although he knows the plays and comfortably slips into the team structure, he also plays what is in front of him and has the brilliance to pull it off.

I am now starting to recognise the little glint in his eye when something special is about to happen and I now have half an idea of what that might be and where this will-o'-the-wisp might end up.

It makes for exciting and, more often than not, a winning play. But most of all it is fun.

Because Presto and I have played the halves card it will not be a major change if Carty makes the switch tonight.
Sometimes a little tweak here or there is all that is needed to change an ordinary season -- such as the one we are having -- to a winning one.

Despite our poor start, the effort is there. The hard work is there. The desire is there.

Maybe we just have to have a bit more fun, just like when we were kids.

So it won't matter what number jersey I have on my back, or what role I will play, the bottom line is that unless you are enjoying what you are doing, then you probably shouldn't be doing it.

And that original No.7 jersey? I still have it. My girls Taliah and Kahlen now wear it.

Every now and again I will see one of them out the front yard with it on, running and laughing.

Just having fun.

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/

[DIEHARD]

Canterbury Bulldogs v Gold Coast Titans
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Friday 8.45pm (AEST)

Last meeting: Round 15 2010 - Titans 25 bt Bulldogs 24 at Suncorp Stadium
Referees: Ashley Klein, Tony De Las Heras
TV: Delay Channel 9 (from 9.30pm)
TAB Sportsbet: Bulldogs $1.48 Titans $2.65
FootyTab: Titans +5.5

Greg Prichard writes: The Bulldogs have lost three in a row, but the bookmakers have them as favourites here because the Titans have struggled this season. The Bulldogs have been competitive in all three of those losses - against the Broncos, Dragons and Raiders - but need to improve on the standard of attack they have been dishing up. Against the Raiders, they struggled to come up with good options and despite the Raiders turning the ball over in their own half a lot the Bulldogs couldn't take advantage and lost 20-12.

The Titans looked like an old team on paper going into this season and that is how they have played, winning just three of their 10 games. Their most recent win was in round eight, 24-13 against the Roosters. Since then they have lost heavily to the Warriors and narrowly to the Sea Eagles. The club's management has gone out and bought up big on younger players for next season, and there is a huge doubt about whether the Titans can resurrect this season. They've still got some gamebreaking players, but most aren't playing at their best.

BULLDOGS: Ben Barba, Steve Turner, Josh Morris, Jamal Idris, Bryson Goodwin, Kris Keating, Trent Hodkinson, Andrew Ryan (capt), Michael Ennis, Sam Kasiano, Frank Pritchard, Jake Foster, David Stagg. Interchange: Greg Eastwood, Corey Payne, Dene Halatau, Michael Hodgson.

TITANS: Preston Campbell, Steve Michaels, Esi Tonga, Bodene Thompson, David Mead, William Zillman, Scott Prince, Luke Bailey, Riley Brown, Michael Henderson, Greg Bird, Mark Minichiello, Ashley Harrison. Interchange: Matt White, Ryan James, Sam Tagataese, Luke O'Dwyer.

http://www.smh.com.au/

[DIEHARD]

Titans future on show



Gold Coast Titans fans are likely to get a glimpse into their club's long-term future with highly-rated young rake Matt Srama set for his NRL debut in Friday night's match against the Bulldogs.

Srama's debut was all but confirmed at training on Thursday morning when he was swamped with congratulations from teammates after coach John Cartwright addressed the playing group towards the end of their session.

In another sign that the 20-year-old is odds-on to pop his first-grade cherry, current hooker Riley Brown was pulled aside by Cartwright and then left the training paddock early.

Srama is seen as a carbon copy of injured first-choice rake Nathan Friend - who is off to the New Zealand Warriors at season's end - and a likely long-term fixture in the No.9 jersey.

But Cartwright was still coy on Srama's selection chances, saying the final decision will be made after assessing the fitness of his bruised and battered Origin stars.

"We're going to give Greg Bird and Ashley Harrison up until tomorrow. Both are back-rowers and Riley can play a bit of back row so we're just training Matty in that position in case they're out," Cartwright said.

"We've just got to wait and see. We wouldn't put (Srama) there if he wasn't (ready)."

Cartwright said that Bird and Harrison were both sore after Wednesday night's opening match of the State of Origin series.

"They both played 80 minutes the other night so you'd have you say they're in doubt but we'll see how they pull up," he said.

"I'll talk to them tomorrow. You can get a general read on them with their body language. We've trained without them all week so we'll be prepared."

The Titans could slip to 15th on the NRL table if they lose Friday's match against the Dogs - the second leg of a double-header at Suncorp Stadium.

