Round 6 TITANS vs BRONCOS

[TITAN PETE]

60% broncs fans, woohoo

Dreamer , u couldn't get 60% at Scumcorp

[Mexican titan]

60% broncs fans, woohoo

60% my backside. Idiot.
Well the Broncos will be fresh next week with the usual 7 days between games. Oh wait...

[Mexican titan]

Just home from the game. Great win considering the attack.
Probably not a question I should ask after a win like that and when we are comp leaders but let's not kid ourselves, the attack is clueless at most times. Until Mead pounced I was pulling my hair out. Of course our attack was great against the Storm when we had a different 5/8. So my question, and I am ready to be howled down - should Blair be given another go at 5/8. Before tonight we were about 10th in points and tries scored and tonight will not change things. We will not beat the top sides with that attack.

[C-Whiz]

I bumped into 1000 old.mates and familiar faces tonight, at the pub, at the game and on the road on the way home. Seemed everyone was out for the game tonight.

Big props to GCT 89 who is still wearing the full face war paint.

Really enjoyed the game, but I was screaming to kick it dead after the hooter had gone. The fireworks was going off and the Broncos were looking like pulling off the impossible.

Who gives a crap, top of the table, earned the respect we deserved tonight, as a team and a few individuals earned the right to keep the jersey they wear wearing tonight.

[TITAN PETE]

Great game tonight & I have to say it's taken 6 games for me to say I have belief again in my team

Brilliant performance from Mead with 244 meters to his name from 17 touches & amongst that a 100 meter screamer after a try saving tackle became a 12 point turn around , Super Game.

Big DT was in unstoppable form running another 146 meters from 16 hit ups but his Defence was brutal at times making 24 tackles just a shame his only missed tackle was the only reason the Donkeys scored a try.

Carter has a massive future but just needs to not try the miracle ball every play but I wouldn't like to see him dropped for trying too hard.

Best night I've had at Skilled ( yes it will always be Skilled) in probably 3 years..

[Tamwelg]

Brad can we mention the 2 milestones now. Another sweet part with the win, we managed to do it with some milestones.

Congrats

Douglas 200 straight
Kevvy game number 100.

[gcboyz]

Happy for Harrison to concede that penalty. Experience showed, as he knew without it the broncos player was through the gap. Otherwise he had a rather pedestrian night. Dave Taylor was my best forward followed closely by Luke Douglas. David Mead will probably get most of my points tonight for an outstanding second half.
The most pleasing stat for the night was keeping the Donkeys to just one try.

[Boonarga]

Great game tonight & I have to say it's taken 6 games for me to say I have belief again in my team

Great win but it will take more than that to wipe my memory of the Tigers game. Honestly, if we lost tonight at least we could be proud of the effort. We need to see that effort every week.
I know 5 year contracts are a dirty word, but Carter! Sign him now for as long as he'll stay.

[TITAN PETE]

Sezer snatches late win for Titans
By Tony Webeck, Chief Queensland Correspondent
NRL.com
9:50pm Fri 11th April, 2014


A tormented night under the high ball ended in the worst possible fashion for Broncos fullback Ben Barba when he was unable to control a spiralling Albert Kelly bomb and Aidan Sezer pinched a 12-8 victory for the Titans in the south-east Queensland derby at Cbus Super Stadium.

The frantic finish earned the Titans their fifth win from six games and for 24 hours at least a four-point buffer at the top of the Telstra Premiership table.

Having been the saviour just eight minutes earlier when his leg prevented Titans forward Mark Minichiello from grounding the ball in the in-goal, Barba – who had spilled a similar kick from Kelly in the 16th minute and seemed disinterested in any high balls thereafter – let a bomb bounce next to his posts that cannoned straight up into the air.

As he tried to bring it under control, Sezer stole it from his grasp and scored beside the posts, his subsequent conversion giving the home side a four-point lead that they were able to protect for the final six minutes in front of 20,524 fans.

The Broncos took a 6-0 lead into the half-time break and extended their lead to eight in the 43rd minute when Corey Parker was taken high and duly converted the ensuing penalty from in front of the posts.

