Round 22: Roosters vs Titans

[DIEHARD]

Wayward Mitchell Pearce a captaincy candidate for Roosters

THE Sydney Roosters have said Mitchell Pearce’s past will not be held against him when it comes to choosing a captain to replace Anthony Minichiello next season.

Minichiello announced last week that he would retire at the end of the season, leaving Pearce and the club’s other vice-captains Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Boyd Cordner and Jake Friend in line to take on the job in 2015.

Pearce has had a tough season after being arrested by police in May for failing to leave licensed premises, which led to him being fined by the club and omitted from the NSW team for the State of Origin series.

“Certainly what happened earlier in the year would not come into any consideration for Mitch,’’ Roosters chief executive Brian Canavan said yesterday. “He was very remorseful and very dis*appointed with his actions and he copped whatever was meted out to him.

“He’s put it behind him and he’s striving as best as he can to get back in form. He’s an incredible athlete … and he’s very, very popular within the club.’’

Pearce has already indicated he would be honoured to receive the captaincy and repeated his position yesterday before the club’s final training session ahead of tonight’s match against the Gold Coast at Allianz Stadium.

“I haven’t honestly thought about it too much but I’ve been working hard at being a better leader within our leadership group and you work on that every day at training,’’ Pearce said.

“On the field I’m the leader of the team as far as the half, which most halves are, but there’s a lot that goes into it off the field and you’ve got to be a certain type of personality.

“I’ve had the opportunity along with the other boys to co-captain the club when Mini was out and it’s a great buzz and special honour. But we’ll wait and see what (the coach) goes with.’’ Pearce said he was wary of the Titans, who last week announced the departure of inaugural coach John Cartwright and the club’s founder Michael Searle.

Cartwright will coach the *Titans for the last time tonight before handing over the reins to *assistant coach Neil Henry for the four remaining games of the regular season.

The Roosters will also come up against Daniel Mortimer, who the club released mid-season in order for him to cement a starting spot in the NRL.

“They’re a great side no matter what but obviously with ‘Carty’ going they’re going to be even more motivated, so it’s another hard game for us and another challenge,’’ Pearce said.

“It’s a dangerous game for sure. They’re going to be really tough.

“We’d like to be a bit further up the ladder. A couple of those tight games we lost may have made a bit of a difference but we feel we’re in a good position to make a good run home.’’

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/

[DIEHARD]

Mortimer ready for friendly fire

As if John Cartwright's week couldn't get any worse, the man calling the shots for the Titans on Monday night has forgotten the names of the calls of the team he was playing with just two months ago.

Daniel Mortimer has revealed that in his first outing with the Titans he accidentally used the names of the Roosters plays instead of his new team but after six games for the Gold Coast has had to go back to his cheat sheets to reacquaint himself with the calls of his former team.

It's been a baptism of fire for Mortimer who answered a mid-season SOS to relocate to the Titans when first-choice halves Aidan Sezer and Albert Kelly were both sidelined. After pairings with Maurice Blair and Brad Takairangi he gets his first opportunity to strike up a partnership with Sezer against his former club on Monday night.

But if he's going to help out his teammates with some inside knowledge he's going to have to go back and check his notes.

"I sat down on the first day with 'Carty' and went through the structures of the team and the plays and I took a book in and jotted all the plays down and the only way I could remember them was saying, 'This is what the Roosters call it' with an arrow to what the Titans call it," Mortimer said.

"A lot of the plays are similar so that was how I got them down pat but it was hard the first week. I did drop a few of the Roosters calls in accidentally; the boys looked at me a bit confused but after two-and-a-half years playing at the Roosters it was a hard habit to shake.

"But I've got it down pat now and to be honest, I tried to think of what the Roosters calls were the other day and I couldn't remember, so that's a good thing I guess."

The 25-year-old was granted a release from the remainder of his contract at the Roosters on June 17 and five days later turned out at halfback against the Dragons at Cbus Super Stadium, a game the home side lost 19-18.

The Titans have gone 2-4 since Mortimer joined the club and with makeshift five-eighths Blair and Takairangi outside him, has had to shoulder the majority of the kicking duties in general play. It's a level of responsibility he hasn't previously had at NRL level but he insists it's a pressure he is willing to embrace.

"It is a lot of responsibility and you do feel the pressure, definitely, and it's something I guess I missed at the Roosters coming off the bench," he said.

"Doing the team warm-up you don't really feel like you're into the game until you actually step on the field so I've been enjoying getting those nerves again at the start of a game.

"I love the Roosters but I was missing that, being in the thick of the action and having that responsibility. That's what I was after and I definitely got that here.

"I've had to really lead the team around the paddock in terms of the calls and kicking game and stuff and I've been partnered with three different halves now so I'm starting to know how the other boys are feeling with injuries through the whole club because the halves jerseys seem to be cursed."

Since Sezer suffered his pectoral injury in Round 10 the Titans have been only able to force seven goal-line dropouts from nine games and Mortimer is excited at being able to share the load of general-play kicking with such an accomplished left-footer.

"The kicking pressures have been on me a lot and the teams have definitely been pressuring me as the kicker so it will be nice to have that other option of a really good kicker in Aidan," said Mortimer, who played every game in the Roosters' premiership run in 2013.

"I've had a fair few good chats with Aidan and he loves his footy and he's definitely passionate about this team so that's something that we share and hopefully we can work on.

"I've been looking forward to playing with him since I've been up here. He's a great young player, a tough little bugger and he's the type of player that you'd like to play in the halves with.

"He's got good chat about him and he obviously knows a lot of the boys that he's got some combinations with so it will be nice to work on my own combination with him."

As for his former teammates, there are a couple of things Mortimer can confidently predict.

"The boys have promised to give me a bit of stick so I'm looking forward to that," he said.

"Jared [Waerea]-Hargreaves is always a bit cheeky and he can definitely dish out the punishment, he's a big fella, and I'll be on the same edge as Jimmy Maloney so I'm sure there'll be a few words spoken there."

http://www.nrl.com/

[Hail Sezer]

[Bayside Titan]

Interesting to see how Sezer and Morts play together tonight.

[Titan4Life]

Hoping the boys can get up tonight. As much as I wanted Carty to leave, he deserves to be leaving with a win. GO TITANS!

[DIEHARD]

Interesting to see how Sezer and Morts play together tonight.

Yes, this will be very interesting. I'm really looking forward to this game.

[DIEHARD]

Mitchell Pearce says the Roosters are in good shape and ready to give it our all at the business end of the season. Pearce also talks about his leadership, the inspiration of the Captain and the behind the scenes laughs with old team mate and opponent this weekend Daniel Mortimer.

[DIEHARD]

Tickets for anyone in Sydney. CLICK HERE

[DIEHARD]

Time to order the pizzas...

[Mt Smart]

Got me beers in.

Come on Titans smash those Rorters !

[Mt Smart]

Good start...boys look fired up.

[Titan4Life]

Stadium has about 100 people in it. Makes a Titans home game look good.

[TITAN PETE]

Easiest try in history

[Titan4Life]

TRY TITANS! Don scores early off luck. Boys looking good early.

[TITAN PETE]

Don is Good...