Caddo's Corner

[Titan4Life]

All the latest news and wrap-up from this week at Titans HQ. Brought to you by Titans Media Manager, Neil Cadigan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CADDO'S CORNER
Friday June 27th 2014

ALBERT KELLY has recovered well from his first solid week of training for some time and will play for Tweed Head Seagulls in Sunday's clash with Redcliffe at Dolphin Oval (2pm).

He has had only one match (against the Panthers in round 13) since the round nine clash with the Rabbitohs, the start of the six-game losing street (he first injured his leg in the round eight game against the Tigers at Leichhardt). Aidan Sezer was injured the following Friday in Brisbane.

Coach John Cartwright has been forced to use six combinations in those six games, with Beau Henry also joining the injured list: Sezer-Kelly, Sezer-Henry, Maurice Blair-Henry, Blair-Kelly, Blair-Takairangi from six minutes into the clash with the Storm, and Blair-Daniel Mortimer last Sunday, after coupling Kelly with Ash Harrison earlier against Canberra.

Kelly said his leg felt the best it had for the past many weeks and he was keen to get the Intrust Super Cup game under his belt and get some confidence and playing fitness to push his selection chances for the extremely important game against the Rabbitohs on Monday week – the Titans' fifth Monday clash in 15 games.

"Hopefully I can come through this week unscathed and put my hand up for selection come Souths," said Kelly who will start on the bench in the Seagulls side that has won eight straight. “It's a good bunch of blokes down there at Tweed and I'm excited to be training alongside of them.

“They're on a winning streak and I didn't want to push anyone out of their position. Hopefully I get a bit of time and we can keep that streak going."

THE tributes to ASHLEY HARRISON from within the playing group, and externally, after his premature retirement flowed this week. And several will appear in a special tribute by the Gold Coast Bulletin tomorrow and Nine News Gold Coast is running its special tribute tonight.

Perhaps the most incisive came from Aidan Sezer, our 23-year-old five-eighth who has been universally forecast as a future Titans leader, who said: “He's a legend in my eyes and I have a tonne of respect for him, as all the boys do. I was sad to hear the news but I'll have a lot of fond memories. He is a player I'll strive to be like as I mature and it was a privilege to play alongside him and call him my teammate.”

For the record Harro played 276 NRL games, and 15 games for Queensland, since making his debut in 2000 and playing off the bench in the Broncos' grand final victory which puts him ninth among Queenslanders in the all-time league's appearance list, and in the top 40 among all players.

He didn't want to go out with any great fanfare after surprisingly tearing up when he held a media conference in April to announce his end of season retirement plans after getting emotional beforehand when revealing it to the team. So he avoided a big ‘presser' this time and there was no confession in front of the boys. It's typical of him.

But the tributes volunteered by the media without prompting is a mark of the respect he has gained in his 15 seasons in the game. He'll still be around the club in a community and marketing role as he prepares for a career in financial planning.

Strength and conditioning coach Daniel Ferris surprised the team with a beep test at training on Thursday and king of the gruelling fitness challenge, WILLIAM ZILLMAN, was given a real showdown by new boy DANIEL MORTIMER.

They were the last two standing before ‘Zilly' retained his crown to great applause by teammates as the last five or six battled it out for survival. Luke Bailey, as always, was an inspiration and was one of the last group to fall with Matt Srama, Ryan James, Cody Nelson and Luke Douglas.

Mortimer and Zillman have also been paired off as gym partners with their weights and other activities.

Incidentally, Mortimer is using the bye weekend to return to Sydney to pack his belongings and pick up his car such has been the frantic past week and a half since he decided to become a Titan. He was still able to catch up briefly with his father Peter, part of the famous Canterbury Mortimers of the 1980s, who flew from his Orange winery to watch Dan make his club debut last Sunday.

A COUPLE of birthdays this week happened on the same day (Tuesday). AIDAN SEZER turned 23 and NATE MYLES was 29.

[TITAN PETE]

So if u win the beep test you are classed as the "Total Package" , still doesn't help with tackling & taking a bomb though

[Titanic]

Bleep Zillman is a beep and should never be beep picked in the beep team.

[Titan4Life]

CADDO'S CORNER
Sat 5th July 2014
BEN Ridge is out of the Titans side for Monday night's clash with Souths after failing to recover from a shoulder injury he suffered when he hit the ground after being knocked cold against the Dragons.

It means Tom Kingston goes a step closer to making his NRL debut at age 26, joining Anthony Don last season (aged 25) and Cody Nelson this year (25) as a late bloomer to come into first grade through the Queensland Cup.

