How Neil Henry turned Titans around

[K2G]

NATHAN RYAN FOX SPORTS APRIL 28, 2015 8:40AM



GOLD Coast coach Neil Henry is responsible for taking a gamble on a number of players and his punt is paying dividends.

Neil Henry take a bow. Since inheriting the Gold Coast club from John Cartwright at the end of last season, the odds have been heavily stacked against the coach.

At the start of the season he was faced with a drugs scandal yet nine weeks in and the Titans are sitting in seventh spot.

Henry has transformed Ryan James from a hard running forward to a dynamic edge backrower who is responsible for causing all sorts of headaches for the opposition.

The highly talked about fullback role has been another stroke of genius, with Henry devising a plan which sees Will Zillman and Josh Hoffman interchange throughout the game.

He was also willing to take a punt on a rookie half. Having let go of Albert Kelly, who was arguable their best player last year, Henry promoted rising star Kane Elgey to the top grade and the club are reaping the rewards.

Maybe this time the Titanic won’t sink? It looks like Henry has seen the iceberg and changed course for calmer seas.

[Titan4Life]

Henry definitely deserves a massive thank you from all Titans fans. Be honest who thought after the horror last few weeks of the preseason that we would be sitting in 7th position including wins against Parra and NZ both away from home. Also the way he has transformed Ryan James and taken the gamble on players like Elgey is something we never would have gotten under Cartwright. Don't get me wrong I thank Carty for being our coach for 8 years but Henry will take us into the new and improved era!

Everything about us has improved both on and off the field. On the field, our attack is definitely improved on last year and we are much more exciting to watch this year. Off the field, our management is making fantastic choices and turning this club around for the better. It is definitely a new and exciting era for our club led by King, Frizelle, Annersley and co.

[ozynorts]

Yes congratulations to King but I am having a chuckle at the idea that he took a punt on Elgey. He only gave Elgey a chance because Mortimer was injured and the kid took the opportunity with both hands.
Overall though I am impressed so far with how much he has achieved with this group. I was sceptical about Henry taking over but so far the results on the field in regards to wins, style and effort are vastly improved on previous years and he must be congratulated for that.

[shamus]

I chuckled as well. But I wonder if Henry had a grand plan prior to Mortimer being injured. i.e. Keep LG out of the starting side whilst negotiating a new contract which obviously would not of been of the same value as what LG is going to be on come next season. After all, it was Henry (supposedly) that ignored Cartwrights advise to dump the guy.

[karnage]

Here's the thing though. When Elgey did come into first grade he was playing in a team that has an attacking direction. Henry is responsible for that, and that's a million times more important than when he debuted.

Look at how Cartwright treated guys like Shannon Walker (absolutely no clue) and Albert Kelly (defended tight and had no attacking direction and got busted as a consequence).

[TitansFan92]

I know I have not always supported Henry but I am happy to eat my words. The difference between him and the joker we had is night and day.

I didn't think the Top 8 was possible this year but the way Henry has us playing I will make a bold statement and say we are playing like a top 4 side imo.

[Mexican titan]

All I wanted was for the teams style of play to change from a boring, mind numbing type to some attacking style. Additionally I wanted to see players accountable, new players tried and the club get some respect.
We are way ahead of where I wanted them to be and the damage done over the last 4 years has been largely repaired in 8 games. My hope now is the marketing people really get their act together into next year because sponsorships, memberships, and casual fans should be attracted to us if done right. A bonus is that the Suns are playing terribly and that should assist in gaining more corporate support. I add that I like the Suns and go to some of their games but it's a tough business world at the moment and we need to take advantage of whatever opportunities are out there.

[Titanic]

I agree with the comments above but counsel that there is history that is being ignored. Henry made his name taking poor sides and making them competitive but then losing his way. James is taking a leaf from Cooper's book on edge running and the attacking structures are reminiscent of the previous Cows ... nothing wrong with that and we are really a very improved team.

So how about these questions: is our roster going to be better than the Cows? can Henry instil the discipline of the Ponies?

If the answer is yes to those questions then we will be a top 4 team but at the moment we are an emerging team and I believe there will be more downs than ups before we can answer 'yes' to both those questions but I don't care.

I am totally relaxed watching the team struggle and win, struggle and lose, but always heading upwards ... my greatest motivation is witnessing players being given a chance and relishing their opportunities.

Onya Coach Henry, I hope you have learnt from your previous efforts as well.

[Toads]

It had always been a forgone conclusion that we'd be playing fast-paced entertaining Rugby League once it was mentioned that Neil Henry had signed on for us, it so typical of the brand of footy he goes for. All it was, was a matter of time to get Carty ousted 'n the reigns to be fully handed over to him to weave his magic..

Now we're starting to see it all come about.

Though the jury is still out with the persisting with Zillman.

[DavidBouveng]

yeah i think we all hoped for improvement, and the way we are playing is probably where we might have expected to be by yars end. that we have got there in around 6 weeks, and can now continue improve is remarkable.

He has made Sezer, James, Roberts look like new players, or unleashed the players they already were.

with he recruitment team, has made some astute buys, especially in the forwards, and i would wager that if Leva Li or Crampton came into this team that is functioning like an actual team...they would slot in and do the job. last year, Greg Inglis could have come into the side and made no dent probably.

has got more decent games from Zillman in 8 weeks than the previous 5 years combined.

i could go on all day...but it appears there can be some good days ahead, and in 2-3 years i can see us being genuine title contenders. that's not to say we cant get some momentum with our players we will have and a run at it next year...but we should be primed in 2-3

[mup23]

Yes congratulations to King but I am having a chuckle at the idea that he took a punt on Elgey. He only gave Elgey a chance because Mortimer was injured and the kid took the opportunity with both hands.

Do you think Carty would've given Elgey a run? It's more likely that we'd have Greg Bird or Mat Rogers playing in the halves...

And even if he did have Elgey playing then he would've been playing Cartyball and he'd only be allowed to pass to a prop who was standing still

[Titanic]

The thing I like most about our structure is the roving commission the players have ... they are actually playing the way the game was designed to be played ... I really hate players being stuck to one side of the field ... especially the 2 halfs and lock but centres and wings should be allowed to follow the play, except in defence of course.

And I really have to add that Henry humbly recognised the efforts of Matterson and Smith and I think we should too.

[Mexican titan]

Do you think Carty would've given Elgey a run? It's more likely that we'd have Greg Bird or Mat Rogers playing in the halves...

And even if he did have Elgey playing then he would've been playing Cartyball and he'd only be allowed to pass to a prop who was standing still

Perfect analysis I reckon.
Every day that goes by i get more resentful about the damage that carty did. Single handedly he could have just about killed this club, along with the fool that kept extending his contract.
But i must move on.