Round 4: New Zealand Warriors vs Gold Coast Titans

[TITAN PETE]

I don't think the Warriors will have any problems being 'up' for this game after the loss to the Dogs last week.

It'll be interesting to see how Friendy goes too. He was one of the first guys I picked in my Supercoach team this year and I reckon he will be out to prove a point or two. I'm expecting a pretty big haul from him this week.

I can tell u he is really looking forward to this match & i think Prince better be quick with his kicks or he will be getting smashed

[DIEHARD]

Nathan Friend will be on fire.

[DIEHARD]

'Friend-ship' to be put aside for Srama
Adam Gardini

Jetstar Gold Coast Titans hooker Matt Srama says it will be a ?surreal? moment when he packs down in the scrum against one of his favourite players and the man he replaced as the club?s dummy half this weekend.

The Titans will tackle the club?s inaugural hooker Nathan Friend, 31, when he lines up against them for his new club, the New Zealand Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday (4.30pm QLD, 7.30pm NZ).

Srama, 21, said Friend was one of the players he modelled his game on before he was handed the Titans? No.9 jersey in Friend?s injury-enforced absence midway through last season.

This weekend will be the first time the pair have locked horns in an NRL match, with Srama starting the match in a dual-hooking role with dummy half Kayne Lawton.

?It?s still a bit surreal,?? said Srama.

?It?s going to be pretty cool to play against Friendy.

?I might say g?day to him in the scrum but at the end of the day we?re both there to win the game and friendship aside, we?re going to be trying to put it on each other and play well.

?In saying that I look up to him and it?ll be a surreal moment. I looked up to him ? he was one of those rock hard defenders and just went about his business as an 80 minute player.

?He and Cameron Smith were players I looked up to. I still pinch myself playing against these sot of blokes but at the end of the day we?re there to win the game.??

After suffering an AC joint problem in his shoulder during the pre-season, Srama started the year playing off the interchange bench after he missed the club?s trial matches prior to Round 1.

But last weekend, Titans Coach John Cartwright elevated the 21-year-old into the starting spot with Lawton moving back to the bench.

Srama said he was happy to again be starting the match against the Warriors and hoped his combination with Lawton could continue.

?Carty elected to start me on the weekend which was a bit different for a change, I haven?t started in a while,?? said Srama.

?I?ve been second to Kayne who has been doing a really good job as well.

?Both of us together, I think we?ve been doing a good job and all we can do is get the go-forwadr we need and hopefully Carty sticks with us.??

Both the Titans and Warriors have notched one win from their opening three matches to start the season and will be desperate to rectify that in Auckland on Saturday.

Despite last weekend?s 30-6 loss to heavyweights the Melbourne Storm, Srama said the team had taken some positives out of the match.

?I thought we competed really when in the first 40 minutes and just after halftime,?? he said, referring to the 4-nil scoreline in favour of the Storm at halftime.

?The final score definitely didn?t indicate the way we put in an effort. We?ve still got to work on finishing strong and doing it for the full 80 rather than just the first 40 minutes.??

http://www.titans.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Warriors v Gold Coast Titans
Saturday 7.30pm (NZ time) Mt Smart Stadium

It?s not often that the Warriors lose consecutive games on home soil, yet that?s exactly the scenario that has played out for last year?s grand finalists over the opening three rounds of the Telstra Premiership. Yet for the time being at least, there isn?t any great cause for concern given that those losses have come against premiers Manly and the undefeated Bulldogs in two high-quality games. Still, one win from three wasn?t exactly the start the Warriors were looking for and they will be keen to return to the winners? circle and repay their home fans.

The biggest worry for the Warriors is how poorly they?ve been starting ? having conceded sizeable leads in all three games so far. In Round 1 against Manly they trailed 16-0 after 21 minutes before coming back to fall 26-20; in Round 2 they made hard work of beating Parramatta after falling behind 8-0; and they were down 16-0 after as many minutes before again going down in a thriller against the ?Dogs.

Fortunately their attack remains their great strength and despite winning just one game they?ve managed to pile on 74 points in their three games to date.