With Ashley Harrison (shoulder) and Anthony Don (dislocated finger) both leaving the field with injuries a matter of moments apart, the Titans were forced to tackle with a patched-up defensive line and twice went close to having their line breached for a second time.

Broncos back-rower Sam Thaiday was held up in the 50th minute and then Todd Lowrie was also denied by the video referee 10 minutes later. That call proved to be crucial as from the next play a Ben Hunt grubber was collected by Titans fullback David Mead one metre from his tryline and he raced 99 metres to score in the corner, kept out wide courtesy of a valiant effort by Broncos prop Josh McGuire.

That seemed to spark the Titans to life and with a more direct attack pushing the Broncos back through the middle of the ruck they were able to gather momentum that was almost first rewarded with a try to Minichiello, and then Sezer's match-winner in the 73rd minute.

A golden opportunity went begging for the Broncos with about 15 minutes remaining, when Josh Hoffman spilt the ball over the try-line.

The Titans had a chance to extend their lead on full-time when Greg Bird had a shot at penalty goal from 40 metres out but when it hit the post and bounced back into the field of play, the Broncos launched one more chaotic attacking raid before it was brought to an end with a knock-on on the 30-metre line.

Despite dominating territory and possession in the opening 25 minutes of the match, the Titans were continually repelled by a Broncos defence that wasn't asked any seriously difficult questions.

With Dave Taylor bullocking his way forward on the right side and being heavily involved in defence, the Titans had 55 per cent of the ball and spent 22 minutes in the Broncos' half in the first 40 but they never seriously threatened the Brisbane tryline.

Twice they handed over possession on the first tackle from a scrum win inside the Broncos' 20-metre line and the end of their attacking sets invariably ended with either Sezer or Kelly launching kicks to the corners.

On a number of occasions those kicks earned repeat sets but the Broncos defence held firm, and then they took one of their few chances to attack.

A busy Ben Hunt finally hit pay-dirt when he darted left down the short side and poked his nose through the Titans defence. The Broncos half's offload released Alex Glenn into the backfield and with only fullback David Mead to beat, Hunt backed up on the inside to score under the posts, his fifth four-pointer in six games.

Corey Parker added the obligatory two points and the Broncos opened up a 6-0 lead that they took into the main break.

There was one nervous moment in the 28th minute when Broncos back-rower Sam Thaiday was penalised for a lifting tackle on Matthew White but upon review seemed relatively innocuous and barely worthy of a penalty.

Mead looked like the Titan most likely to breach the Broncos defence through the middle of the ruck but for the most part the home side was guilty of playing too laterally and allowing the Brisbane defence to simply slide and shut them down on the edges.

Although he came up with some brutal tackles that Titans defensive coach Trevor Gillmeister would have been proud to call his own, Titans hooker Paul Carter was placed on report for the high tackle on Parker in the 43rd minute.

Gold Coast Titans 12 (David Mead, Aidan Sezer tries; Aidan Sezer 2 goals) def Brisbane Broncos 8 (Ben Hunt try; Corey Parker 2 goals). Crowd: 20,524.

[Mexican titan]

Yvonne you angel I welcome your heavenly presence on my television screen

Google "Yvonne Sampson Cricket" for a bit more Yvonne if you like.

[TITAN PETE]

Great win but it will take more than that to wipe my memory of the Tigers game. Honestly, if we lost tonight at least we could be proud of the effort. We need to see that effort every week.
I know 5 year contracts are a dirty word, but Carter! Sign him now for as long as he'll stay.

I am now willing to forgive them for the Tigers nightmare after the past 4 weeks efforts but if u are still bothered by it the good news is we play them again in 2 weeks time at Leichhardt oval

[TITAN PETE]

Gold Coast thriller sees Titans wrestle the game back from the Broncos after halftime deficit
EMMA GREENWOOD GOLD COAST BULLETIN APRIL 11, 2014 9:40

The Titans scored 12 points in a thriller that was still alive after the siren after Greg Bird’s penalty attempt hit the uprights and bounced back into the field of play, allowing the Broncos a last chance to come back.

