Round 1 2013: SHARKS vs TITANS

[teke]

Just watched highlights and only saw two tries from two kicks.
Was there any line breaks or overlaps created by the Titans?

tight defensive game with little to no overlaps by either side.

A good game IMO

[teke]

Anybody who is happy with tonight's performance was happy with where we finished last year and was happy with the boring forward orientated play that we have dished up for the past two failures of seasons.

We have an outstanding pack of forwards and a young pair of halves that have all the potential in the world but we will not be moving up the ladder so long as we continue with the same stale and predictable attacking structures that have failed us for the past two seasons!!

Albert Kelly could be a superstar of the competition playing behind our forwards but there is absolutely ZERO structure around him. He was so fast with ball and so brave in defence but it was like he was playing a lone hand. Sezar too has so much potential but he will be wasted with Cartwright's constipated vision of the game bogging him down.

When the game was there to be won in the second half Dave Taylor, after bulldozing through defenders twice, ran to the line one out?!?!?! Where was the support? Where was the evidence that Cartwright had planned for Taylor's introduction and organised a structure around it?!

Somebody described the loss as promising?!?!?! What was promising about it?? We lost to a team that only managed 12 points!!

Was it the attacking set plays that looked promising?? There weren't any!

Was it our ability to fluently spread the ball to the flanks and create space for our wingers who have speed to burn that looked promising?? That did not happen on one single occasion!!

Was it the options our halves had when we attacked their line??

I could go on and on.

We have a good enough list to be a power house in this competition but it is all for naught while Cartwright dishes up the some stale rubbish that has been a proven failure since 2011. Next week will tell us a lot. A Panthers team that is genuinely well coached put 32 points through the Raiders today and we get them in the same time slot next week. The Panthers have an infinitely inferior squad to us and right now we are probably 60-40 to even win the game against the Raiders. Parramatta also has a much worse squad than we do and they did what a John Cartwright coached team has never done in his entire career - scored 40 points!! They are better coached than we are. Simple.

Mr May, you receive a lot of pats on the back around here and rightfully so. You have done a great job re-establishing the Titans as a brand but if you are not looking at coaching solutions in the short term you are dooming us to another failed year. We started 1-7 last year (from memory, correct me if I'm wrong) we simply cannot afford that sort of start again as there is absolutely no way back from such a start.

thats one way to look at it

[karnage]

thats one way to look at it

That's the only way to look at it.

[teke]

That's the only way to look at it.

Just write "Sack the coach". Less typing

[Titanic]

That's the only way to look at it.

I agree with most of what you say old mate but not this time. First game of the season and so many new combinations, I'm prepared to wait it out.

On the other hand, the thing that gets me is why it took the trial games to sort it out. Imho, we wasted the whole off-season when we could have used the trials to get combinations going. Takairangi had his first hit out with the left-side today. We'll get a lot better irrespective of the so-called coaching.

[Coaster]

I think this could be solved with a stern reaction from the coaching staff and highlighting Harrisions involvement on last plays as a direct power shift away from our halves.

5 min conversation to the team could solve it imo

[Smakked]

Overall they played well , Defense was solid as a rock beside a few lapses. Taka played well, as did Ridge. KG needs to be near Taka and ready for the offload, 2 missed trys because he wasn't there. Sezer and Kelly had moments but they seemed not to play there natural game, as if they were told to do something completely different then what they would do. Was hoping for a win but it didn't happen , i expect a big win next Sunday at home.

[TITAN PETE]

Srama & Ridge left the park & we looked fairly weak, when they came back on we were stronger.....

I'll go out on a limb & upset many & think we would be far stronger without Harrison ..

How good is it to have a number 7 that tackles

[Smakked]

.

I'll go out on a limb & upset many & think we would be far stronger without Harrison ..
D

I agree with you on this one.

[Bayside Titan]

Anybody who is happy with tonight's performance was happy with where we finished last year and was happy with the boring forward orientated play that we have dished up for the past two failures of seasons.

We have an outstanding pack of forwards and a young pair of halves that have all the potential in the world but we will not be moving up the ladder so long as we continue with the same stale and predictable attacking structures that have failed us for the past two seasons!!

Albert Kelly could be a superstar of the competition playing behind our forwards but there is absolutely ZERO structure around him. He was so fast with ball and so brave in defence but it was like he was playing a lone hand. Sezar too has so much potential but he will be wasted with Cartwright's constipated vision of the game bogging him down.

When the game was there to be won in the second half Dave Taylor, after bulldozing through defenders twice, ran to the line one out?!?!?! Where was the support? Where was the evidence that Cartwright had planned for Taylor's introduction and organised a structure around it?!

Somebody described the loss as promising?!?!?! What was promising about it?? We lost to a team that only managed 12 points!!

Was it the attacking set plays that looked promising?? There weren't any!

Was it our ability to fluently spread the ball to the flanks and create space for our wingers who have speed to burn that looked promising?? That did not happen on one single occasion!!

Was it the options our halves had when we attacked their line??

I could go on and on.

We have a good enough list to be a power house in this competition but it is all for naught while Cartwright dishes up the some stale rubbish that has been a proven failure since 2011. Next week will tell us a lot. A Panthers team that is genuinely well coached put 32 points through the Raiders today and we get them in the same time slot next week. The Panthers have an infinitely inferior squad to us and right now we are probably 60-40 to even win the game against the Raiders. Parramatta also has a much worse squad than we do and they did what a John Cartwright coached team has never done in his entire career - scored 40 points!! They are better coached than we are. Simple.

