imo preston and zillman should swap places because preston is more likely to pass ans zillman is a #1
Bird is the word
Why does Toops continue to be selected week after week?
YES Tonga & Tomane are off at the end of the year but rewarding Toopi with more match time after the way he's been playing is a dead set joke. He offers nothing in attack and always looks tired in defense.
Last edited by gotitans101; 21-07-11 at 07:48 AM.
Thompson flexible on halves pairing
It may be a new halves combination for the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys, but the duo of Ray Thompson and Ben Jones are no strangers on the field.
The two 21-year-olds will team up as No.6 and No.7 for the first time in an NRL game for the Cowboys against the Gold Coast Titans on Saturday evening, emulating what they did as younger footballers.
Thompson said today he would feel pretty comfortable with Jones as his new halves partner with usual halfback Johnathan Thurston continuing the rehabilitation program on his knee injury.
“I played with Jonesy all through juniors so I’m pretty excited about getting to play with him now,” Thompson said today.
“We did a few junior camps together, played a bit of QAS and some rep footy together.
“We’ve still got a bit to work on during the week so hopefully we can pull it together on the weekend.
“I was comfortable with Mick (Morgan) and I’m comfortable with whoever plays there.
“It’s whether we turn up (to play) or not. It was pretty disappointing on the weekend so hopefully we can turn it around.”
Thompson, who has played in every Cowboys match so far this season to take his career total to 22 games, said having a new No.7 alongside him shouldn’t affect the way he plays his game.
“My job pretty much remains the same no matter whoever’s in the halves,” he said.
“I’ve just got to talk more and demand the footy.”
Fullback Matthew Bowen has taken on a more active role in the Cowboys’ attacking game with Thurston absent, stepping into the first receiver role more than he normally does when the champion halfback is present.
He was NQ’s most dangerous player against the Tigers and is setting a standard Thompson is keen to follow.
“He’s a senior player so he’s probably taken it upon himself to step up and be a game changer,” he said.
“It’s just up to me and Jonesy to follow him.”
The Cowboys will hold an opposed training session against the club’s NYC team on Wednesday afternoon.
http://www.cowboys.com.au/
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Newcastle's Beau Henry makes moves to Gold Coast Titans
BEAU Henry is backing himself to be Scott Prince's long-term scrumbase partner after walking away from a $100,000-plus contract at Newcastle to cement his NRL future at the Titans.
A mid-season transfer to the Gold Coast, Henry gets the chance to prove his bona fides as a first-grade playmaker when he makes his Titans debut in the No.6 jumper against the Cowboys on Saturday night at Skilled Park.
The five-eighth role has been one of the club's most problematic positions, with coach John Cartwright testing eight players outside Prince since the Titans' entry to the NRL in 2007.
Henry is hoping his decision to rescind a three-year deal at the Knights pays dividends. The 21-year-old has been part of the Titans' set-up for six weeks and has impressed the club's senior core with his playmaking nous.
"We're hoping Beau can step up," veteran hooker Nathan Friend said.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/
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Zillman Enhances His Reputation as 'Mr Versatile'
Adam Gardini
Jetstar Titans utility William Zillman is set to further enhance his reputation as ?Mr Versatile? when he shifts to the centres for Saturday night?s clash against the North Queensland Cowboys at Skilled Park.
With former Newcastle Knights playmaker Beau Henry being given a chance to show his wares at five-eighth this weekend, Zillman has been shifted from the No.6 jersey to the centres in a new-look backline to take on the in-form Cowboys.
While he hasn?t played there since his younger days for the Canberra Raiders, Zillman said his recent experience playing everywhere in the backline from fullback and wing to the halves would benefit him on Saturday night.
?It?s a bit different for me ? I haven?t played much in the centres but I?m looking forward to the challenge,?? said Zillman, who is set to mark up against either Willie Tonga or Brent Tate.
?I?ve sort of moved around the backline a little bit now so it doesn?t bother me too much and hopefully I can get the job done out there.
?I think I played there in the Junior Kangaroos when I was 19 and I had one or two games there when I was down in Canberra.
?Defensively I think I?ll be pretty comfortable having played a handful of games this year at five-eighth. It?s not too much different, it?s just moved out one.
?Defensively I should be alright and in attack, hopefully I can give an option out there and even come in and look for the ball. If I?m playing first grade I?m happy to play anywhere.??
Jetstar Titans Coach John Cartwright paid Zillman the ultimate compliment by describing him as ?the ultimate team player? and said his move to the centres was more out of necessity to accommodate both Henry and Luke Capewell, who has been given a chance to show his wares at fullback.
