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  1. #31
    Administrator DIEHARD's Avatar
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    Luke Douglas praises the improved mental strength of Gold Coast Titans
    http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/nrl/

    Gold Coast Titans prop Luke Douglas. Picture: Adam Head
    LUKE Douglas praised the improved mental strength of the Titans as the Gold Coast head to AAMI Park tomorrow to play Melbourne.

    Douglas is one of just four players – with Greg Bird, David Mead and Anthony Don – left from the Titans team that secured the club’s only win in Melbourne two years ago.

    Douglas, who missed the club’s opening round win over Newcastle and may yet be left out of the team tomorrow, said the Titans would need to replicate that “intent” tomorrow if they’re any chance to topple the star-studded Storm.

    “I remember it was a great feeling because there’s not many times you can say you beat Melbourne, especially down there,’’ he said.

    “I forget how we played, our game plan or anything, but you’ve just got to go with intent, no matter, defence or attack, and try to get that roll-on because as soon as they slow it down it just plays into their hands.

    “They’re a quality outfit across the park and they’re pretty clinical.’’

    The Titans lost 36-14 in their only meeting with the Storm last year in a match that turned at half-time.

    “The first half we definitely had the upper hand.

    “I went into half-time thinking we were all over them,’’ Douglas said.

    “But they get a bit of a rev-up off the coach and click into gear.

    “They had a massive roll-on, they totally nullified us in the second half and it was *really hard to get a quick play-the-ball, and they totally slowed us down, and then their strike players and all their combinations.’’

    The Titans will be underdogs in many of the contests this year but Douglas said they were working to change their mindset.

    “A few guys at the start of the pre-season were probably not as strong mentally as they are now,’’ he said.

    “I think we’ve got a pretty balanced squad who are all striving for the same thing and that’s to have success.

    “We’ve just got to stay on that path.’’

    Eddy Pettybourne faces a fitness test on his corked leg today which could decide if Douglas is recalled or left out of the team to play the Storm.

    He may be the defending Paul Broughton medallist as Titans’ player of the year but Douglas would understand coach Neil Henry’s decision to leave him out.

    “What I’ve tried to do my whole career is not give anyone else a chance to take my spot,’’ he said.

    “It just shows that we’re going to be a decent forward pack this season if we can continue that.’’
    PUT EM TO THE SWORD! SHOW SOME STEEL!

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    TITANS, DIEHARDS, WARRINGTON WOLVES, MAROONS, KANGAROOS, HONG KONG THUNDER

  2. #32
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    Melbourne Storm v Gold Coast Titans
    AAMI Park
    Sunday 6.30pm AEDT


    The Storm closed out the round on Monday night with a grinding 18-16 win against St George Illawarra, while the Titans ran in three tries in nine minutes early in the second half to put the Knights away 30-12.

    Prop Agnatius Paasi and lock Greg Bird were both huge in the Titans' win over Newcastle, both running for more than 150 metres and also getting on the scoresheet. Paasi was played in by Bird for the second try of the game, and Bird also laid on an assist for winger Anthony Don in the second half.

    The Storm had an early scare against the Dragons, going down 10-0 inside 15 minutes, but a quickfire double from Marika Koroibete soon after turned the momentum the way of the Melbourne side and they were able to do enough from there to take home the victory.

    Both coaches were clearly happy with how their sides fared in Round 1, with both sides naming the same 17 for this Sunday's match. Gold Coast have added Will Zillman and Luke Douglas to an extended bench, with the pair returning from injury and suspension respectively.

    Watch out Storm: Greg Bird was immense during the Titans' 30-12 victory over the Knights in Round 1, and he made an impact all over the park. Bird ran for 158 metres, set the tone defensively, and was one of only eight men during Round 1 to notch two try assists. It was a solid all-round game from Bird, and with the lock loving the freedom that comes with the role, Bird will be looking to cause major problems for Melbourne.

    Watch out Titans: Billy Slater and Cameron Munster both had successful returns to the Melbourne Storm line-up in Round 1, after injuries were threatening to postpone the start of their season. A fully fit Slater paired with a strong Storm backline may be enough to cause problems for their inexperienced opponents.