But as they have done all season, the Titans repelled the threat to notch their first win against big brother since 2012 and maintain their spot on top of the NRL ladder.

David Mead scored a scintillating 99m try to get the Titans on the board, while Aidan Sezer’s cool head under pressure allowed him to strip the ball from Ben Barba over the tryline to seal the win.

The opening half hour was an arm-wrestle and while the Titans seemed to have the upper hand early, they could not capitalise on their opportunities.

It was the Broncos that finally broke the deadlock, with Ben Hunt scoring under the posts after a neat show and go beat the tired Titans defence.


The Broncos hung on to withstand a final Titans raid and take a 6-0 lead to the break.
A Paul Carter high shot on Corey Parker in the opening minutes of the second term earnt the Broncos a penalty which Parker calmly slotted for an 8-0 lead.

Carter is also on report for the tackle.

But just when the Broncos looked like landing the knockout punch, Mead picked up a Hunt grubber just a metre out from his own line and raced 99m to score, with Aidan Sezer’s sideline conversion getting the Coast to within two points.

Sezer finished calmly, scoring and converting again to hand the Titans a 12-8 victory.

EARLIER: The Broncos have taken a 6-0 lead to halftime in the southeast Queensland NRL derby at Cbus Super Stadium.

The opening half-hour was an arm-wrestle and while the Titans seemed to have the upper hand early, they could not capitalise on their opportunities.

It was the Broncos that finally broke the deadlock, with Ben Hunt scoring under the posts after a neat show and go beat the tired Titans defence.

[Supergoose]

Fist pump x 1000. That's what I was doing when we won this game. Finally we play decent against the Broncos, even when some calls didn't go our way. I agree with the majority on here about Mead being the answer as far as fullback goes. Problem with that is finding a right winger (definitely not Zillman). I also agree that Sezer didn't perform as well as Blair did last week. So what do we do? I reckon Blair is also a left side player a if his why he's been better since he's been back.

Great effort tonight though. The Broncos tackle efficiency was first class tonight and we struggled to get away the offloads we have done in previous games. It's what makes our defence strong as well.

I don't know what's going on with Ryan James. Apparently he missed getting some innoculations so couldn't play versus PNG, but surely he'll give us more than we got from Bailey tonight.

[K2G]

I don't know what's going on with Ryan James. Apparently he missed getting some innoculations so couldn't play versus PNG, but surely he'll give us more than we got from Bailey tonight.

I dunno mate. Bailey's quick taps are pretty spectacular
Seriously though, I can't wait for James to be back in the team. White and Carter are both giving great impact off the bench atm. Throw James in the mix and on-top of the meter gain and defensive edge, i think we'll actually see our attack start to get some fluency with a bit more time and space for our halves to work with. Ridiculous that he didn't play somewhere this week though...

[TITAN PETE]

Griffin: We did everything but win
By Tony Webeck, Chief Queensland Correspondent
NRL.com
3:30am Sat 12th April, 2014



Broncos coach Anthony Griffin has been left scratching his head after watching his team put in an almost flawless defensive effort yet still left Cbus Super Stadium without the two competition points on Friday night.

Having held the Titans at bay for the opening 30 minutes despite a glut of possession against them, the Broncos then led 8-0 with 20 minutes to play and were giving little indication that their defensive line was going to be breached.

But a brilliant 99-metre solo effort from fullback David Mead and a one-on-one steal by five-eighth Aidan Sezer in the in-goal area saw the Titans sneak home 12-8 and widen the gap at the top of the competition table between themselves and the chasing pack.

Broncos forwards Sam Thaiday and Todd Lowrie were both ruled to have been held up over the line in the second half while Josh Hoffman spilt the ball over the line with 15 minutes to play; if Brisbane score just one of those tries the final result is very different.

"We did everything but win the game," said Griffin, who described it as a "bizarre game".

"We handed them one... I suppose both of them from kicks, in the most unusual ways but our general effort and the way we went about our game was terrific.