With a 3-7 win-loss record and having dropped three of their past five matches, Cartwright admitted their season is starting to rapidly slip away from them.

"It's getting that way but you can't put any extra pressure on the players. They read the papers, they know where we're sitting on the table and they feel it," he said.

"The fact that we're approaching the halfway mark of the season means we generally re-assess where we are and it's not where we wanted to be, so we've got to change a few things up."

"I'm happy with the effort and attitude of the players and I'm confident that we'll turn it around."

http://www.sportal.com.au/

[DIEHARD]

Bulldogs at front and centre for big Jamal, the Titan-in-waiting

Fans won't know whether to laugh or cry if the human tank fires up tonight, writes Chris Barrett.

Forget the novelty factor of Jamal Idris facing off against the Gold Coast, where he will spend at least the next five years after this one. The Canterbury centre is simply relishing a return to Suncorp Stadium as a combatant rather than a helpless bystander. Such is the pain of being 18th man in a NSW Origin outfit when events at the Cauldron go down to the wire.

''I don't know how to explain it, it's just the hardest feeling,'' Idris told the Herald last night in Brisbane, where the Bulldogs will play the Titans in the second game of the NRL double-header tonight. ''The bond that we accumulated over the past few months was tremendous. It was just the hardest feeling knowing that you can't go out and help them in any way. You just have to sit there and watch.''

Idris was positioned on the Blues bench on Wednesday night, throwing himself into a motivating role for his NSW colleagues as they fought their way back into the first clash of the series. The tension became almost unbearable as the Blues took a 12-10 lead, then just as quickly surrendered it seven minutes from full-time.

Advertisement: Story continues below ''I was sitting right next to the players as they were getting interchanged,'' Idris said. ''I was sitting there trying to rev them up as much as I could on the sideline. Telling them 'you're going well' and 'boys, just run your lines'. Giving them any bit of support I could give them.''

From his front-row seat, Idris saw a performance for which the NSW players could be proud, in many ways similar to Canterbury's gutsy display in a 15-10 defeat to premiers St George Illawarra a fortnight ago when they did not concede a point in the second half.

Like the Blues, the Bulldogs had gained the ascendancy in the closing stages at ANZ Stadium after fighting back from a deficit, only to be ultimately thwarted. They walked away, as Ricky Stuart's team did on Wednesday night, with a sense of contentment about where they are headed.

''I don't know if we're the only ones to do it but we kept St George scoreless in the second half,'' Idris said. ''Our defence matched theirs ? it did the whole game. They scored a couple of tries in the first half, we scored a couple in the second half. I think that shows a lot for our team.''

It does indeed but the scoreboard and the NRL premiership table do not lie. The latter indicates that Canterbury could drop out of the top eight with defeat to the struggling Titans tonight.

Idris is keen to avoid that happening but not for the reasons some might expect. He anticipates plenty of attention as he prepares to square off against his future team for the first time since since signing a five-year contract last month, but he insists he is looking at tonight's match as any other.

''There's obviously going to be a lot of talk about it and a lot of people will make different scenarios out of it,'' he said. ''But at the end of the day, I'm running out there with the blue and white on and that's all it comes down to. I'm going to bust my guts for the boys and there's nothing more to it.''

The largely positive NSW showing, not to mention Stuart's stated mantra of sticking by his squad, would appear to make Idris's task of a call-up in this series all the more difficult, despite making his Test debut three weeks ago.

He says he does not see tonight's game and the club outings that follow as auditions for Blues selection in Origins II and III. ''I play football for my family, for the people around me and that's as much motivation as you need to perform,'' Idris said. ''Sticky knows what he's doing. He's one of the smartest brains in [the game]. Everything he does, you've just got to back him with it. Other things are always there ? but I go out there looking to play the best I can for my family and my mates on the field.''

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

[DIEHARD]

Tonga has point to prove against Idris

DEPARTING Titans centre Esi Tonga will come face to face with the man poised to take his place next season when the Gold Coast collide with the Bulldogs at Skilled Park tonight.

The highly-anticipated clash between Tonga and Bulldogs giant Jamal Idris threatens to explode, with both players sure to have a point to prove.

Idris is on the warpath after missing NSW Origin selection for the series opener and will be determined to impress the Gold Coast hierarchy after recently signing a five-year deal to join the Titans from next season.

For Tonga, there will surely be the motivation to show the Titans exactly what they have passed up by letting him go.

Tonga last week signed a two-year deal with the Parramatta Eels after realising there was no future for him on the Gold Coast.

"I sat down and spoke to the coaching staff to see if I was in their plans but they told me they were looking at some centres," Tonga said.

