Round 10: STORM vs TITANS (2018)

[shamus]

Atay plays boss, AJ falls in line (same as LG and to a lesser extent Cartwright) things go south, AJ dropped.

There's no doubt about that

[ozynorts]

haha, ain't gonna shut me up till he's relegated back to QCup - just don't think he adds anything, even off the bench, to our squad in his current form.

He played 1 minute of the bench in our best win of the year....... That says a lot to me..

[RavShamrock]

Melbourne Storm v Gold Coast Titans, Saturday 5.30pm at Suncorp Stadium

Storm: Curtis Scott will be given until Friday to prove his fitness after missing last week's loss to the Dragons with an ankle injury. Justin Olam is on standby following a solid debut.

Titans: Nathan Peats (ribs) will play if he can get through the training week with no complaints. Titans coach Garth Brennan noted on Tuesday Konrad Hurrell (confidence) and Jai Arrow (back/ribs) had been rested.

[rj62]

Atay plays boss, AJ falls in line (same as LG and to a lesser extent Cartwright) things go south, AJ dropped.

There's no doubt about that

Can we not write him off without him taking the field? After all these are the changes most here were after.
Let’s see how it pans out before taking the glass half empty approach.

While a debut against this team will be tough, I don’t think there’s an easy team to debut against.

I’m excited for the changes and look forward to watching if he can also ignite Ash’s running game.

[Detwelve12]

I have cash on this game. Really good odds for us to win. I know we are missing Jai, however its probably the strongest backline we have fielded this year. I think we can come up with an upset.

[shamus]

Can we not write him off without him taking the field? After all these are the changes most here were after.
Let’s see how it pans out before taking the glass half empty approach.

While a debut against this team will be tough, I don’t think there’s an easy team to debut against.

I’m excited for the changes and look forward to watching if he can also ignite Ash’s running game.

It was said (half) tongue in cheek. Ash has been told to take control and be a leader, makes it hard for the 6 to be decisive. As for the 'There's no doubt about that' it is Brennan's favourite saying. He has another but I will save that for another post.

As for AJ, I absolutely hopes he creams it.

[Mexican titan]

I have cash on this game.

I wish you had given it to me or just burnt it. Either would give you more satisfaction.

[Toads]

Mal Meninga column: Bryce Cartwright’s attitude is just the tip of the iceberg at the struggling Titans

May 09, 2018

BRYCE Cartwright is not the only Gold Coast Titan who needs to toughen up.

Cartwright has been a lightning rod for criticism in the past few weeks, and I have to say there has not been a lot of it that I felt was unwarranted.

Cartwright clearly has a problem with attitude. A player with all of his attributes – which includes a 193cm, 107kg frame – should not be producing the type of performances he has dished up this year.

The Titans’ problem though is that Cartwright is far from the only bad apple in the Gold Coast barrel.

The Titans’ performance against the Raiders last weekend was beyond poor.

The scoreboard may not have been embarrassing, but missing 44 tackles in a game certainly was.

How many times do we say that defence is an attitude? The reason we say it so many times is that it is true.

Cartwright missed a lot of tackles last weekend, but he didn’t miss 44 of them.

Some of the senior players at the Titans would have been very happy to see Cartwright targeted as the scapegoat for that performance, because it kept the spotlight off themselves.

Yes, there were some factors that counted against them. Jai Arrow and Jarrod Wallace, probably their two best forwards, were both gone through injury by the 18-minute mark.

But the fact the Titans’ best forward against the Raiders was an 18-year-old kid making his first grade debut off the interchange bench should make the rest of the Gold Coast pack hang their heads in shame.

In 41 minutes on the field in his first game in the NRL, Moeaki Fotuaika had 12 runs for 105m, made 21 tackles with only two misses, made one tackle bust, one offload and registered one try assist and one linebreak assist.

Fotuaika’s performance was exactly what the Titans needed – an injection of determination and enthusiasm.

It is the same reason I think bringing AJ Brimson in at five-eighth is the right move. The kid is coming in with a lot of wraps, but he doesn’t need to be the star.

All he needs to do is bring the energy and enthusiasm he has shown with Tweed Heads this season and he will be a standout for the Titans.

The rest of the Titans squad should frankly be embarrassed that their coach is relying on two rookies to show the rest of them how it is done.

The most frustrating thing about the Titans is that we have seen at times this season how good they can be.

Their never-say-die win against the Raiders in Round 1 should have been the foundation of their season, but was wasted.

Their skill and determination at beating Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium was a major leap forward, subsequently erased by four timid steps back.

Brisbane have performed poorly at times this season but the Broncos are never out of a match.

Wayne Bennett makes sure that pride in the jersey and respect for their teammates mean that Brisbane never stop fighting, even when they are struggling for form.

The Cowboys last weekend also showed that they have the mental toughness to keep believing in what they are doing, even when their confidence is down in the middle of a form slump.

They knew if they just went out and ran hard and tackled well, things would eventually fall their way. Against Penrith, they did just that.

The Titans face the Storm on Saturday night and need to make a decision about what they stand for because this season is starting to pass them by.

That is critical, not because of the implications for the finals, but for the future of a club that is trying to rebuild after hitting rock bottom.

It is unfair for the Titans to keep asking their fans to make the effort and keep believing when the players can’t be bothered doing it themselves.

Source: couriermail.com.au

- - - Updated - - -

Didn't know where to bung this, but it seems a fair slap down by Mal. Especially the last paragraph.

[Mr Bods]

^^^ I welcome Fair commentary like that about our onfield efforts by the likes of Tallis/Ennis/Meninga. It’s the grimy sleazy smear articles by the likes of Badel that I find beyond the pale.

