DING DONG

[JunctionBlock]

As you say Titanic, this needs to be sorted out in the last five games. If Henry wants to make his mark as a coach then the hard decisions need to be made and the best team needs to be chosen on merit and ability pending the team we play that week. It's not going to keep all the fans happy all the time but if these senior players aren't pulling their weight or no longer have the ability then drop them. We did it with Taylor earlier. The clubs culture seems to be a go your own way and do your own thing. It blew me away during the preseason when half the senior team buggered off or were still on holidays after the world cup when the pleb team started fitness.

[karnage]

You know DH, if I was a confrontationalist I would suggest you take that bloke to task but in fact the more press, good and bad, that the club gets right now is all good. The level of expectation is high and the board's reaction to this will be interesting to see.

After a few days to reflect on it all, does anybody else note that the playing group are hardly involved in the debate? This worries me on several levels;

The first being that they are still not being held accountable. There is no doubt that Cartwright had to go but as many have pointed out, he wasn't missing tackles and dropping balls.

Secondly; there also seems to be the inference that the club has bought second rate players at bargain-basement prices. Now I would agree with that to some extent but when you couple that with the comment from the meeting the other night of a lack of professionalism then I feel the players need to be spotlighted for their underachievements.

Finally, the next five games will tell us a lot about our players. Unlike many of you I really don't want to throw our young players into a team of underachieving, non-motivated seniors ... I doubt that that would help them develop and in fact it may well do the reverse. How many other young guys have tried it with this bunch and not come through? I hold our senior group as much responsible for that as the coaching team.

And I haven't even started on club culture. Call me negative if you like but if we are going to have a new era then lets make it a new bright, enthusiastic, professional, committed and transparent one.

Titanic, over the course of the past few years we have basically turned over our entire playing roster. Yes there have been some constants, such as Mini and Bull, but the only constant in our spine has been Zippy. The club tried to regenerate a playing group under the same coach.

I didn't work.

The alternative is to retain the playing group under a new coach. That is where we are headed now. The simple reality is that you can't do both.

I put it to you that there are 6 players we really know NOTHING about:
Sezar
Kelly
Mead*
James
Roberts
Carter

Let's give them a preseason under a hard task master and see what we have got.

*People will argue with Mead being there, but I would argue that all we have ever seen from Mead at fullback is natural talent. There isn't a lot of polish to his game at fullback so it's exciting to think where he might end up.

[Mt Smart]

Very pleased for you guys.

We went through the same process but obviously we only had the dual disasters Mclennan then Elliot for only two years.....statistically the worst two years in the entire inconsistent history of the Warriors.

I agree with the posts here calling for player accountability.

The first thing McFadden did when he took over the Warriors was to drop Feleti Mateo who had previously held the record for the most unbroken appearances for the clubs entire history.

Konrad Hurrell was next despite being in good form...we were told that it was because there were new key performance indicators and he wasn't meeting them at training.

Players have been promoted from the NSW cup purely on effort and not talent related.

The results have seen a turn around for us I really hope Henry does the same there.

[Titanic]

@karnage ... totally agree and I think that Ridge and a couple of others could be added to that list and if you do that then we have a great young team like we have begging for, except they will have some starch in them under a more critical coach ... I use critical because I feel the previous regime was more about keeping the status quo rather than making hard decisions.

Also let's get the threads focused on the players who can actually make a difference and rejuvenating the fans ... forget those two ... the king is dead, long live the king!

[GCT_07]

Its been quite a few years since I posted on this Forum so I'll gracefully sit back as I dont want to be intrusive.

I do however want to quickly add 3 points if I may.

1st point - Yesterdays article in the paper seriously angered me, and these days that takes a fair amount to do. I was invited to the Meeting on Monday night as the "representative of the legion" and as others that were there would have picked up on, the legion still has some fences to mend with the remaining fan base due to conflicts in the past. So to see someone add salt to a gaping wound yesterday, on behalf of the Legion, disgusted me. To make matters worse to see so many of them "high fiving themselves" on the Facebook page I started with Davey in 2009........... Now I've had Legion Membership since the first days of 2008 in section 30 and even remember those stands at Carrara that shook with each and every step new fans took as they climbed to their 'seat', but it angered me so much that I've already organised to change my membership....effective immediately.

2nd Point I've always had the greatest respect for John Cartwright as a coach and as a person. I value the commitment he has shown to the club just as I value the effort Searle put into starting the club. Having said that, even though as fans our emotions are evident in our support of our team, the team itself and the club more to the point, is a business. As someone who has owned and managed businesses for more years than I care to put in writing - because sometimes I just feel too old - your business is reliant on the performance of your staff..... including senior management. The absolute bottom line is that if they are not performing in a manner that produces a positive result then you have to make the unemotional decision to have them removed and I'm thankful that the club has done what most knew needed to be done.

