Knights won't be capacity. That has not happened since A.Johns retired.
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I'm going to the game. I'll be wearing the colours, but I am not expecting a win, let alone a close game. As long as Titans don't play like they did in the same fixture last year - that performance was right up there with watching the GC Seagulls get flogged in N'castle 52-6 (God bless Peter Gill!)
Gold Coast Titans back on track after having a brutally honest session watching match replay
EMMA GREENWOOD GOLD COAST BULLETIN
A BRUTALLY honest video session has the Titans poised to move forward and charge towards an unlikely NRL finals berth.
Following their hapless loss to Canberra on Sunday, the Titans need to win six of their eight remaining matches fixtures to have any chance of pushing into the top eight and playing finals football for the first time since 2010.
While it’s a tough ask, captain Nate Myles is adamant his side can overcome the hurdle after players cleared the way forward in a brutal honesty session yesterday.
“You would have loved the words that were coming out of that meeting, you would have been able to write a novel,’’ Myles said when asked if players had taken the opportunity to speak out in the wake of the disappointing showing.
“There was a few things thrown around, probably nothing I’ll relay here.
“But I think there was a bit of honesty in regards to us as a team and a playing group, which is always a good thing.
“I think it’s a good thing to be able to be brutally honest with each other and that’s definitely the way we’re going to be. But it’s going to be pointless if we don’t play better.’’
After upsetting the high-flying Rabbitohs just over a week ago, the Titans turned in a substandard performance at home against a side they needed to beat to keep their finals hopes alive.
But Myles is refusing to give up on a push into the eight, despite the Gold Coast facing the Sea Eagles, Roosters and Bulldogs in the final month of the season.
“One hundred per cent it can be done and it still will be done for us,’’ Myles said of a finals campaign. this season.
“The fact is we had the opportunity on the weekend to sneak into the eight and we couldn’t get desperate enough to do it, which is disappointing.
“But we know we’re still mathematically a chance … so it’s still there for us.’’
The group faces its first big challenge on Sunday when it heads to Newcastle for what will be an emotional game against the Knights.
A full house is likely to gather at Hunter Stadium for the Rise for Alex round in honour of to champion forward Alex McKinnon, who suffered a devastating spinal injury earlier in the season.
But Myles and coach John Cartwright are confident the Titans team has have the wherewithal to prepare fully and face the challenge head on.
“We’re not blinded by the fact that it will be an emotional weekend, especially being the team that plays Newcastle at home. We know what they’re going to bring. It’ll be 40-odd thousand people there supporting it,” Myles said.
“Even though it’s a fantastic occasion, we want to go down there and get the two points.”
“We don’t want to ruin the party or anything but our mindset is on getting the two points this weekend.’’
Cartwright said the siege mentality the Titans would likely take into the game could prove to be advantageous for his group.
The team has a frustrating habit of rising against the odds but being unable to replicate the performances when the pressure is off.
“I dare say it will be a full house down there and with lots of emotion, that tends to bring the best out in sides,’’ Cartwright said.
“I think it’s the kind of occasion we need as well coming off the back of last week.”
“It won’t affect our prep. It certainly will be a bonus, if they handle the emotion of it all, for Newcastle, with Alex being a Newcastle boy.
“There’s not anyone in the game who doesn’t feel for what he’s going through.
“But the fact is he’s one of theirs and they’re a very proud town that live for their football and I’m sure it will be a really emotional day.’’
http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/
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Often when Im reading Emma Greenwood's work, I feel that I am reading something written by the Titans marketing department.
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I agree. I admire her positive intentions, however I often find myself skim-reading them because she's not really reporting anything, usually just collaborating and often glorifying the comments of the players and Carty (which are publicly available anyway).
Travis Meyn seems to have dropped off the radar lately. Paddy Kilmurray from 9 news seems to be getting the majority of scoops to do with the club now.
The very top teams in this code and others don't need honesty sessions once seasons go off track.
it shouldn't be a buzzword to indicate good change, it just highlights the previous lack of honesty and accountability to each other and the team.
This is article makes me mad.
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Titans
1 Kevin Gordon
2 Anthony Don
3 James Roberts
4 Brad Takairangi
5 Kalifa Faifai Loa
6 Maurice Blair
7 Daniel Mortimer
8 Luke Bailey
9 Beau Falloon
10 Nate Myles
11 Mark Minichiello
12 Dave Taylor
13 Paul Carter
Interchange
14 Matthew White
15 Luke Douglas
16 Tom Kingston
17 Albert Kelly
17 Mark Ioane
Coach: John Cartwright
No Willy Zlater and we got Don back.