Mr May, you receive a lot of pats on the back around here and rightfully so. You have done a great job re-establishing the Titans as a brand but if you are not looking at coaching solutions in the short term you are dooming us to another failed year. We started 1-7 last year (from memory, correct me if I'm wrong) we simply cannot afford that sort of start again as there is absolutely no way back from such a start.

Only round one so not too worried as yet. Saw some positive signs in Kelly / Sezer to think that they will get better. But can't help but agree with Karage last highlighted point. All I will say is that we have the Playing Roster to Win the Comp but I think that we played a fair bit of one out stuff and not too much else or set moves. It took 1 move put on by the Storm for Billy Slaters try that convinced me that we will finish in the same spot on the ladder this year if the team continues to be structured the way they are now.

[Titanic]

Hey guys, we all know Cartwright is not up to it, that Harrison will never ever ever ever pass the goddamn ball, that we only need one hooker, have a fullback who can't/won't catch and that Flash has no flash at all but that is not enough to slash & burn the side just yet.

We have a forward pack that goes forward, a half that tackles, a 6 who is still learning, a couple of strike centres and a commitment to play for each other ... we will not be premiers this year but we're in for a good season of positioning for the future of the club.

Ps. we made so few stupid, unforced errors and what about the size of Ridge? Don't tell me he's been chewing on dried deer penis and swallowing honeyed ant bile during the off-season.

[DIEHARD]

Wow well that was trench warfare wasnt it? A real battle of forwards but I doubt it was going to play out any other way. It also denied our halves a good opportunity to cut their teeth and the longer it went on the less likely they were to shine through. But I am very happy with Kelly. Just love seeing the bloke get in there and having a go, chopping them down or chancing his arm.

Everytime he gets the ball, get excited. I cant believe our former half back was part time half back / part time winger.

Next week will be alot more telling. But I'm optimistic but also realistic. We have a long way to go. And Zillman didn't really fire. Mead had a great game. (Hate to sound like a broken record in Round 1 but Zillman to centre, Mead to fullback)

I saw enough to be excited and I really enjoyed being in the game. We dont even know if alot of those Sharks will be playing next week, so they put it all in against us. Any team would have found themselves in trouble. But we weathered it and fell 2 points short. Would have been even had Sezer's boot been truer. Im not about to panic about the lack of points just yet, I just dont think they were in that game and we didnt seem to get much luck with possession and penalties.

A trip to Shark Park... sorry "Stadium" is never easy. Cronulla scored a famous victory that will do their suffering fans alot of good. If we had to lose, I guess losing to the Sharks wasn't so bad. I feel sorry for the supporters of the Sharks, but they really came forward and supported the club, with a near 18k crowd against a traditionally low drawing team. (us)

How about Luke Bailey and his soccer skills. What a trick shot! I was impressed with what Taka has to offer. I like a lanky centre who likes to off load. Hoping for better game for two of my favourites against the Raiders, Harrison and Gordon who were noticeably down their best.

Bed time.

[hammer]

Wow...much doom and gloom expressed after this match!

I was pretty happy with what I saw...yes we didn't win but there were many positives. Albert Kelly was terrific...particularly in defence...imho he struggled a little at the end with possibly fitness but should improve greatly in this department.

On a positive note...we are only 2 points out of the eight with 25 rounds to go!

[Steve]

I listened on the radio, and it really sounded like we were the better team, until the 5th.

To me it sounded like we just didn't mesh as a team, but with so many new players, it's not going to happen instantly.

[Mexican titan]

Wow well that was trench warfare wasnt it? A real battle of forwards but I doubt it was going to play out any other way. It also denied our halves a good opportunity to cut their teeth and the longer it went on the less likely they were to shine through. But I am very happy with Kelly. Just love seeing the bloke get in there and having a go, chopping them down or chancing his arm.

Everytime he gets the ball, get excited. I cant believe our former half back was part time half back / part time winger.

Next week will be alot more telling. But I'm optimistic but also realistic. We have a long way to go. And Zillman didn't really fire. Mead had a great game. (Hate to sound like a broken record in Round 1 but Zillman to centre, Mead to fullback)

I saw enough to be excited and I really enjoyed being in the game. We dont even know if alot of those Sharks will be playing next week, so they put it all in against us. Any team would have found themselves in trouble. But we weathered it and fell 2 points short. Would have been even had Sezer's boot been truer. Im not about to panic about the lack of points just yet, I just dont think they were in that game and we didnt seem to get much luck with possession and penalties.

A trip to Shark Park... sorry "Stadium" is never easy. Cronulla scored a famous victory that will do their suffering fans alot of good. If we had to lose, I guess losing to the Sharks wasn't so bad. I feel sorry for the supporters of the Sharks, but they really came forward and supported the club, with a near 18k crowd against a traditionally low drawing team. (us)

How about Luke Bailey and his soccer skills. What a trick shot! I was impressed with what Taka has to offer. I like a lanky centre who likes to off load. Hoping for better game for two of my favourites against the Raiders, Harrison and Gordon who were noticeably down their best.

Bed time.

Not a bad performance but as DH has written a good summary I'll use his notes as a base for my comments.
- Zillman to centre? I had never taken much notice that he doesn't have a passing game until someone mentioned on here recently. I really noticed it yesterday and if you don't/can't pass then centre is not the place. I agree though that he offered little yesterday
- Bailey kicking (sort of) was funny but wtf was going on with him getting caught in that position. Add to that Harrison kicking the ball on the 5th as well.
-as was said in another post re the Storm's move for Slaters try. As I am also a member of Manly I watch their games closely and they have a few pretty clever moves that they put on. You just don't see that sort of structure from us.

Overall though it is early days and there were some promising signs against a team that many thought could win the comp. We must beat the Raiders though or the heat will start to intensify.