Round 7: PANTHERS vs TITANS

[Toads]

Bringing Benji on board would be on par with Princey's last two years with us..

[DavidBouveng]

i dont think anyone is suprised about this result. i still see us a 8th to 9th ranked team IF we improve in attack.

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Benji isnt the answer. try Blair again and see if it was a fluke against the storm

[gotitans101_]

There is no way in hell Sezer is getting dropped for Blair, and I'm not convinced Sezer is the problem in the first place. We had the same problem when Scott Prince was our halfback ffs.

[Mexican titan]

i dont think anyone is suprised about this result. i still see us a 8th to 9th ranked team IF we improve in attack.

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Benji isnt the answer. try Blair again and see if it was a fluke against the storm

Maybe DB but Sezer is not the answer. Perhaps Blair again, but as I have said in other postings we have players in the 1,6,7,and 9 positions that are ranked (in my opinion anyway) about 8th or worse - that's why we will finish 8th or worse.

[gotitans101_]

Maybe Blair decided to try and steer the team against Cartwright's will, who f***ing knows.

[DIEHARD]

Full time.

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[DIEHARD]

Full game stats: http://www.leagueoftitans.com.au/score_stats.php

[matti]

We need to learn how to run straight, not once tonight did we play out wide. I though neil was going to help our attack??

[DavidBouveng]

Maybe DB but Sezer is not the answer. Perhaps Blair again, but as I have said in other postings we have players in the 1,6,7,and 9 positions that are ranked (in my opinion anyway) about 8th or worse - that's why we will finish 8th or worse.

you mean dropping sezer isnt the answer? i dont think its the ultimate answer, but i would like to know if it was coincidence against melbourne then when we spun the ball earlier and longer we scored 5 tries perhaps. even from our own end our ball movement looked cleaner.

[DIEHARD]

Panthers knock Titans off perch

Penrith have knocked Gold Coast off the top of the ladder with a 14-12 win at Sportingbet Stadium on Sunday evening, in a match that proved testy - at one point, literally.

In a bizarre late incident, Panthers second-rower Sika Manu accused Titans' co-captain Greg Bird of "grabbing my nuts", with replays backing the Penrith player's angry reaction. Bird also had a running battle with Penrith halfback Peter Wallace for most of the night.

But in front of a healthy crowd of 9555 it was the home side who had the last laugh, reclaiming their spot in the top eight, with a penalty goal from five-eighth Jamie Soward in the 50th minute the only difference.

The Panthers were in control from the outset, drawing first blood on a simple left to right shift in the seventh minute that ended with centre Dean Whare whizzing past opposite centre Maurice Blair. Jamie Soward added the extras from the sideline and the home side had the early 6-0 lead.

Former Titan Jamal Idris clearly came out with a point to prove against his old team, making a number of incisive runs on drop passes on the left edge, while Wallace got some extra attention from Bird as he came up with a number of half-breaks on the right. The Panthers co-captain duly came up with a big blow in the 30th, having a major hand in his side's second try.

In one of the more bizarre four-pointers you'd see this season, Wallace split the Gold Coast defence and offloaded to halves partner Jamie Soward, whose intended grubber for Jeremy Latimore was spilt – first by Titans No.1 David Mead and then hooker Paul Carter – before falling into the path of Matt Moylan to score. Soward again converted, and the Panthers had all the momentum at 12-0.

But Carter – who redeemed himself with a try-saving tackle on Kevin Kingston four minutes later - came up with the perfect inside ball for prop Ryan James to crash over the line for their first try in the 37th minute. Aidan Sezer's conversion halved the deficit to 12-6 and that's the way it stayed at the main break.

Idris was again in the thick of it in the 50th minute when he was run off a Wallace bomb by Brad Takairangi – although it could've been worse for the visitors, who had a possible Soward try in the ensuing play denied by the video referee for knocking the ball out of a Gold Coast player's hands. Soward slotted over the penalty goal for Takairangi's hip-check and the Panthers were well in control at 14-6.

The surprise competition leaders finished the game stronglyand had a number of raids on the Panthers' goal-line in the last quarter of the match, including three straight sets that culminated in an Albert Kelly turnover in the 67th minute.

The match turned in the 75th minute when Manu was penalised for pushing Bird, claiming the Titans' co-captain had committed a squirrel grip in a tackle. The footage didn't look good, though gave no hint if there was any intent.

Sezer scored in the following set, pouncing on a Kelly grubber that Moylan failed to clean up in-goal, and setting up a grandstand finish.

Titans prop Matt White was put on report for a lifting tackle on Penrith lock Adam Docker in the 61st minute.

Penrith Panthers 14 (Whare, Moylan tries; Soward 3 goals) defeated Gold Coast Titans 12 (James, Sezer tries; Sezer 2 goals) at Sportingbet Stadium. Crowd: 9555.

http://www.nrl.com/panthers-knock-ti...2/default.aspx

[Mexican titan]

you mean dropping sezer isnt the answer? i dont think its the ultimate answer, but i would like to know if it was coincidence against melbourne then when we spun the ball earlier and longer we scored 5 tries perhaps. even from our own end our ball movement looked cleaner.

Sorry mate I was not clear. I agree with you that we need to try Blair again. Sezer does seem quick enough, either on his feet or between the ears.

[DavidBouveng]

Maybe Blair decided to try and steer the team against Cartwright's will, who f***ing knows.

i reckon he must have. cos the rest seem to be told unless u have a overlap and are guaranteed to score DO NOT PASS, offload in traffic instead

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Sorry mate I was not clear. I agree with you that we need to try Blair again. Sezer does seem quick enough, either on his feet or between the ears.

yeah he just plays birdball. if its not going to greggy, he tucking and running. its disrepectful to outside backs who train hard as well and might be able to offer something if given a bloody chance.

[lonegull]

Very flat in attack no structure what so ever, twice in the 5th tackle our hookers take
It at their line, need to some flair in our set pieces,
Falloon had his worst game tonight he isn't showing anything at the moment and it is starting to effect the way we
Play after we get a roll on, sezer needs to spend some time at training doing passing drills to the centres just can't get
Over our structure tonight, oh well always next week

[Mexican titan]

i reckon he must have. cos the rest seem to be told unless u have a overlap and are guaranteed to score DO NOT PASS, offload in traffic instead

Or on the few occasions we had the Panthers stretched tonight early in the tackle counts we then reverted to hit ups. On one occasion late we had cut them apart on the 4th tackle then on the 5th Nate Myles took a hit up close to their line........because we must put a useless kick up on the last tackle regardless of what might have happened just before that.

[DavidBouveng]

i should say, our grit and determination is to be commended but when we play dumb and without creativity, even it will wear down one day.