2015 Trials and Nines thread

[Davis13]

Cmon boys you can do it.

[DIEHARD]

@nthqldcowboys ·
58' TRY moga in for his second. Jt converts @nthqldcowboys 26-6 #ridemcowboys

[K4SE]

Noooooo! Come on boys!

[DIEHARD]

Hoping the floodgates don't open in the last 20

[DIEHARD]

Some more updates on http://www.cowboysstampede.com.au/sh...-Titans/page14

[DIEHARD]

@nthqldcowboys
69' TRY. Tanginoa score @nthqldcowboys 30-6 #ridemcowboys

[mdrew]

30 to6 ouch

[DIEHARD]

@nthqldcowboys
77' TRY. Gordon scores for @GCTitans @nthqldcowboys 30-10 #ridemcowboys

[Mexican titan]

I don't particularly want to make excuses and it is only a trial but you could assume that the players minds are not on the job. I doubt this game would have been the discussion point among the players in the last two days. Plus one or two might have a few more serious things to worry about. I hope not. It would have been impossible to get the guys focussed on this trial, thanks to the selfish actions of a few.

[Titan4Life]

Okay so that is a big loss which is really disappointing, however I am not that worried. We had a lot of distractions before the game and we played a team who I think will be hard to beat this year. As long as the team put in as much effort as they could considering the circumstances, then I am happy.

Really interested to see who played best for us. Like DH said, the twitter accounts provided next to no updates and never replied to any of our questions. I heard Myles and Bird played good so at least that is a positive. Really hoping Hoffy had a blinder and Zillman had the opposite.

Win, lose or draw #iwillneverwalkaway (this is a hashtag started by some of our fans on social media)

[Hail Sezer]

Okay so that is a big loss which is really disappointing, however I am not that worried. We had a lot of distractions before the game and we played a team who I think will be hard to beat this year. As long as the team put in as much effort as they could considering the circumstances, then I am happy.

Really interested to see who played best for us. Like DH said, the twitter accounts provided next to no updates and never replied to any of our questions. I heard Myles and Bird played good so at least that is a positive. Really hoping Hoffy had a blinder and Zillman had the opposite.

Win, lose or draw #iwillneverwalkaway (this is a hashtag started by some of our fans on social media)

Mate...Webeck said that Myles and Bird started well and that was after about 8 minutes. So unless youve heard it from an alternative source as well then I dont think that's necessarily true haha

Will wait to see highlights to see if we were bad or if they were good. Or perhaps both


Now we wait too...for the supposed media eruption.

[Titan4Life]

Mate...Webeck said that Myles and Bird started well and that was after about 8 minutes. So unless youve heard it from an alternative source as well then I dont think that's anecessarily the case.

Will wait to see highlights to see if we were bad or if they were good. Or perhaps both

Alright fair enough but the rest still stands. Just wish it was on TV so we didn't have to rely on Twitter!

[Hail Sezer]

Yeah man those twitter updates were poor all round

[Titan4Life]

Yeah man those twitter updates were poor all round

Just shocking. You'd think they'd update something other then scores. Wouldn't even answer people who were asking for team lineups (I think I know why) etc.

- - - Updated - - -

Classy Cowboys overpower Titans in trial
By Tony Webeck, Chief Queensland Correspondent
NRL.com
10:25pm Sat 21st February, 2015

February wins count for nothing, but North Queensland have shown they are ready to hit the ground running in 2015 with a dominant 30-10 win over Gold Coast in their trial match in Cairns on Saturday night.

The Cowboys looked fast and powerful throughout their final hit-out before the start of their season on March 7, with coach Paul Green's greatest headache appearing to be the final make-up of his 'spine' and how he fits a raft of big back-rowers into the one forward pack.

North Queensland looked polished in attack with Lachlan Coote at fullback and Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan in the halves in the opening half but were just as effective in the second term when Morgan made the move to fullback.

With James Tamou watching on from the sidelines yet still hopeful of being available for Round 1, co-captain Matt Scott made a successful return from shoulder surgery and worked well alongside Broncos recruit Ben Hannant in the front row.

The power of Jason Taumalolo in the middle of the ruck was next to frightening and allowed the Cowboys forwards to create wave upon wave of momentum which the Titans were unable to repel.

Given the events of the previous 24 hours, the Titans actually started purposefully but were unable to convert territory of the opening five minutes into points and in the 17th minute the Cowboys took advantage to cross first through Tautau Moga with a well-worked shift to the left close to the Titans line.

They almost went back-to-back when Justin O'Neill was held up over the line from the ensuing set of six and after repeated excursions into Titans territory the Cowboys came up with their second in rather fortuitous circumstances.

After a frantic piece of ball movement Thurston eventually put boot to ball, his piercing cross-field kick unable to be collected by the Titans defence and the ball falling into the lap of centre Matthew Wright who burst through two defenders to score.

The Titans crossed for their first try of the night in the 29th minute when Matt Srama burrowed over from dummy-half but when the old firm of Thurston and Gavin Cooper combined on the left edge three minutes from half-time the Cowboys had a 16-6 lead at the break.

The Cowboys started the second half with Morgan at fullback and Robert Lui partnering Thurston in the halves and soon picked up where they left off, making regular inroads into the Titans defence before scoring their fourth try of the night courtesy of a Jake Granville effort from close range.

Four minutes later Moga scored his second when a break from Matthew Wright saw the ball spun to the opposite side of the field from the next play and the Titans defence caught short, and when Kelepi Tanginoa powered over in the 69th minute the score had blown out to 32-6.

Thurston, Morgan and Cooper were all given early marks with the game well in hand as the Cowboys appeared to come through the encounter injury free.

The effort was there but execution lacking for the Titans although they looked their best when Aidan Sezer ran purposefully at the line and fullback contenders William Zillman and Josh Hoffman both had nice touches.

Hooker Kierran Moseley was the Titans player to come out of the clash with their reputation enhanced the most and must surely be favoured to be Neil Henry's first-choice No.9 in Round 1.

The only injury concern for the Titans was back-rower Eddy Pettybourne who limped from the field with a leg injury midway through the second half.

North Queensland Cowboys 30 (Tautau Moga 2, Matthew Wright, Gavin Cooper, Jake Granville, Kelepi Tanginoa tries; Johnathan Thurston 3 goals) def. Gold Coast Titans 10 (Matt Srama, Kevin Gordon tries; Aidan Sezer 1 goal) at Barlow Park, Cairns.

[Titanic]

There is nothing to read into this scoreline, dramas or not, it was only a trial.