    Key match-up: Jesse Bromwich v Agnatius Paasi. After a blistering performance against the Knights in Round 1, Agnatius Paasi will get the chance to go head-to-head with one of the best props in the world on Sunday night. Paasi ran for 165 metres in the opening round, which put him inside the top 15 in the competition for that statistic. Jesse Bromwich is coming off a stellar 2015 with the Storm, and was a big factor in the Storm's home win against the Dragons on Monday. Look for Paasi to try to build on his Round 1 performance against one of the best in the game.

    The history: Played 14; Storm 9, Titans 5. Melbourne have the wood over the Gold Coast in their short history, with the Storm winning 64 per cent of the time. The last two results have gone the way of the Victorian club, with the Storm running away convincing 36-14 winners in their only meeting last season.

    What are the odds: Sportsbet punters are looking for some value and they've found it with the Titans. There has been twice as much invested on the Gold Coast and incredibly, the Titans 13+ is the best-backed option in margin betting. David Mead has been backed at decent odds to be first tryscorer. Latest odds at Sportsbet.com.au

    Match officials: Referee: Ashley Klein. Assistant Referee: Chris Sutton. Touch Judges: Michael Wise, Shane Rehm. Senior RO: Luke Patten. Review Officials: Steve Chiddy, Bryan Norrie.

    Televised: Fox Sports (Live) – 6.30pm AEDT

    The way we see it: Both teams will be looking to make it two wins on the bounce to begin the season. The Storm may have just enough firepower for the Titans, and the home ground advantage should equate to a Melbourne Storm victory. Melbourne by 10.
    PUT EM TO THE SWORD! SHOW SOME STEEL!

    Moejoe: "REMEMBER!!!! SLIP - SLOP - SLAP in the sun. Skin Cancer is a growing problem. It could happen to anyone!!"
    TITANS, DIEHARDS, WARRINGTON WOLVES, MAROONS, KANGAROOS, HONG KONG THUNDER

  3. #33
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    Controlled chaos key for Titans
    http://www.nrl.com

    'Controlled chaos' will be the Titans' mantra as they look for a way to disrupt Melbourne's almost impenetrable defence on home turf and dictate the speed at which the game is played on Sunday.

    With captain Cameron Smith calling the shots and halfback Cooper Cronk's execution the most clinical in the competition, the Storm have generated an impressive winning record at AAMI Park when teams score less than 20 points against them.

    The Storm have won 13 of 17 games when they have kept a visiting team to less than 20 points at home in the past two seasons, often frustrating the opposition into errors with their own miserly mistake rate and an ability to control the speed of the ruck.

    The Dragons on Monday night had 113 of their 143 play-the-balls take three seconds or longer whereas in their 17-4 loss to the Broncos the Eels had just 53 of 129 take at least three seconds.

    Perhaps due in part to the torrential rain that lashed Cbus Super Stadium last Sunday the Titans had only 20 of 141 play-the-balls take less than three seconds against the Knights and veteran prop David Shillington knows that is an area where they must match Melbourne to be a chance of causing an upset.

    "It's a pretty daunting sort of experience going down to play Melbourne. You know they're strong wherever they play but particularly down there," said Shillington, who has five wins from 15 previous clashes with the Storm.

    "We all know that Melbourne can be so clinical in attack and defence.

    "They're renowned for being the best wrestlers in the comp so there's no doubt we've got to run hard and try and break tackles and fight as hard as we can to get a quick play-the-ball.

    "They want to slow the game down to their speed by controlling the ruck so we've got to play upbeat, fast football and try and cut that out of their game."

    The Titans' 11 offloads against Newcastle last week were the fourth-most of any team from Round 1 with Greg Bird the most prominent with four on his own.

    Shillington himself is one of the more proficient offloaders of the footy in the NRL and although he was responsible for just one against Newcastle, sees it as an area the Titans should exploit.

    "Some second-phase footy can pull apart clinical teams like that," said Shillington.

