Round 18: TITANS vs RAIDERS

[Titan4Life]

In our current form and organisation we are also a disgrace to expansion, Queensland Rugby League and the sport as a whole. We are letting the game down.

I feel sorry for Brothers and the West Coast Pirates when we are creating unnecessary crisis in the game.

In relation to expansion, I would love to see CQ in the comp. I live in CQ and don't get to see many games so it would be good.

I strongly believe CQ and WA should be included in the comp.

[DIEHARD]

Nice finish, but where the f*** has that sort of play been for the last 79 minutes?

Great kick by Kelly and good leap by KFFL.

Raiders win 36-20

True, Good move and well executed.

I'm also asking Where Is Don?!

[rj62]

Bennett (who has won 7 premierships) quits the Knights because he is embarrassed, Cartwright (who can't win a chook raffle) has a hide a thick as a rhino and stays put. What on earth does he have on people in this club?????
We will be lucky to be around next year if everything remains as is.

[DIEHARD]

Membership Renewal season will be soon, it will be brutal.

This year we were urged to "Unite" a common term used in politics which basically means "Shut up and do as you are told." "We don't want discussion or new ideas. We don't want anyone questioning the order of things."

[Geeman]

True, Good move and well executed.

I'm also asking Where Is Don?!

My thoughts exactly...

[mdrew]

Can not blame Cartwright for not quitting, he would lose over $1m, he should never have been given the type of contract he was

[5 Year Contract]

The team has no faith in its coach or staff. Don't want to sounds like an 'insideword' douche but I can say I know that for a fact. At the end of the day the players collect their pay cheque and its time to look ahead to the next game. Its been the same old thing for years now then. You can complain all you want but nothing will change in the current regime. At least now people are voting with their wallets and their feet. The question now comes down to are the Titans happy to let their club fold or will anyone have the balls to get this club back into order. Personally no more membership money from me until change

[Titanic]

Fortunately for Don he wasn't here.

[Titan4Life]

Can't wait to hear the press conference.

"The boys played well but unfortunately the bounce of the ball didn't go our way today. That's what footy is all about. Some you win, some you don't. We just have to move on to next week."

That will be his exact words. I can almost guarantee.

[Toads]

There's got to be a way to save the Club before Searle & Co ride it into the ground. The Rugby League Fans of the Coast (and beyond) deserve better. Pure and simple.

[Titanic]

Cartwright will say "aaah, yes you're right, we just didn't turn up. I don't have an answer but we'll have a look at it but we're working hard and really close to turning it around" … sickening.

[Titanic Believer]

Just logged in, haven't read any comments, didn't see or hear the game but saw the score, looked at the stats and the standout is the number of missed tackles. Honestly, I wasn't desperate to follow the game because I felt this "gimme" was going to be a big disappointment. Is it worth watching the replay?

[Titanic]

Only if you are a masochist.

[DIEHARD]

If you like Anthony Milford.

[DIEHARD]

Milford masterclass sinks Titans

A special talent just two days out of his teens has single-handedly dismantled the Gold Coast Titans' finals hopes as Anthony Milford engineered a 36-20 Canberra Raiders victory at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

From the eighth minute of the game right through until the 76th the Titans had no answer for Milford's vast array of skills that included two tries, two try assists and numerous line-break assists that continually exposed a Titans defence supposedly fighting to save their season.

Although the Titans remain just two points outside the top eight heading into Round 19 their inferior for-and-against takes any chance of squeezing into the top eight out of their hands, needing to win six of their remaining eight games to be any hope.

Any thought of finals footy evaporated a number of weeks ago for the Raiders and a win that elevated them from the bottom rung of the ladder can't even point to a bright future with their main talisman committed to a move to the Broncos at the end of the year.

Having created the first try of the game for Brenko Lee and then scoring the second himself, Milford took a second half arm-wrestle by the scruff of the neck with the score delicately poised at 20-14 with less than 15 minutes remaining.

Although referees halted any momentum after a Milford line-break from a kick-return, three tackles later they extended their buffer to 12 points when hooker Glen Buttriss hit Shaun Fensom short 10m out from the Titans’ line and the lock forward powered through tackles of Beau Falloon and Dave Taylor to score under the posts.

Five minutes later Josh McCrone sparked a right-side raid through Jarrad Kennedy substituting in the centres for an injured Brenko Lee and then backed up an inside pass from Reece Robinson to score and Milford then fittingly had the final say.

Taking the ball around the ruck mid-field on the Raiders' side of halfway, Milford drifted left across field before putting Jarrod Croker into a hole and then when Croker was corralled in the corner by the Titans’ defence, Milford was on hand in support when the ball was flung in-field to score his second of the day.

The Milford’s display will have served as a dagger to the hearts of loyal Raiders fans who have just eight more games with the diminutive superstar at their club.

Following a conservative opening by both teams the Raiders got a shot in Titans territory on the back of a penalty and Milford came into his own. Sweeping across the right-hand side of the field Milford got on the outside of Maurice Blair and attracted Brad Takairangi before popping a flat flick-pass to Brenko Lee who charged back on the angle to score beside the posts and give the visitors the early advantage.

But perhaps befitting of a team trying to stay off the bottom of the ladder, Canberra back-rower Jarrad Kennedy could only watch on as the kick-off bounced over his head and into touch and then four minutes later spilt the ball 32m out under the weight of a heavy Paul Carter tackle.

Having squandered an earlier chance, the Titans finally found a way to create space for right centre James Roberts, a sweeping William Zillman putting him just on the outside of Croker which was more than enough to open the scoring for Gold Coast in the 15th minute.

Seven minutes later the Titans hit the lead with lead-up play that would have been in the running for try of the year had Kalifa Faifai Loa not been dragged down 10m short of the line. Attacking the Titans' line, Raiders skipper Terry Campese smashed a cross-field grubber kick behind the Titans' defence only to see Dave Taylor pick it up off his toes and set sail. He ran 80m before Campese reeled him in who the peeled off to tackle Faifai Loa. A penalty and restarted tackle count later, Taylor ran at a retreating Raiders defensive line and attracted both Croker and Sauiluma before flick-passing to an unmarked Faifai Loa who scored his first try as a Titan in characteristically flamboyant fashion.

But just as it appeared the Titans would take a narrow lead into the break, Milford struck twice in the space of six minutes with two brilliant pieces of play, the second sure to be shown on 2014 season highlight reels for years to come.

In the 32nd minute and on the back of another Titans penalty, Milford put Dane Tilse through a hole 10m out but rather than stretching out his 200-centimetre frame he instead looked for support, and found Milford who scored to the right of the posts.

But the best was yet to come.

The Raiders spun the ball across the Titans' 20m line in the 38th minute and with no time to react, Milford came up with a no-look tap-on that drew comparisons in commentary with the legendary Michael Jordan to send Croker on a scything run back through the Titans defence and under the posts for his 13th try of the year and a handy 20-10 lead at half-time.

Canberra Raiders 36 (Anthony Milford 2, Brenko Lee, Jarrod Croker, Shaun Fensom, Josh McCrone tries; Croker 6 goals) defeated Gold Coast Titans 20 (James Roberts, Dave Taylor, Kevin Gordon, Kalifa Faifai Loa tries; Kevin Gordon 2 goals). Crowd: 10,574.

Source: http://www.nrl.com