[rj62]

It was said (half) tongue in cheek. Ash has been told to take control and be a leader, makes it hard for the 6 to be decisive. As for the 'There's no doubt about that' it is Brennan's favourite saying. He has another but I will save that for another post.

As for AJ, I absolutely hopes he creams it.

[Menoitios]

Mal Meninga column: Bryce Cartwright’s attitude is just the tip of the iceberg at the struggling Titans

May 09, 2018

BRYCE Cartwright is not the only Gold Coast Titan who needs to toughen up.

Cartwright has been a lightning rod for criticism in the past few weeks, and I have to say there has not been a lot of it that I felt was unwarranted.

Cartwright clearly has a problem with attitude. A player with all of his attributes – which includes a 193cm, 107kg frame – should not be producing the type of performances he has dished up this year.

The Titans’ problem though is that Cartwright is far from the only bad apple in the Gold Coast barrel.

The Titans’ performance against the Raiders last weekend was beyond poor.

The scoreboard may not have been embarrassing, but missing 44 tackles in a game certainly was.

How many times do we say that defence is an attitude? The reason we say it so many times is that it is true.

Cartwright missed a lot of tackles last weekend, but he didn’t miss 44 of them.

Some of the senior players at the Titans would have been very happy to see Cartwright targeted as the scapegoat for that performance, because it kept the spotlight off themselves.

Yes, there were some factors that counted against them. Jai Arrow and Jarrod Wallace, probably their two best forwards, were both gone through injury by the 18-minute mark.

But the fact the Titans’ best forward against the Raiders was an 18-year-old kid making his first grade debut off the interchange bench should make the rest of the Gold Coast pack hang their heads in shame.

In 41 minutes on the field in his first game in the NRL, Moeaki Fotuaika had 12 runs for 105m, made 21 tackles with only two misses, made one tackle bust, one offload and registered one try assist and one linebreak assist.

Fotuaika’s performance was exactly what the Titans needed – an injection of determination and enthusiasm.

It is the same reason I think bringing AJ Brimson in at five-eighth is the right move. The kid is coming in with a lot of wraps, but he doesn’t need to be the star.

All he needs to do is bring the energy and enthusiasm he has shown with Tweed Heads this season and he will be a standout for the Titans.

The rest of the Titans squad should frankly be embarrassed that their coach is relying on two rookies to show the rest of them how it is done.

The most frustrating thing about the Titans is that we have seen at times this season how good they can be.

Their never-say-die win against the Raiders in Round 1 should have been the foundation of their season, but was wasted.

Their skill and determination at beating Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium was a major leap forward, subsequently erased by four timid steps back.

Brisbane have performed poorly at times this season but the Broncos are never out of a match.

Wayne Bennett makes sure that pride in the jersey and respect for their teammates mean that Brisbane never stop fighting, even when they are struggling for form.

The Cowboys last weekend also showed that they have the mental toughness to keep believing in what they are doing, even when their confidence is down in the middle of a form slump.

They knew if they just went out and ran hard and tackled well, things would eventually fall their way. Against Penrith, they did just that.

The Titans face the Storm on Saturday night and need to make a decision about what they stand for because this season is starting to pass them by.

That is critical, not because of the implications for the finals, but for the future of a club that is trying to rebuild after hitting rock bottom.

It is unfair for the Titans to keep asking their fans to make the effort and keep believing when the players can’t be bothered doing it themselves.

Source: couriermail.com.au

- - - Updated - - -

Didn't know where to bung this, but it seems a fair slap down by Mal. Especially the last paragraph.

Absolutely nailed it, Mal!! I could not agree more. I hope it has an impact.

[JunctionBlock]

Absolutely nailed it, Mal!! I could not agree more. I hope it has an impact.

I think where it says "Wayne Bennett makes sure that pride in the jersey and respect for their teammates mean that Brisbane never stop fighting, even when they are struggling for form." I think he meant to say, the refs ensure that the Broncos are never out of the game by giving them penalties to ensure they don't lose touch. Dean Pay and Ivan Cleary know the feeling.

[Toads]

Yeah, I tend to think Mal lost his way with that comment about the old fossil instilling pride in the jersey. You only have to watch the snippets in the news each night to see the lack of connection between him and the players, this year especially.

As for the Refs/NRL, they gotta try and keep the Donkey's in the top 8. Otherwise their largest membership base will desert them in droves.

[Menoitios]

To tell the truth, I couldn't care less what Mal says about the broncos. It's what he said about us that I agree with. It seems obvious that unless a teams forwards dominate this year (as in the previous) your halves and backs are pretty much stunted.

All of our forwards have been average this year with the exception of Arrow. I hope we turn that around this week. I don't like the excuse of age/experience being used. Arrow and Fotuaika have proved it's all about energy and enthusiasm. I'd love to see King take a leaf out of Arrow's book. He's good, but he can still improve!

I don't like coaches that like to blame refs for losses. It seeps into the subconscious of the players and they start to develop that victim mentality. I like coaches that wear a loss (even robbery) on the chin. State it calmly so everyone knows you're aware of it, then move forward. Nothing worse than a wimpy, whiny coach hiding under a cloak of outrage. Tell the players to work harder on the field and then deal with the refs privately during the week.

JMO. It doesn't mean much.

[Titanic]

I'm with you Meno. I'd add Sami and Don on to the others already named and shamed. It's permeating throughout the whole team and when players like Cartwright and Hurrell continually get away with it then the others just follow along. Hopefully this week they can re-ignite ... lol ... they couldn't spark with 10,000 volts through them at the moment ... but one can always hope. In fact I'm looking forward to this game very much.