My final point is more a thought than a point. I'm doubtful of Neil Henry s ability to be strong enough to make the massive changes that need to be made. That's nothing against Neil Henry at all. My reason for concern is that he's already been immersed in the current culture and way of doing things. If it had been at the end of last season and he was coming in fresh as the new coach then maybe he would be just what we need.......So my question is, has he already fallen into the Carty Culture and would we be better off with a strong coach that comes in fresh and says 'right....this is how its going to be!' ?

[DIEHARD]

Welcome back GCT 07! I agree with all your points. Although I'm hoping Henry can offer us hope. I'm sure he will give his all and I'm sure he is aware that we need radical change.

It's good to see you here again and I hope we can hear more from you in the future.

Your contributions to The Legion and Titans aren't lost on me. I recognise every bit. Perhaps we can find other ways to channel the passion we share. It's crossed my mind that maybe we could choose an area of the stadium (maybe where a lot of us already are) and try and get seats nearby. Going to the football with friends and being active supporters is what excites us.

[Mexican titan]

As this thread is generally about Carty leaving I'll comment here and apologies if this is mentioned elsewhere.
Did others see the article in the Bulletin today with quotes from Paul Broughton believing that Carty can coach and that he expects him to get a another coaching job and says "I would not be at all surprised to see him end up as Ricky Stuart's assistant down at Canberra".

[Numbers]

As this thread is generally about Carty leaving I'll comment here and apologies if this is mentioned elsewhere.
Did others see the article in the Bulletin today with quotes from Paul Broughton believing that Carty can coach and that he expects him to get a another coaching job and says "I would not be at all surprised to see him end up as Ricky Stuart's assistant down at Canberra".

I think somebody on the 'Sterlo' panel last night (maybe Sterling himself?) described Cartwright as a career coach and expected him to be head coach at another club in the future. Mind-boggling!!

[Bayside Titan]

I think somebody on the 'Sterlo' panel last night (maybe Sterling himself?) described Cartwright as a career coach and expected him to be head coach at another club in the future. Mind-boggling!!

Yeah mate. Was abit confused myself. However I would not be surprised to see him at another club in the next 12 months.

[GCT_07]

Welcome back GCT 07! I agree with all your points. Although I'm hoping Henry can offer us hope. I'm sure he will give his all and I'm sure he is aware that we need radical change.

It's good to see you here again and I hope we can hear more from you in the future.

Your contributions to The Legion and Titans aren't lost on me. I recognise every bit. Perhaps we can find other ways to channel the passion we share. It's crossed my mind that maybe we could choose an area of the stadium (maybe where a lot of us already are) and try and get seats nearby. Going to the football with friends and being active supporters is what excites us.

Thanks Diehard, I would think it would be just as difficult for you as it is for me, even more so, to see where it is now. I realised a couple of years ago I just had to step away and let it be. Yesterday was too much to ignore.

This club is not, nor will it ever be, all about one small group of people. It's about all members, all fans and even the community as a whole.

Enough of that, it's time to move on for good.

As for seating, looks like we're heading over to the Western Titanium........exact seats aren't locked in yet. There's six of us so we have to sus it out. Just flick me a message if you want and we can look at options.

[DIEHARD]

Thanks Diehard, I would think it would be just as difficult for you as it is for me, even more so, to see where it is now. I realised a couple of years ago I just had to step away and let it be. Yesterday was too much to ignore.

This club is not, nor will it ever be, all about one small group of people. It's about all members, all fans and even the community as a whole.

Enough of that, it's time to move on for good.

As for seating, looks like we're heading over to the Western Titanium........exact seats aren't locked in yet. There's six of us so we have to sus it out. Just flick me a message if you want and we can look at options.

Excellent, Ill start a thread and ask people where they are.

[DIEHARD]

Gold Coast Titans departing coach John Cartwright gutted to lose job but there’s no bitterness

WHEN the hooter sounds on John Cartwright’s final game in charge of the Titans on Monday night, he won’t be bitter. But he will feel no sense of relief either.

The Titans coach – the man who has dedicated most of the past decade to ensuring the Gold Coast has a competitive NRL club – is still gutted to be leaving a position he has held since the club’s inception.

But after his final game against the Roosters in Sydney, he will walk away proud of what he has achieved in his eight years at the helm.

Cartwright would love to still be guiding the Titans towards an unlikely semifinals push but he knew the writing was on the wall.

And when part-owner and Titans board member Darryl Kelly confirmed on Tuesday the club wanted to move in a different direction, Cartwright knew the club had to come first.

Cartwright could have clung on for the rest of the season but is honest enough to know the emotional effort of preparing a team he knows he won’t continue to coach would have been too much.

“I didn’t want anything drawn out,’’ he said. “Darryl gave me the option to finish the season but it would have been too hard.

