Titans 2015 season review

[TITAN PETE]

Tony Webeck Mon 07 Sep, 2015, 3:00pm
By Tony Webeck*, Chief Queensland Correspondent, NRL.com

Titans 2015 season review
A season that began in turmoil off the field finished with the club in a stronger financial situation courtesy of NRL ownership and a host of bright young talent promising that there are better days ahead.

The overwhelming favourite for the wooden spoon when the season kicked off, the Titans worked their way into the top eight mid-year courtesy of a rookie halfback by the name of Kane Elgey and the blistering speed of James Roberts.

But that was where things started to spiral out of control.

Having announced his intention to join the Gold Coast following Manly's Round 1 loss to the Eels, Daly Cherry-Evans back-flipped on his decision and told the world that he always wanted to stay at Manly.

The ramifications of having and then losing Cherry-Evans may be felt at the Titans for the next couple of seasons but in Elgey they have hope for the future.

There has been a sizeable clean-out of the roster and in winning three of their last six games the young newcomers showed enough character for the club to stay clear of the wooden spoon.

Their home form improved, winning five of 12 games with five of their losses decided by 10 points or less.

Two statistics that go hand-in-hand – completed sets and defence – were the Titans' major faults but for the first time in a number of years Titans fans can look forward and see brighter days ahead.

Where They Excelled: Following the introduction of Kane Elgey in Round 4 the Titans had no problems getting across the try line, scoring 30-plus points in three straight weeks for the first time in the club's history. James Roberts and Anthony Don were the main beneficiaries as they sat atop the NRL's top try-scorers list but as the injuries mounted in the halves, the points dried up. Their average of four line breaks per game was second only to the Roosters and their 11 offloads per game second to the Panthers.

Where They Struggled: It may be boring but the Titans were most competitive in games when their completion rate was at its best, and that wasn't often enough. Gold Coast finished the season with the least number of completed sets and the worst completion rate in the competition which in turn put pressure on a defence that leaked 113 tries, more than double that of the minor premiers the Roosters.

Missing In Action: Such was the extent of the Titans' injury toll mid-year that coach Neil Henry was forced to make two purchases just prior to the June 30 deadline to fill the roster. Former Rooster Nene Macdonald went on to play 11 games for the Titans this season while Chad Redman had seven games for the Titans after transferring from Newcastle. The Titans missed Greg Bird, Aidan Sezer, Kane Elgey, Beau Falloon and Kierran Moseley for extended periods during a season in which they used 31 players.

Turning Point: A week after Elgey limped from the field with an ankle injury the Titans disposed of the Bulldogs at home 28-14 to move into eighth spot on the table through 14 rounds but the loss of Sezer a week later would prove to be terminal. The partnership of Elgey and Sezer had yielded five wins from nine games but when they were reunited in Round 20 the Titans had lost four straight and dropped to 15th on the ladder.

Hold Your Head High: Elgey's rookie NRL season could well prove to be a catalyst for future Titans success but Roberts provided the attacking spark Gold Coast had lacked in recent years. With 14 tries through 15 rounds it seemed a formality that Roberts would surpass the Titans' record of 16 tries in a season held by David Mead but as hard as he tried all he could do was equal the mark. There are areas of Roberts' game that still need attention but a full pre-season on the back of his first full season in the NRL – not to mention the arrival of cousin Tyrone Roberts – should see the 22-year-old reach even greater heights next season.

2016 Crystal Ball: Coach Neil Henry's roster is still very much a work in progress but it is clear there is an emphasis on youth and the promotion of local talent. Elgey's emergence somewhat softens the blow of the Daly Cherry-Evans debacle with Junior Kangaroos half Ashley Taylor and experienced Knights half Tyrone Roberts creating competition for spots in the key playmaking positions. Plenty of young players were given a great insight into what it takes to succeed in the NRL, they should be better again by the time 2016 rolls around.

Conclusion: You can find positives in all things but the fact remains that the Titans missed the finals for a fifth straight year, a fate they share only with the Eels. Greg Bird's eight-game suspension stemming from the Kangaroos' Test loss to the Kiwis robbed the team of one of its stars for a third of the season and injuries again to Sezer and also Elgey halted their mid-year surge.

After his first full season in charge coach Neil Henry has hinted at further changes to the roster over the next 12 months but believes they are compiling a playing group capable of challenging for a place in the top eight in 2016.

"You sit back now and watch a bit of finals footy and that's something that this club hasn't been a part of for a number of years now," said Henry.

"Some young players have got some experience this year and they'll be better for that.

"If they keep kicking on and we stay healthy I see no reason why we can't feature in the finals next year. I'm confident in what we're doing recruitment-wise and some young players that are coming through."