?It?s a tough one for Zilly but he is the ultimate team player,?? said Cartwright.
?We just feel Capewell deserves a little bit more time back there.
?We are having trouble scoring tries so we are trying to get our best attacking players out there and it so happens this week that Zilly will be playing in the centres.??
Source: http://www.titans.com.au
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Titans v Cowboys
Skilled Park Saturday 5.30pm
Having failed to make a dent in their south-east Queensland neighbours the Broncos last week the struggling Titans now regroup and focus on inflicting some pain on top-four aspirants the Cowboys at home on Saturday night.
Their latest defeat was their fourth in a row and leaves them rooted to the bottom of the NRL ladder with just four wins to their credit; they now face a massive battle to offload the wooden spoon to the Raiders or Roosters who each sit two competition points higher than them.
Still, captain Scott Prince will be determined his 100th appearance for the Titans (153 NRL games overall) will be a celebration rather than yet another of the weekly wakes that have been so common in 2011. With Johnathan Thurston still sidelined Prince will relish the chance to dominate the ruck.
It’s a crunch game for the Cowboys; they’ve lost touch with the top four but will be desperate for the two competition points here which would see them back in the mix for a home semi-final should the Storm take down the Broncos on Friday night.
Titans’ lock Ashley Harrison’s elbow injury has allowed John Cartwright to introduce mid-season signing Beau Henry to the squad. In a significant reshuffle, second-rower Greg Bird shifts to lock, with centre Bodene Thompson moving to the second row. Regular five-eighth William Zillman moves to centre for Thompson and Henry suits up in the No.6. Brenton Lawrence takes Michael Henderson’s spot on the bench.
Meanwhile Cowboys’ coach Neil Henry has decided to shield under-20s halfback Michael Morgan from the pressures of filling in for Johnathan Thurston, opting for Ben Jones in the No.7 instead. Morgan was found out defensively in the Cowboys’ home loss to the Wests Tigers last week; Henry’s call is probably a sensible one for the long term.
Elsewhere captain Matthew Scott returns at prop, pushing James Tamou to the bench, while Joel Riethmuller returns to an extended interchange of 20.
Worryingly the Titans have lost their past four games at Skilled Park, conceding an average 27.3 points – up on their season average of 23.9 points conceded.
Watch Out Titans: While the Cowboys have scored a massive 38 tries down the left side of the field (second most in the comp) compared to just 22 on the right, it’s likely they’ll target the Titans’ right side here – especially given the Titans are the weakest of all NRL sides on that edge, having leaked 30 tries.
In any event the Cowboys will look to shift it wide and often – of the 16 wing partnerships in the NRL (total 32 players) Titan David Mead misses the most tackles by any winger (31) while Michaels misses the 10th most (20).
In the centres, Willie Tonga has scored five tries in four games against the Gold Coast side.
Danger Sign: When he’s not chiming into the backline inside the Titans’ red zone looking to link with wingers Kalifa Faifai Loa and Ashley Graham, Cowboys’ fullback Matthew Bowen may look to spark some long-distance raids – the Cowboys have scored the second-most tries from over halfway (10) while the Titans have conceded the most from this distance (10).
Watch Out Cowboys: Greg Bird loves a challenge – against the Broncos last week he pounded out 20 hit-ups for 153 metres, with five tackle-breaks and two offloads. He also toiled hard in defence, making 32 tackles.
Perhaps the Titans’ best chances of points will come from high balls out wide – the Cowboys’ wingers remain the shakiest under cross-field bombs, safely defusing just 32 per cent of kicks.
Danger Sign: If Scott Prince gets his radar right and the home side can get some cheap points from cross-field bombs early in the contest it could just give the Titans some confidence and see them play a notch or two above their current disappointing standard.
Plays To Watch: Greg Bird and Luke Bailey taking it to the Cowboys; Quick shifts to David Mead and Steve Michaels (both scored last week); Scott Prince’s array of attacking kicks; Matthew Bowen’s dazzling acceleration; Brent Tate and Willie Tonga breaking through on the fringes; Tariq Sims’ take-no-prisoners charges and crunching tackles; Aaron Payne having a go from close range (the Titans have conceded four tries from dummy-half).
Where It Will Be Won: Through powerful attack. This game appears a glaring mismatch given the Cowboys are the league co-leaders for line-breaks and tackle-breaks (4.8 and 40.9 a game respectively) while the Titans are the worst in the NRL in those categories, tallying just 2.9 and 27.2 a game.