Shame we also lost Mead.
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No Willy Zlater and we got Don back.
Shame we also lost Mead.
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Somebody explain the Alby on the bench situation. I reckon he's hurt, but if he is not hurt he has to start and he has to play 80 minutes. It is a disgrace that a little guy who is a genuine match winner can be brought into a game that has already got away. Not to mention the fact that Mortimer has come to a new team midseason and is expected to gel in the halves with TWO separate five eights who get shuffled into the team at different times. Or does Cartwright expect the new recruit to start the game at 7 (alongside Blair) and then change his style to more of a 6 when Kelly comes on?? Or, as I expect, does he have no plan at all??
And is there one person that can honestly tell me that Kevin Gordon is a better option at fullback than James Roberts?? Seriously, find me somebody.
One more week of Carter in the starting 13 and then I bet we have something else to blow up about when Bird gets back.
Titans hope to rise for Alex, too
By Tony Webeck, Chief Queensland Correspondent
NRL.com
2:33pm Tue 15th July, 2014
It's an occasion that will unite all of rugby league and bring a passionate city to its feet and Titans coach John Cartwright hopes it can inspire his team to keep its finals hopes alive on Sunday.
All eyes will turn to Hunter Stadium as Alex McKinnon returns to Newcastle for the first time since suffering a horrific spinal injury in Melbourne on March 23 with the NRL dedicating the entire Round 19 as RiseForAlex Round.
With such emotion surrounding McKinnon's return to the club and on the back of the Knights' three straight wins, the attendance record of 32,642 set way back in 1995 will be very much under threat with the Titans potentially the villains who can spoil the party.
The Titans' last five outings have been played in front of crowds of less than 12,500 and Cartwright is hopeful that the energy and atmosphere created by a capacity crowd of passionate Novacastrians will bring out the best in his side after a disappointing loss to the Raiders on Sunday.
"It certainly will be a bonus if they handle the emotion of it all for Newcastle, Alex being a Newcastle boy," Cartwright said of the welcome that will await them on Sunday. "There isn't anyone in the game who doesn't feel for what he is going through but the fact is he's one of theirs, they're a very proud town who live for their football and I'm sure it's going to be a really emotional day.
"I'd dare say it will be a full house down there and with lots of emotion that tends to bring out the best in sides. It's an occasion that we need as well, coming off the back of last week (the loss to Canberra)."
If they needed any reminder of the challenge ahead of them, each time the players walk into the Titans offices this week they pass the reception area that is selling "RiseForAlex" wristbands in Knights team colours.
In fact, co-captain Nate Myles was sporting one on his wrist as he spoke with the media but says that despite the circumstances surrounding this game it will remain very much business as usual.
"We're not blinded by the fact that it will be an emotional weekend, especially being the team that plays Newcastle at home," Myles said.
"We know what they're going to bring, there will be a full house there supporting it no doubt and even though it's a fantastic occasion we want to go down there and get the two points.
"We don't want to ruin the party or anything but our mindset is on getting the two points this weekend."
With a fourth straight season without finals footy staring them in the face, Titans players submitted themselves to an honesty session amongst the playing group on Monday morning following the review of Sunday's loss that Myles admitted "wasn't very flattering".
They are likely to need to win six of their final eight games to be a hope of squeezing into the top eight and Myles welcomed the willingness of the players to air some confronting home truths.
"There were a few things thrown around, nothing that I'll relay here but there was a bit of honesty in regards to us as a team and a playing group which is always a good thing," Myles said. "But it's going to be pointless if we don't go out there and perform better.
"There were a couple of the boys there [who spoke up] but I think it's a good thing to be able to be brutally honest with each other and that's definitely the way we're going to be.
"The fact is we had the opportunity on the weekend to try and sneak into the eight and we couldn't get desperate enough to do it which is disappointing but we know we're still mathematically a chance."
Sunday's 36-20 defeat was Gold Coast's seventh from nine games at home so far this year and Cartwright also welcomed the brutal honesty session.
"It pretty much had to be," Cartwright said of the nature of the discussion. "The most disappointing thing is that the side is so capable of much better than that.
"We've shown that on various occasions this year but especially against South Sydney the week before. We didn't necessarily play that well against Souths but we played with plenty of character and grit and that wasn't there on the weekend.
"We had Nate come back into the side, we had continuity in our halves and I was really confident going into the game and it hits you a bit like a sledgehammer when you turn up with a performance like that."
Cartwright confirmed that fullback William Zillman is next to no chance of playing with a hamstring injury with David Mead to also remain sidelined, also with a hamstring injury.
#itaintweaktospeak
Continuity in our halves?