SEASON STATISTICS
Wins: 9
Losses: 15
Position (after 26 rounds): 14th
Home Record: Won five, lost seven
Away Record: Won four, lost eight
Longest Winning Streak: Three wins (def. Eels 38-16, def. Panthers 32-6, def. Warriors 32-28)
Longest Losing Streak: Five losses (def. by Warriors 36-14, Roosters 20-10, Sea Eagles 38-6, Knights 30-2, Broncos 34-0)
Players Used: 31
Tries Scored: 76
Tries Conceded: 113

[Mexican titan]

I thought we improved heaps in attack this year and as a team we were much better to watch and I'm sticking with that recollection. However the stats tell a different story. We conceded 636 points this year which was the worst and only 5 other sides even conceded over 500 points. In attack, despite what I thought, we were third worst. So, in reality defence was poor and attack was not much better.

I still think we made lots of headway this year.........so the stats lie!!

[karnage]

I thought we improved heaps in attack this year and as a team we were much better to watch and I'm sticking with that recollection. However the stats tell a different story. We conceded 636 points this year which was the worst and only 5 other sides even conceded over 500 points. In attack, despite what I thought, we were third worst. So, in reality defence was poor and attack was not much better.

I still think we made lots of headway this year.........so the stats lie!!

My statistics lecturer at University had a great quote that he used all the time:
"Never believe any statistics unless you made them up yourself!!"

We were historically bad last year with all time poor results for LINE BREAKS and TACKLE BUSTS. It may not have translated into points but we improved significantly in both these areas this year. That would explain the disconnect between 'better to watch' and 'points scored'.

We improved this year. No doubt.

[Yankee Doodle Titan]

I thought we were much more exciting in attack than in previous couple of years, and I chalk that up to 1) Kane Elgey, 2) James Roberts and 3) less Greg Bird (the guy's a ball hog who stifles attack).

I'll defer to all of the gurus here on the forum, but in my very humble noob opinion, defense is what we need more than anything else. I'd be happy if King parked the boys on a farm for the entire off-season and made them catch greased pigs from dawn until dusk.

[GCTTSD]

I think it all comes down to discipline. We fix that we wix our defense, attack and our completion rate

[DIEHARD]

Season Review: The Titans survived drug and DCE scandals to avoid 2015 wooden spoon
http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/nrl/

THE signs weren’t great for Gold Coast when the club was forced to dump its captain before a ball had been kicked.

Greg Bird’s public urination charge was followed by a much more serious police investigation.

The now infamous cocaine scandal engulfed the club and took everyone’s focus away from anything that was happening on the training paddock.

Eight past and present Titans players were involved, and for a while it was all anyone in the rugby league world wanted to talk about.

Add to that the ongoing financial dramas and a massive injury toll throughout the year, and the chips were stacked against the club from the get-go.

Nevertheless, the Titans avoided the wooden spoon and even unearthed a couple of young stars in the process.

If the players can be kept in check over the coming 12 months, 2016 may just be a successful year for the Queensland franchise.

HEADLINE MOMENTS

Titanic blow

Gold Coast’s dramas began before a ball had been kicked this year.

Following cross-code star Karmichael Hunt being charged with cocaine supply in February, a large handful of past and present Titans players were whacked with similar allegations.

It threw the club’s pre-season into disarray.

The names included high-profile players Greg Bird and Dave Taylor, who have since been allowed to resume their duties with the club.

DCE backflips

It was the last thing the struggling Queensland franchise needed.

The game’s hottest property, Daly Cherry-Evans, was announced as the club’s biggest ever signing, and was earmarked as the key to turning their fortunes around.

In a matter of weeks, Cherry-Evans brought the Titans to their knees.

He fronted a press conference alongside Manly’s bigwigs to confirm he had reneged on the Gold Coast deal to ink the NRL’s most lucrative, and longest-running, contract.

The controversial about-face resulted in the governing body scrapping its “round 13 rule”.

Casualty ward

Every football club suffers from injuries at different times, and you rarely hear coaches use them as an excuse for performance.

One can’t help but wonder though, how the Titans would have fared with their full complement of players on the field.

For the final round of the season, Gold Coast had eight players sitting in the grandstand injured.

Injuries to the likes of Greg Bird (as well as suspension), Kane Elgey, Will Zillman, Matt Srama, Anthony Don, and Aidan Sezer certainly didn’t help the club’s cause.

Greg Bird has had a year to forget.

It all started when he was caught urinating on a police car … while on his honeymoon.

He was subsequently stripped of the Gold Coast co-captaincy.

A couple of months later, he was embroiled in the infamous cocaine scandal.

On the paddock he couldn’t avoid trouble either, and was suspended for eight weeks for a dangerous tackle mid-season.

Bird can put a line through 2015.

No more gold

The Titans have struggled to make ends meet financially since entering the NRL in 2007.