No one can remember having more back-rowers unavailable at one time. Missing on Monday will be Ash Harrison (early retirement), Greg Bird and Dave Taylor (Origin), Ridge and Caleb Binge (injured, plus Ryan James (injured) and Nate Myles who could have dropped back from the front row (Origin).

Albert Kelly has trained well all week and will start the match from the bench.

HERE'S a bit of trivia as Mark Minichiello approaches the significant milestone on Monday night of playing his 250th first grade game, joining older brother Anthony as the third brothers only to have reached the 250 mark behind Steve and Kevin Walters and Steve and Chris Mortimer.

Current Titans coaching staff member Martin Lang was in the Penrith side that beat the Roosters 26-16 in Mark's debut game in round 12 2002 (Mini came off the bench as a hooker).

That was the only NRL game the Minichiellos have played together although they played in the 2007 City team and competed for Italy in last year's World Cup.

Luke Lewis (who played on the wing for the Panthers) is the only other player from Mark's debut match still playing in the NRL (other than Anthony of course). A Roosters teammate that Saturday night was Luke Phillips, now an NRL referee.

And to show how much Souths have changed since Mark's last match with the Rabbitohs in 2006 before he became a foundation Titan, Nathan Merritt and John Sutton are the only two Rabbitohs of that season still with the club (and both will play against him on Monday night).

LUKE Douglas headed home to Yamba on the bye weekend and while there proposed to his beautiful partner Adele. They plan to marry some time next year.

After announcing the news to teammates, ‘Dougie', suspected of still having his school lunch money still in a piggy bank somewhere, was quick to deny rumours he bought the ring from the Yamba Ladies Auxiliary monthly second-hand stall or on Ebay, or even made it himself which at least one fellow Titan suspected. It was in fact made by Sam at Affinity Diamonds in Sydney.

Titans football manager Scott Clark is attempting his first half marathon tomorrow (Sunday) but is hopeful of finishing in time to be at the team's training session before they finish at 10am. He'll be the one limping when the team leaves Gold Coast airport later in the day.

Clarky, a former cheeky halfback and CEO with Burleigh Bears, has been in solid training for three months although his last two weeks of preparation left a bit to be desired.

MARTIN Lang will be back in the yellow shirt on the field at ANZ Stadium on Monday after Darrell Madge deputised for him brilliantly during the past two matches. Langy had been laid up with a knee injury suffered during a close encounter with ‘Big Sexy' Dave Taylor while training.

IT will be interesting to see how many points will be required to make the top eight this season, with it generally regarded as the most open competition for some time.

Here is a guide: In 2013 after round 16 Newcastle were eighth on 16 points and 28 points was the final cut off (North Queensland with the Knights finishing 7th on 29); in 2012 after 16 rounds Wests Tigers were eighth on 18 and 28 got the Broncos eighth position (the Tigers finished 10th on 26) while in 2011 the Tigers stood were eighth on 16 with 10 rounds remaining and 28 was again the ‘cut' (Tigers finished fourth on 34).

The last time less than 28 points saw a team make the finals was 2004 when Canberra needed just 26, after theyh held eighth spot after 16 rounds with 16.

So accepting that history and the fact Melbourne were eighth on 20 points going into this round (with six other teams) and have the bye this weekend (as do the Broncos, Eels and Warriors who are also on 20) it's safe to assume it likely that a team will need 30 points to make the finals this time – unless you use the theory that the bunch of teams in the middle of the ladder will knock each other out and lower the threshold).

That means the Titans will have to aim for seven wins from 10 games to still be playing the second week of September.

[TITAN PETE]

CADDO'S CORNER
Sat 5th July 2014

That means the Titans will have to aim for seven wins from 10 games to still be playing the second week of September.

[Titan4Life]

Yeah I had a little laugh at that too

[Mexican titan]

Yeah I had a little laugh at that too

Looking at the table and games to come I think we should be able to stay above Canberra and Sharks and think the Knights may go past us. That means 14th.

Now that we have just beaten the Rabbits I should edit my post and cut the above....but I am happy to be proven wrong.

[Titanic]

Now that we have smashed the Bunnies then we should be heading for the finals … not.

[Titan4Life]

CADDO'S CORNER
Sat 12th July 2014

KALIFA Faifai Loa, fresh from his appearance for the winning Queensland’s Residents side in the curtain-raiser on Wednesday night, has been chosen ahead of Anthony Don to replace the injured David Mead on the right wing in tomorrow’s clash against the Raiders at Cbus Super Stadium - in an obvious tough call for coach John Cartwright.