Meanwhile, the jury is still out on last year?s wooden-spooners the Gold Coast following consecutive losses to Canberra and Melbourne. The Titans recruited strongly for 2012 and on paper at least appear to have the makings of a very competent squad, but until they start stringing some wins together they won?t figure in too many people?s top eight calculations. Worryingly, their only win of the season back in Round 1 was an unconvincing performance against a Cowboys outfit that completed just 46 per cent of their sets.
If they click they?ll be quite a handful, but they?ll want to find some dramatic improvement in the coming days if they hope to upset this strong Warriors outfit.

Warriors coach Brian McClennan has made plenty of changes this week with Ben Henry replacing Konrad Hurrell ? who returns to the bench ? in the starting XIII alongside Jerome Ropati. Sione Lousi and Ben Matulino have been named as the starting props with Russell Packer and Ukuma Ta?ai coming off the bench. The five-man interchange also boasts Toyota Cup back-rower John Palavi.

Titans coach John Cartwright has named an unchanged line-up although he will be hoping Idris is passed fit to play later in the week after he was a late withdrawal against Melbourne with a hamstring strain.

Both Gold Coast prop Luke Douglas and Warriors captain Simon Mannering celebrate their 150th NRL games this weekend, with Douglas doing so having not missed a single game since he debuted for Cronulla back in 2006. He has averaged 104.4 metres and 32 tackles per game in that time.
Mannering becomes just the sixth Warriors player to reach 150 games and currently sits third for both most runs (1659) and most tackles (3751) for the club.

Watch Out Warriors: The Warriors? right-side defence can expect plenty of traffic to head their way on Saturday night. The Titans heavily favour their left edge when it comes to quick backline moves, with 17 strong shifts to that side compared to just four to the right. Not surprisingly they have scored three tries on their left and only one on the right in 2012. The tactic is worth sticking with: 14 of the 15 tries the Warriors have conceded this year have been out wide.

Danger Sign: The Warriors need to put some work into their kicking game, having averaged just 429 metres with the boot so far this season ? the least of any side in the NRL. Much of the responsibility for that must fall on the shoulders of young half Shaun Johnson who has kicked for 202 metres per game ? less than James Maloney?s 217. Of greater concern to coach Brian McClennan would be the 134 tackles the Warriors have missed in 2012 which is also the most by all 16 teams.

Watch Out Titans: Kevin Locke continues to leave his imprint on every game he takes part in with his pace and ability to spot an opportunity. Man of the match in the Warriors? Round 2 win over Parramatta, he has scored two tries from three games, made 207 metres on kick-returns, averaged 118 metres per game and produced 16 tackle-breaks. Watch for him supporting his big men up the middle and darting out of dummy-half late in each half.

Danger Sign: The Titans are susceptible to the kick, with four tries scored against them from the boot so far this season ? more than any other club. Ironically, the Panthers have been impeccable under the high ball but have defused just 67 per cent of short kicks in 2012.

Nathan Friend v Matt Srama: Nathan Friend comes up against his old club for the first time after joining the Warriors in the off-season. The experienced dummy-half offers plenty in attack with his speed off the mark and is a solid defender; however the Titans believe they have a ?keeper? in 21-year-old Matt Srama. Some at the club have even compared him with Queensland and Australian No.9 Cameron Smith. No doubt he will be keen to get one over his former mentor.

Where It Will Be Won: This promises to be an entertaining forward battle with the might of the big Warriors pack facing off against a Titans side boasting four State of Origin representatives in Greg Bird, Nate Myles, Ashley Harrison and Luke Bailey. The Bulldogs showed the value of winning the battle up the middle against the Warriors last week by restricting them to just 1289 running metres. Notably, the Titans have been competitive up front in all three games in 2012 and despite being out-classed by Melbourne last week can at least take heart in the fact that they managed 1263 metres to the Storm?s 1150. If they can do a similar job on the Warriors they?ll put themselves right into the contest.

The History: Played 10; Titans 6, Warriors 4. The Warriors won both encounters last season but before then had lost their past six games against the Gold Coast dating back to 2008.

The Last Time They Met: The Warriors prevailed 22-6 at Mt Smart Stadium in Round 18 last season to break a four-match losing streak and begin their charge towards the grand final. In a dour affair that belied the brilliance of what the Warriors would produce in the coming weeks, the home side relied on a deft kick from James Maloney for Shaun Berrigan to open the scoring after eight minutes. But it wasn?t until after the break ? when they led just 10-6 following a try to Titans fullback William Zillman ? that they finally secured the two competition points.