“I wouldn’t have been able, emotionally, to do that and I wouldn’t have been able to prepare the side as well as I would have liked in the last five weeks knowing that it was all going to be over,’’ he said.

“Regardless, I still believe the side can play semifinal football.

“I never waver in the belief that we can go out and win each week we play. It just would have been too hard to be the best I could be for the rest of the year.’’

COACHING FUTURE

Rugby league is a game that has consumed Cartwright’s adult life – first as a player with the Penrith Panthers and then as a coach.

But he knows senior football roles come around rarely and is honest enough to admit he is not sure he wants to take on the load of a head coach again.

“I’ve had eight years here and the chances of getting another job in the industry I love are limited – there’s not a lot of jobs out there.

“I want to stay in the area. I love where I live, I love everything about the club, I love the fact that I was a big part of building this club and certainly have an attachment to it I don’t want to lose.

“But if an opportunity came to be involved in footy again, that’s my job. Like anyone, I need an income, I have to survive, I always would look at anything that came across the table but for the immediate future, I just want to let the dust settle and sit on the hill and watch and cheer for a while.’’

But when asked if he wanted to become a head coach again, Cartwright was surprisingly frank.

“I’m not sure,’’ he said.

“The thing is it constantly changes and I think I’d find that hard to keep up with.’’

THE DECISION

Cartwright is a realist.

He would love to still be guiding the Titans towards an unlikely semifinals push but he knew the writing was on the wall.

Still, he admits he was “gutted’’ when Kelly confirmed the board was likely to move in a different direction next season.

“I didn’t actually quit,’’ he said.

“I went in and just wanted to know what the board were thinking. I don’t want to be somewhere just because I had a contract.

“And I have no problem with the decision either. I’ve been here eight years and the board wanted to bring in some change, I believe.

“And the best way to change a place is to start at the top.’’

SEARLE

Cartwright concedes his future was inextricably linked to Titans *founder Michael Searle but has no regret that that is the case or that his great mate’s decision to step away from the club may have affected his own tenure.

Searle admitted earlier this week he needed to step away from the club for the Titans to move forward.

And Cartwright understood, the public perception at least, was probably the same for him.

But he will not hear a bad word about Searle, believing the Gold Coast public owes him plenty for his efforts to establish an NRL club in the city. “He’s copped an awful rap. Between Mike and Paul Broughton and the initial working party on getting a licence to the NRL, they did an absolutely amazing job,’’ *Cartwright said.

“I would hate to think how much of his own money Mike has put in.

“Basically, financially he was left with the lot. So for a lot of years, he had every right to make every *decision he made, because he was the only one that was stumping up any money.

“For him to work through (the financial problems) and find new investors ... he’s made the club survive and it’s in a position now where it can hopefully grow a little bit.’’

DISAPPOINTMENT

Cartwright knows results have not been good enough for him to stay in the top job.

But there will be the niggling questions, the “what ifs’’, the doubts about whether another single win could have kept him in the job longer.

But there will be no bitterness on Monday night.

“There’ll definitely be no bitterness but no relief,” he said.

“I love what I do, so there’ll be no relief, probably just disappointment that we haven’t been able to play semifinal footy over the last couple of years and it is such a result-*driven business.”

He will welcome the respite for his family though.

“I don’t get on social media, I don’t follow that too much but obviously the kids do and they see the stuff that’s written about their dad,’’ he said. “People when they do that stuff, they don’t realise the damage they cause. It can be really cruel – and they’re not hurting the people they intend to hurt.

“My kids are way too young to be stressed after every loss. I don’t want them to be going through that.

“That’s something I certainly won’t miss.

“(Now), they can lead normal lives every week of the year, not just when we win a game.’’

LEGACY

Come the final siren on Monday, Cartwright will finish the only real job he has known.

But he leaves believing the Titans have made a real difference in the lives of some of their players.

While his professional highlights might be the first four years – the first season at Carrara, the first club win, making the finals for the first time in 2009 and leading the club to within a game of the grand final in 2010 – his legacy will be far more.

“(I’m proud) for a lot of reasons away from success on the footy field.

“We’re not a footy club, we’re a community organisation. The focal point is the footy team but we’re a *charity, a school, we’re a community group.’’

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/nrl/

[TITAN PETE]

Well spoken Carty

[DavidBouveng]

important to hear him say he didnt quit.

He was told that he woudnt be head coach next year and took the early exit as he knows he wouldnt be 100%. i applaud this, but

his talk previous about knowing his results werent good enough to do his job arent his thoughts, they are obviously Kelly's.

[Skyfire]

Thank thank thank you thank you. My excitement and hope for the future is now turbo charged. I no longer feel like our club is being strangled. I can't wait for the games ahead. Well done to the crew on this forum for holding the line and leading the fight.