"They ended up getting their centres and I am looking forward to a future with another club.

"I just want to finish this year well. I don't care who is in front of me, I just want to go out there and do my job for the team."

Tonga yesterday hosed down talk of a grudge match with Idris, saying he had no hard feelings towards his opposite number tonight.

"He has played for Australia and Origin, so I know it is going to be a big challenge for me," Tonga said.

"But there is no grudge at all, he is just another player in front of me and that is the way I am looking at it."

Idris, on the other hand, has warned the Titans he is determined to produce a powerhouse performance against his future club to show the rugby league world why he should be part of the Blues revolution.

The hulking Bulldog believes the Suncorp Stadium clash is the perfect opportunity to stake his claims should NSW coach Ricky Stuart need fresh troops for Origin 2 at ANZ Stadium on June 15.

"I want to go out and show the whole NRL crowd, the whole NRL fans, all of them in the NRL what we can do," he said.

"Personally for me I want to go out there and show everyone."

Idris made his State of Origin debut last year but lost out to Michael Jennings and Mark Gasnier for the 2011 series opener.

Just last month the 20-year-old accepted a $2 million five-year deal to join the Titans.

The marquee signing represents a large part of the club's future and rugby league's push on the Gold Coast and south-east Queensland but he's adamant there'll be no favours in what is a Bulldogs home game tonight.

"People say (they're my) new club ... it's a new club next year, not this year," Idris said.

"I'm still playing for the Dogs so I'm willing to bleed for them. They're my team for the season."

http://www.goldcoast.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Pressure building on Titans

HE wouldn't label his team's situation 'desperate' but skipper Scott Prince admits the Titans will face a race against time for the NRL premiership if they succumb to the Bulldogs tonight.

Languishing near the bottom of the ladder, the Titans have landed just three wins approaching the mid-way mark of the season.

According to Prince, while the Titans' situation is not yet dire, they are beginning to feel the heat and the pressure will continue to mount if they are handed their eighth loss of the year.

"I wouldn't say that (things were dire) as yet," Prince said.

"But I would say that the big girl is in the green room warming her throat up.

"It's getting to the stage where it's almost, I wouldn't say desperate, but it's on the verge of that."

With the Titans to make a final decision on State of Origin combatants Greg Bird and Ashley Harrison this morning, their availability could be crucial for a side desperate for the points.

Gearing for a critical three match period before Origin 2 in Sydney on June 15, every point will be precious for the Titans, who host the Panthers next weekend before a horror trek to OKI Jubillee Stadium to face premiers St George Illawarra.

But Prince said the feeling in the camp remained positive despite a roller-coaster opening to the year, made tougher by three very tight losses.

"(Our) effort is there, we're in games and it shows in the scoreline where we are getting beaten by six or less and that hurts when you are getting so close," Prince said.

"I thought our effort (against the Sea Eagles) defensively was really good and we turned up and showed commitment in defence but it was just a couple of little errors, fundamental errors, that rub salt into the wound.

"But we understand that and that's why we're working hard at training."

Titans coach John Cartwright was a little more cautious when asked about the situation facing the club.

"It's getting that way (where the season is slipping away) but you don't want to put any extra pressure on the players," he said.

"They feel it, they read the papers and they know where we are sitting on the table.

"The fact that we're approaching the half way mark of the season, we generally re-assess where we are and it's not where we want to be, so we have to change a few things up.

"But I'm happy with the effort, the attitude of the players and I'm confident we can turn it around."

Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au

[Surfers6]

Anyone heard what side we will run out with?

Harrison or Bird playing?

Tomane In?

Srama starting?

Zillman starting at fullback?

[DIEHARD]

Anyone heard what side we will run out with?

Harrison or Bird playing?

Tomane In?

Srama starting?

Zillman starting at fullback?

We will have to wait to see how Greg and Ash pull up.

I have no idea about Prince and Preston and William at #1.

Stand by.

[DIEHARD]

Beautiful day here in Brisbane. Clear skies.

[titansrawesome]

YESSS browns gone and srama in, i wouldnt mind zilly back at FB and campbell and prince halves either should that happen

[DIEHARD]

I hope our players get the opportunity of a good and proper warm up this time. Last year Prince didn't get to warm up and hurt himself kicking a goal.

[Nick]

Great day up here in Brissy, it will be a chilly night though. Cant wait for the games tonight.. and as a bonus i have the day off work!
I hope Srama does get a shot tonight, he has been the only shining star in the 20s side. I hope tomane gets another shot if harrison or bird dont back up.
Overall im just pumped to watch some footy!