Nate Myles and David Taylor are raring to back up from Origin II so the likely starting side is: Zillman, Gordon, Takairangi, Roberts, Faifai Loa, Blair, Mortimer, Bailey, Falloon, Douglas, Minichiello, Taylor, Carter. Interchange: White, Myles, Kelly, Kingston.

Kevin Gordon will be given first crack at the goal kicking duties after his side-line cracker against Souths on Monday.

Mead will be sidelined for two to three weeks and Matt Srama is also out for at least a fortnight with a groin injury.

DAVE TAYLOR is primed for a big match and is a key man in tomorrow’s clash.

He only received 18 minutes playing time for Queensland on Wednesday night but his carries were full of determination and he proved a handful for the Blues’ defence. His two lost possessions were certainly debatable – the first one a 50-50 all between a loose carry and a strip but the second appeared a definite strip judging by the replay.

The side needs him to be dominant against the big Raiders pack. By the way, he celebrated his 26th birthday in Maroons camp on Tuesday.

IT was calculated during NAIDOC week this week that the Titans have the most Indigenous players in the squad of any NRL club with ten, with Canberra second.

They are James Roberts, Maurice Blair, Albert Kelly, Greg Bird, Ryan James, Caleb Binge, Aidan Sezer and Brad Tighe who have played NRL this season plus Jamal Fogarty and Christian Hazard.

OPPOSING coaches tomorrow, John Cartwright and Ricky Stuart, have a deep history together so will very much be friendly rivals.

As players they made their international debuts together on the 1990 Kangaroo tour and were opponents in the 1990 and 1991 grand finals, Cartwright for Penrith and Stuart for Canberra, and played four Origin games together in 1991-92.

It was Stuart who introduced Carty to full-time coaching, as his assistant at the Roosters from 2003-05 after he began his coaching career as Panthers reserve grade coach in 2000-01. He was Stuart’s assistant with the NSW team in 2005 (and had been Phil Gould’s right hand man the previous two seasons), the last time they had won an Origin series before Queensland’s record eight-series run.

Fox Sports will break tradition and interview them together before tomorrow’s match, rather than individually, which will be entertaining.

TITANS fans who know how important it is for the NRL side to beat the Raiders tomorrow and go to 20 competition points can look for an omen from the Holden Cup results.

Every time Ben Woolf’s side has won – three times on the road – the first grade side has also won. The sequence began in Melbourne when both sides came from behind to achieve impressive victories; the second time came at Leichhardt Oval when both teams avenged home ground defeats and they brought up the hat-trick against Souths in Sydney on Monday night.

Here’s hoping for a home sequence to begin at Cbus Super Stadium where the under-20s are yet to taste victory and the NRL side have won only two from eight this season. Ben Woolf’s side had a run of injury that almost rivalled the John Cartwright’s side over the previous two months but they have been kept intact the past two games which in itself is a good omen.

WHILE much has been made of some of the Titans’ poor stats this season, we have two NRL leaders. Paul Carter has the most kick charge downs with four and Albert Kelly the most intercepts with three.

- - - Updated - - -

WHILE much has been made of some of the Titans’ poor stats this season, we have two NRL leaders. Paul Carter has the most kick charge downs with four and Albert Kelly the most intercepts with three.

Wow what an amazing stat!

[C-Whiz]

WHILE much has been made of some of the Titans’ poor stats this season, we have two NRL leaders. Paul Carter has the most kick charge downs with four and Albert Kelly the most intercepts with three.
- - - Updated - - -

Wow what an amazing stat!

An amazing stat, but shows that we currently rely on luck more than skill.

[Titan4Life]

An amazing stat, but shows that we currently rely on luck more than skill.

Agreed. I hope you noticed my sarcasm though.

[Mexican titan]

CADDO'S CORNER
Sat 12th July 2014

KALIFA Faifai Loa, fresh from his appearance for the winning Queensland’s Residents side in the curtain-raiser on Wednesday night, has been chosen ahead of Anthony Don to replace the injured David Mead on the right wing in tomorrow’s clash against the Raiders at Cbus Super Stadium - in an obvious tough call for coach John Cartwright.

I am lost for words.

[Titanic]

Cartwright is on another planet.

[TITAN PETE]

Obviously Don is "Not Good" in Fartwrights eyes , I'm sure Burleigh were happy to have him playing for them last night in their win over Mackay