"We dropped the ball over the line twice and got held up once and that was the ball-game in a nutshell really. We'd built the pressure and three tries they turned us away and that's why they're the No.1 team in the comp, they're a very tough defensive team.

"The football team's in great shape and we're playing with a great attitude we're just on the wrong side of the bounce of the ball at the moment."

Brisbane co-captain Corey Parker paid tribute to the gritty nature of not just Friday night's win but the Titans' season to date but said that his side was guilty of their own poor execution.

"I think you can see that from the win they got tonight. If you look at their past couple of games, that's how they've won their games, very gritty, and hence the reason they are where they are," Parker said of the Titans' position on the top of the ladder.

"We were in control for parts of that game but just failed to close out at crucial times there. We were building nicely there but there were a couple of times where we didn't execute the way we should have and that try they got off the kick certainly didn't help, they got some momentum off that.

"I thought tonight the way we defended was certainly a step in the right direction from the week before. We've still got work to do, as most sides do, and the next challenge for us will be next Friday night."

- - - Updated - - -

Titans capture spirit of success
By Tony Webeck, Chief Queensland Correspondent
NRL.com
3:30am Sat 12th April, 2014



It's one of sport's great intangibles.

Neither players nor coaches know what to call it or where it comes from.

It can't be coached or shown on video and it doesn't come simply by flogging them on the training paddock.

You won't find it in any rugby league coaching manual but the Titans have stumbled upon the secret formula to success and are revelling in the fortunes it is providing.

Their miraculous four-point win over the Broncos in front of more than 20,000 fans on Friday night came by virtue of two fortuitous bounces of the Steeden but when a team has found the ability to will victories where they would ordinarily not exist, funny things tend to happen.

The first team in 60 years to lead the competition despite a negative for-and-against believes they will win, no matter how dire the situation, even if coach John Cartwright shies away from trying to define exactly what the magic ingredient is.

"It's hard to say. It's one of those things where you've got to be out on the field to experience it," Cartwright said.

"You look at statistics and they don't tell the true story. I read many times this week where our statistics said that we were false leaders but there's something out there that the players are working very hard at and it just doesn't show up in statistics."

The Titans lost five games by six points or less in 2013 as they finished one win outside of finals footy yet in 2014 they have already recorded wins of six, four, two and one point to be sitting pretty four points clear at the top of the competition table.

A win next Monday night against the Panthers in Penrith would equal the club's best ever start to a season back in 2008 but co-captain Nate Myles knows that if the Titans get away from what has brought them to this point, they can lose that indefinable quality just as quickly as they found it.

"I don't know what name or category it comes under but everyone's just doing their little bit at training and it's starting to show," Myles said.

"I think everyone's just stepped up a little bit with regards to how they are at training and away from football as well and that's starting to rub off.

"I have no doubt that if we drop away in how we are at training and lose that little edge of professionalism I'm sure it will show on the field so we need to keep working hard and trying to improve.

"For the boys, I think it's fantastic that they're starting to see some rewards – even though we're not playing the type of football that we're capable of – they're starting to see the results by the wins and staying in the contest.

"I'm sure the coaches will be the first to remind them to stay on track and we go from there."

Iron man Luke Douglas's 200th game in succession was one of the most unusual of his career and he said that a pre-season focus on defence and a tight-knit playing group has enabled the Titans to turn heartbreak into triumph.

"You look at the two top teams from all the years gone by and they pride themselves on defence and having the best defence in the comp and maybe it's something that's starting to stick, to win games with defence," Douglas said. "It's something we talked about in the off-season and hopefully it's starting to click.

"Everyone's working hard, if we do miss one there's someone there to get on them and make that next one. We're all working for each other and there's pretty good depth so we're all pushing hard to make sure that we keep our spot. We're not giving up, we're winning ugly and we'll keep winning ugly.

"We've got a pretty good group, we all hang out together and there's a real good camaraderie there so that's another good point for us.

"We're all turning up for each other, there is belief and we've got trust in the guy next to us."