Round 25 NYC Preview: Titans v Panthers

ROUND 25 GAME PREVIEW

GOLD COAST TITANS v PENRITH PANTHERS
Round 25, 2012 NYC Premiership
Saturday, August 25th, 2012
NYC Kick-Off 1:15pm
Centrebet Stadium, Penrith
Referees: Michael Laverty

Coming In To Round 25
Gold Coast Titans are 1-3 in their last four games, and are coming off an 34-32 victory over the Parramatta Eels at Skilled Park last Sunday.
They have averaged 17.5 ppg since Round 21, and have conceded 32.5 ppg in that period.
They sit 16th on the competition ladder, 4 points from the 12th placed Broncos.
Penrith Panthers are 0-4 in their last four games, and are coming off an 18-16 loss to the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium last Sunday.
They have averaged 19.0 ppg since Round 21, and have conceded 24.0 ppg in that period.
They sit 5th on the competition ladder, 5 points from the 1st placed Raiders.

Last Time They Met
Round 15, 2012 - Titans 12 Panthers 52

Team Changes and Late Mail

Find all the Titans? NYC Team and Injury News from Tuesday and full Round 25 Lineup here.

Gold Coast Titans
J Fogarty, L Baker, H Hunt, S Johnson, J Teo, T Dawney, K Elgey, O Percy, T Rowles, T Laurenson, N Harrold, S Harold, D Hartin.
Bench: M Hall, J Nia, S Gee, M Beddow, E Murphy, S Irwin, J Durheim.

Penrith Panthers
K Moss, T Satini, T Eisenhuth, G Jennings, Z Mackay, D Foster, T Evans, S Hollis, B South, R Campbell-Gillard, V Tia-Kilifi, T Vailea, C Carl.
Bench: C Knight, C Smith, M Lodge, B Cartwright.

Bottom Line
It will be a tough trip south for the Titans, who are coming off a great victory over the Eels last Sunday. They went one step closer to losing the wooden spoon, but have a tough game here before they play the Sea Eagles in the final round.

The Panthers were leading the competition only a matter of weeks ago, but have struggled recently, losing four in a row after five-eighth Harry Siejka ended his season with knee surgery.

Last week?s win will give a lot of confidence to the Titans, particularly fullback Jamal Fogarty. He was excellent last week, running for 209m, with a try, 3 try-assists, 9 tackle breaks and 3 line breaks. His opposite number is Panthers star Kieran Moss, who himself has been in good form. Moss scored a double against the Warriors last week, and one last time they met in Round 15, including over 200m run.

In that last clash, the Panthers blew away the Titans early, taking a 34-0 lead into the half time break. It was the Panthers outside backs who ran amok that day, as they spread the ball and tore the Titans apart on the fringes. This is where Nick Harrold and Sam Harold will be very important. shutting down NYC Team of the Year member Vaipuna Tia Kilifi.

If the Titans can slow the Panthers momentum, which is what the Warriors have done in recent times, they can get the victory in this game. But the question remains who will take out the battle of the fullbacks?

http://www.titans.com.au/