    "We've got some really good offloaders in our team, particularly in the back row with 'Birdy' and Zeb Taia, so hopefully those guys can do some safe, calculated offloads this week.

    "When you have got people like Tyrone [Roberts] and 'Meady' (David Mead) who can run onto the ball through half a gap, hopefully we can be dangerous."

    If he starts at fullback as named David Mead will have a critical role to play for the Titans in lessening the impact of the kicking game of Cronk and Smith by getting to as many kicks as possible on the full.

    Whilst he highlights the need to complete at a high rate in order to keep pace with the Storm, Mead also said the halves combination of Tyrone Roberts and Ashley Taylor will need to chance their hand when they have the opportunity.

    "We've just got to go down there and make sure we execute because Melbourne are a side that if you give them cheap ball they'll make the most of it. For us it's just about holding onto the ball," Mead said.

    "Melbourne are probably one of the best teams at grinding out games so you want to get a bit creative as well and I think we've got that with Tyrone and Ash Taylor there.

    "If those halves can provide a bit of creativity against a side like Melbourne I think we'll go all right."
    PUT EM TO THE SWORD! SHOW SOME STEEL!

    Moejoe: "REMEMBER!!!! SLIP - SLOP - SLAP in the sun. Skin Cancer is a growing problem. It could happen to anyone!!"
    TITANS, DIEHARDS, WARRINGTON WOLVES, MAROONS, KANGAROOS, HONG KONG THUNDER

  4. #34
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    John Olive has vowed to fight way back into a permanent centre spot
    http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/

    RABBITOHS recruit John Olive has vowed to fight his way back into permanent centre spot at the Titans after leaving the Redfern burrow for more opportunities on the Gold Coast.

    Olive made his Titans debut at Cbus Super Stadium last Sunday as the Gold Coast trumped Newcastle but is likely to play for Tweed Heads in the Intrust Super Cup on Sunday.

    World All Stars representative Nene Macdonald has recovered from a knee injury and should earn a recall against the Storm in Melbourne at Olive’s expense.

    The 19-year-old Olive didn’t look out of place against Newcastle as he scored his first NRL try despite landing on the Gold Coast just a week earlier.

    The NSW under-20s representative last year committed to the Titans for 2017-18 but was released in the final week of the pre-season to join the Gold Coast early and said he was relishing the opportunity.

    “I was just focusing on playing for the Rabbitohs but unfortunately something happened,” Olive said.

    “Souths and Titans came to an agreement. I was happy enough to come up.

    “Footy’s a business. I’m just trying to focus on where I’m playing.

    “It was a bit of a change and opportunity to play first grade. I’m trying to get as much first grade under my belt.

    John Olive in action during a Gold Coast Titans training session. Pics Adam Head
    “No matter who I’m playing for I’ll put my best foot forward to do what I can to get back in first grade.”

    Olive travelled a winding path to the NRL, having been cut by St George-Illawarra as a 16-year-old only to be given a shot by South Sydney two years later.

    He made his NRL debut as an 18-year-old on the wing but sees his future at left centre.

    “Most likely left centre but anywhere at my age is good,” he said.

    “Having a full pre-season under my belt really helped me.

    “I felt pretty good (last week).”

    Olive’s left-side partner Josh Hoffman said the youngster had brought plenty of enthusiasm to the Titans.

    “He came straight in with a bit of larrikin about him,” Hoffman said.

    “He adds energy and excitement to the team. He showed that on Sunday.”

    Co-captain William Zillman will have to pass a fitness test on Saturday if he is to replace David Mead at fullback while coach Neil Henry will make a decision on whether Luke Douglas earns a recall after assessing Eddy Pettybourne’s corked leg.
    PUT EM TO THE SWORD! SHOW SOME STEEL!

    Moejoe: "REMEMBER!!!! SLIP - SLOP - SLAP in the sun. Skin Cancer is a growing problem. It could happen to anyone!!"
    TITANS, DIEHARDS, WARRINGTON WOLVES, MAROONS, KANGAROOS, HONG KONG THUNDER

  5. #35
    Moderator JunctionBlock's Avatar
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    Rumours around that Slater is out for tomorrow.