The situation worsened in February when the club entered voluntary administration, and the NRL was forced to step in and keep the franchise afloat.

The situation became so embarrassing that the team was actually forced to find makeshift training facilities at local school grounds and parks.

The stats that mattered via the Fox Sports Lab

A monstrous injury toll forced coach Neil Henry to use a total of 32 players throughout the season — the equal most of the competition.

They had the worst defence in the competition, conceding 26.5 points per game.

To match, the Titans had the worst completion rate as well, completing at over 75% just seven times.

What did they do wrong?

Greg Alexander says: Discipline. It started with Greg Bird and ended with … Greg Bird. He lost the captaincy during the off-season, then was suspended for eight weeks during a period of the season when the team really needed a leader out there. Right in the middle of that was the cocaine scandal. It’s hard to play football with everything else going on. On the field, they had one of the worst completion rates and worst defensive records of the competition.

What did they do right?

Greg Alexander says: Surprisingly a lot. After such a horrid off-season and pre-season in which the club was embroiled in controversy, I was pleasantly surprised with what they produced on the field. The Titans have unearthed a great talent in Kane Elgey, and James Roberts has been one of the most impressive players in the NRL this year. Even when they were out of finals contention the Titans were playing with intent, which is the sign of a good coach.

Brandy’s grade: D+

[Brock O'Brien]

Here is my Titans review for the season that I wrote for NothingButLeague http://www.nothingbutleague.com/2015...-coast-titans/

[Mexican titan]

Here is my Titans review for the season that I wrote for NothingButLeague http://www.nothingbutleague.com/2015...-coast-titans/

Good write up mate. Personally I disagree with you when you say Roberts was by far our best player as I thought Luke Douglas was, but we all have different opinions.

[teke]

Good write up mate. Personally I disagree with you when you say Roberts was by far our best player as I thought Luke Douglas was, but we all have different opinions.

i agree as well. Douglas easily best. Roberts most exciting but far too many errors to be considered

[Brock O'Brien]

Appreciate the criticism guys. Douglas was definitely extremely consistent, I can't believe I forgot about his form this season.

[DIEHARD]

Here is my Titans review for the season that I wrote for NothingButLeague http://www.nothingbutleague.com/2015...-coast-titans/

Awesome work Brock. Ill share it on our LoT facebook page!

[Brock O'Brien]

Thanks for that Diehard, really appreciate it

[Titanic]

For a team to perform there are some basic ingredients such as:

1. a committed roster … think Myles
2. depth of roster … think eclectic selections of necessity
3. players playing their roles … think Bird (playing like he's 5/8), Taylor (playing like he's twinkle toes), Zillman (WTF)
4. stability … think any of the off and on-field tripe
5. a club … think temporary training venue (twice), diminishing supporter base, no clubhouse.

All of this is just un-professional crap. I am buoyed by the sponsorship announcements, new signings and those let go but all the things listed mean that we will again start behind the eight ball in 2016.

As for 2015, the team showed what? Glimpses of potential? Woopy doo … I will be doing everything I can to forget this season and praying that the much-heralded club leadership can erase that list above.

Finally, our best player = Douglas and then daylight to Pettybourne and then Sezer. Roberts is exciting and talented but not our best player by a long way.

[teke]

For a team to perform there are some basic ingredients such as:

1. a committed roster … think Myles
2. depth of roster … think eclectic selections of necessity
3. players playing their roles … think Bird (playing like he's 5/8), Taylor (playing like he's twinkle toes), Zillman (WTF)
4. stability … think any of the off and on-field tripe
5. a club … think temporary training venue (twice), diminishing supporter base, no clubhouse.

All of this is just un-professional crap. I am buoyed by the sponsorship announcements, new signings and those let go but all the things listed mean that we will again start behind the eight ball in 2016.

As for 2015, the team showed what? Glimpses of potential? Woopy doo … I will be doing everything I can to forget this season and praying that the much-heralded club leadership can erase that list above.

Finally, our best player = Douglas and then daylight to Pettybourne and then Sezer. Roberts is exciting and talented but not our best player by a long way.

The consistent performers were Douglas Petty Mead, the Broughton pt scorers (had a few standout games) were Sezer, Roberts, Elgey.....the clubs most prestigious award will be interesting this yr.

...and no Falloon ain't fluking this one

[Titanic]

The consistent performers were Douglas Petty Mead, the Broughton pt scorers (had a few standout games) were Sezer, Roberts, Elgey.....the clubs most prestigious award will be interesting this yr.

...and no Falloon ain't fluking this one

fair enough, I had forgotten Mead and happily add him to my list but Sezer was a lot better than a few good games. A shakey start but once Elgey came into grade Sezer went to a new level and stayed there, injury apart.