Take Titans wingers David Mead and Steve Michaels out of the equation (nine line-breaks each) and only William Zillman (six) has made more than five incisions. Meanwhile the Cowboys boast strike-power in Ashley Graham (10), Matthew Bowen (eight), Tariq Sims and Kalifa Faifai Loa (seven each), as well as Willie Tonga, Gavin Cooper and Ray Thompson (five apiece). And, of course, the sidelined Thurston has made 10.
The History: Played 8; Titans 4, Cowboys 4. The Cowboys have won three of the past four including a 22-12 victory in Townsville in Round 5. The Titans hold a 2-1 advantage in games at Skilled Park.
Conclusion: This is a danger game for the Cowboys. The Titans have nothing to lose and should show desperation over the coming weeks as they bid to stave off the wooden spoon.
Meanwhile, although their position in the semi-finals would seem assured the Cowboys can’t afford complacency or they’ll find themselves out of the running for a home semi-final. That would leave them exposed to a possible first-week exit – just ask the Warriors how they felt about that last year.
The Cowboys were soundly beaten last week but even in defeat they showed enough to suggest they should still be too strong for the Titans. Cowboys by 10 points.
Match Officials: Referees – Jared Maxwell & Henry Perenara; Sideline Officials – Adam Reid & Clayton Sharpe; Video Ref – Phil Cooley.
Televised: Fox Sports – Live 5.30pm.
* Stats: NRL Stats
http://www.nrl.com
Last edited by DIEHARD; 21-07-11 at 10:15 AM.
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I like the line-up, lots of youth and possible combinations for next year and a very strong forward pack. I hope Henry & Capewell gell well with the team over the next few weeks and make the positions their own, Zillman in the centers could prove to be a master stroke. Just gotta keep the errors, penalties and missed tackle counts down!
The girl from the ring watched a highlights reel of Greg Bird, she died 7 days later.....
I've picked the Titans this week too. I can't even remember the last time I did that. For some reason I think we can do it.
Yes Thurston being out is part of the reason, but at least Carty is trying different things to provide the team with some spark.
PRINCE: Home games wins a must
Scott Prince
COWBOYS, Storm, Raiders, Eels.
They are hurdles we must overcome between now and the end of the 2011 season.
Each of these games should present a personal challenge to every Titans player.
In a year that has bought more frustration than success, these four teams present each of us with a reason to finish the season with some pride intact.
These four teams are our opponents for the remaining home games of 2011.
We must win them all.
I believe we can win all of our away games as well but it is at home where we must draw a line in the sand.
We owe that to our fans, our coaching staff, our entire club and also to ourselves.
We can continue to rake over the coals of disaster of this season -- and that has to be done to find answers for 2012.
However, the time to make a change is tomorrow night against North Queensland. We have to start a roll and it's is fitting that roll should start at our magnificent home ground.
There is no better feeling than playing at Skilled Park. The support from the fans there certainly lifts us.
It is great to finish a game with a win and then walk around and thank the fans, especially the die-hard Titans legion at the northern end.
We may have faltered this year but every game I have played at Skilled I have gone in with extra confidence.
It will be the same tomorrow night and for the remaining home games.
While each of these four games presents as a tough assignment, some may suggest that the Storm game can be placed in the too-hard basket.
As far as I am concerned, this is the game that I want to win the most.
I want to prove to the world that the Titans are a quality side who can match it with the best in the competition. There is not one team in this competition that I fear.
The Storm gave us a touch-up when we met earlier this year and I want to return the favour.
I am as convinced as ever that we have the players and the commitment to be far higher up the table than where we currently are.
But talk is cheap. The finals may now be just a dream but there is still every reason to prove to our fans that we still wear this city's colours with pride.
We did that during the first half against the Broncos last Friday night. We played tough, disciplined football for the first 40 minutes.
For that period we showed the real Titans.
But 40 minutes isn't full-time and we performed poorly in the second half.
In hindsight the signs were there at half-time. Experience has told me that back-slapping and a loud dressing room isn't always a good thing.
Often the cheers and shouts mask deep-seated doubts. I have found that often a quiet dressing room, especially at half-time, is a sign that a team is self-assured and focused on the job ahead.
Our dressing room was boisterous, the boys were definitely fired up but were we trying to drown out any doubts that maybe we couldn't maintain the rage in the second stanza.
As it turned out, the effort was still there, but not the execution.
That must change tomorrow night.
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/
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Thanks for the wrap for The Legion and the Titan Army Scott!
Ticket sales for tomorrow IMO are good and I hope for a crowd in excess of 16,000+ but we need as many Titans fans there as possible.
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