  6. #36
    Super Moderator TITAN PETE's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JunctionBlock View Post
    Rumours around that Slater is out for tomorrow.
    They lose nothing with Munster going to the back
    #itaintweaktospeak

  7. #37
    Rep Player karnage's Avatar
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    Yep, reports are Slater is out - here's hoping!! So with Olive making way for McDonald does Davis stay in the centres or move to the wing?? I'd be really worried, defensively, about a side of the field with McDonald and Davis together. Both are big bodies and neither of them look like they can turn really fast so Cronk could absolutely terrorise them kicking in behind.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by TITAN PETE View Post
    They lose nothing with Munster going to the back
    Haha!! Spoken like a true Blues supporter!!

  8. #38
    QLD Cup TitanSam's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TITAN PETE View Post
    They lose nothing with Munster going to the back
    id rather have Davis defending someone like Kennar than Munster I think.

  9. #39
    Super Moderator TITAN PETE's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by karnage View Post
    Yep, reports are Slater is out - here's hoping!! So with Olive making way for McDonald does Davis stay in the centres or move to the wing?? I'd be really worried, defensively, about a side of the field with McDonald and Davis together. Both are big bodies and neither of them look like they can turn really fast so Cronk could absolutely terrorise them kicking in behind.

    - - - Updated - - -



    Haha!! Spoken like a true Blues supporter!!
    You know if Slater played for us he'd probably be in the centres
    #itaintweaktospeak

  10. #40

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    Hi I feel a bit sorry for Olive he saved Hoffmans ass a few time last game but understand y Hoffman stays not Olive I hope Macdonald swaps with Hoffman and Hoffman plays the wing better that way I think

  11. #41

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    macdonald on the wings sucks abit., hes a great center..........(defensive issues but good attacker) munster at the back is still a force, but makes the center job easier on davis like TS said

  12. #42
    Rep Player karnage's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Manzo View Post
    macdonald on the wings sucks abit., hes a great center..........(defensive issues but good attacker) munster at the back is still a force, but makes the center job easier on davis like TS said
    He is lightyears away from being a GREAT centre. Right now, he is probably only just average NRL player standard. Like every single other player in our backline, he has got a hell of a long way to go.

    I really hope that the Titans watched Souths destroy the Knights yesterday so that they get a bit of a reality check about exactly how well they played against the Knights last week. They need to improve from that game just to be competitive with the Storm - who are in a completely different class to the hopeless Knights.

  13. #43
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    LATE MAIL FORM MELBOURNE
    Billy Slater is out of the Storm side because of a shoulder injury. 18-year-old Curtis Scott will make his debut at fullback in his place. Also Ben Hampton comes onto the bench in place of Christian Welch.
    For the Titans, Nene Macdonald will start on the wing and Ryan James will start in the front row with Agnatius Paasi dropping to the bench. As earlier announced John Olive is out, and :Luke Douglas returns to replace the injured Eddy Pettybourne on the bench.
    PUT EM TO THE SWORD! SHOW SOME STEEL!

    Moejoe: "REMEMBER!!!! SLIP - SLOP - SLAP in the sun. Skin Cancer is a growing problem. It could happen to anyone!!"
    TITANS, DIEHARDS, WARRINGTON WOLVES, MAROONS, KANGAROOS, HONG KONG THUNDER

  14. #44
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    We have a chance with Slater being out.
    PUT EM TO THE SWORD! SHOW SOME STEEL!

    Moejoe: "REMEMBER!!!! SLIP - SLOP - SLAP in the sun. Skin Cancer is a growing problem. It could happen to anyone!!"
    TITANS, DIEHARDS, WARRINGTON WOLVES, MAROONS, KANGAROOS, HONG KONG THUNDER

  15. #45
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    Shillington knock on defies gravity. Based on the first 2 Reef decisions, this could be a long night

    Geese are the ultimate team players.
    They honk to encourage one another!


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