It was Feleti Mateo that provided the spark the home side was looking for when he collected a Maloney bomb before flicking the ball out the back for Simon Mannering to push his way over. Kevin Locke then sent Manu Vatuvei across out wide to ensure victory.

The Warriors completed just 61 per cent of their sets bit still managed four line-breaks to nil in a match that also saw Mat Rogers? comeback last just 60 minutes before he broke his foot.

Mateo was the standout player on the field, making 30 tackles and 157 metres as well as contributing five tackle-breaks and five offloads.

Anthony Laffranchi made 46 tackles for the Gold Coast.

Match Officials: Referees ? Jared Maxwell & Gavin Morris; Sideline Officials ? Dave Abood & Jason Walsh; Video Referee ? Paul Mellor.

The Way We See It: A huge game for both sides given they have just a win apiece so far this season. All things considered, the Warriors should get the chocolates here. They are a proven attacking force, boast some of the best young talent in the NRL and are always tough to beat on home soil (despite their 0-2 record so far in 2012). We?re tipping them to win but this Titans side boasts enough skill to cause an upset should they get their attack right. It will happen eventually, but whether it happens this week is another thing. Warriors by eight points.

Televised: Fox Sports 2 ? Live 5.30pm AEDT.

* Statistics: NRL Stats.

http://www.nrl.com/

[DIEHARD]

Lucky Luke hits mark

"DOING It Dougy Style" is the first sign made by a fan about him that Yamba rugby league product Luke Douglas can remember seeing in his early days at the Cronulla Sharks

Six years after making his NRL debut, Douglas will play his 150th consecutive game when he lines up for the Gold Coast Titans against the New Zealand Warriors this weekend.

Douglas has emerged as rugby league's man of steel, not missing a game since his debut for the Sharks in 2006.

But he downplayed the feat, attributing his resilience to good luck and good management.

"I've just been fortunate with injuries and I do everything I can each week to make sure that I can play," he said.

"I'm pretty proud of it (150 games) but it's just another game really."

While it will be just another game for Douglas, the Titans will be desperate to rediscover their winning form when they tackle the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday night.

After starting the season with an 18-0 shutout against the Cowboys, the Titans have slumped to back-to-back losses.

Despite the less-than-impressive start, Titans coach John Cartwright is thrilled with what Douglas has brought to the club this season.

"He's still finding his way in the side but his first-grade performances have been very solid," Cartwright said.

"It's remarkable (150 games), especially playing in the front row, he plays pretty big minutes as well."

Douglas said rumours of the Gold Coast club's financial difficulties had not affected the team ahead of this weekend's showdown.

"I don't worry about any of the off-field stuff," Douglas said.

"We just need to start winning games and playing for the full 80 minutes."

Meanwhile, Douglas has relished the chance to play in front of friends and family from Yamba since linking with the Titans in the off-season.

"A lot of people from Yamba move here for work and I'm living with mates from home," he said.

"Mum and dad come up to every game too so it's all good."

Douglas said former Marist Brothers winger and Titans speedster David Mead is well on the way to recovering from a broken jaw he suffered in round two against the Canberra Raiders.

"The swelling has gone down and he's talking again anyway," Douglas said.

http://www.northernstar.com.au/story...uke-hits-mark/

[amaline]

So, Channel 7 confirm that Rankin is out, Bird into 5/8.

[amaline]

Plus Gordon just tweeted he's back this week.

[TITAN PETE]

Yes & Yes

[Boofhead]

We might actually have a chance now!

Surely this will shift Myles into the backrow and Dougie in to the front.

[DavidBouveng]

Sorry, is kev Gordon back? That's cool. Hope Dom goes to centres and bodene to bench

[patskE]

we dont have a chance if bird is 5/8...
way to much pressure on prince now :S

[Boofhead]

we dont have a chance if bird is 5/8...
way to much pressure on prince now :S

http://live.nrlstats.com/matches/nrl/match2886.html

[TITAN PETE]

http://live.nrlstats.com/matches/nrl/match2886.html

Apart from the halves there's a slight difference, only 11 players & the bloke that made 49 tackles now wears a Black Jersey , but I get your drift mate

[Supergoose]

http://live.nrlstats.com/matches/nrl/match2886.html

And the fact that Bird made 5 errors...

[MightyTitans]

I really hope they arent rushing kg back.. seriously no reason why the couldnt take phil graham just to be safe