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  1. #61
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    Titans' depth rivals top teams but could cost Lee
    https://www.nrl.com/

    Titans centre Brenko Lee says the Gold Coast now have something in common with the top teams in the NRL, and it may just cost him a spot in the team for round one.

    With little more than a fortnight until the club’s first trial against the Cowboys on the Sunshine Coast, competition for spots is driving Titans players to reach new heights in pre-season training.

    Much-maligned forward Bryce Cartwright is cutting an impressive figure, hooker Nathan Peats holds everyone to account with his actions – and words – on the training paddock and props Jarrod Wallace and new recruit Shannon Boyd are trying to hold off the challenges presented by young tyros Morgan Boyle, Max King, Keegan Hipgrave and Moeaki Fotuaika.

    Ash Taylor, Tyrone Roberts, Ryley Jacks and AJ Brimson are vying for the two halves positions but coach Garth Brennan’s most contentious selection will likely come in the centres.

    The recruitment of Tyrone Peachey and return of Brian Kelly has placed enormous pressure on Lee and Dale Copley. Lee has responded by stripping weight and adding speed.

    Up to seven kilograms lighter than when he finished the 2018 season, the former Raider and Bulldog filled in on the right wing outside Kelly at training on Thursday.

    Brennan discusses Titans halves options

    "At the end of the day it’s about competing,” said Lee, who played 14 games in his first season on the Gold Coast in 2018.

    "Like all the clubs that are always in the top four they’ve got good depth so if we keep competing for spots and keep getting better every day it’s only going to help the Titans.

    "We all know that there are some boys who will unfortunately miss out but at the end of the day they can play first grade when they need to too.

    "Garth is pretty happy that he’s got a few selection headaches but that’s something we need, to compete.

    "The club’s got that now and it’s about delivering."

    Such is the quality of players expected to miss out each week, discussions between the Titans and feeder clubs Tweed Heads and Burleigh are proving difficult as the two Intrust Super Cup clubs negotiate player allocations.

    With size, speed and a wicked step, Lee’s ceiling as he emerged in the Canberra under-20s seemed limitless.

    He has existed on the periphery of Queensland Origin selection for the past two years but has struggled for consistency both in games and week to week.

    More than helping to increase his speed, the 23-year-old believes a lighter frame will give him the capacity to be a stronger contributor for longer.

    "It’s probably the lightest I’ve been since I was 18," he said.

    "I feel quicker but more importantly I feel like I recover much faster than I did last year. It took me a while to recover after a big hit or taking a hit-up but now I feel like I can get back up on my feet and go again.

    "I’ll be able to play bigger minutes at my best rather than in patches. It’s something I was guilty of last year - playing in patches.

    "I’d be ordinary one minute and then good the next so it’s about consistency and being fit now I think I can get that 80 minutes of consistency in my game.

    "All the hard work’s done so it’s just about playing some good footy now.

    "I feel amazing. We just can’t wait for the trials to start."

    Titans captain Ryan James’s medial ligament injury is worse than first thought and he is in doubt for the club’s final trial against the Broncos while Ryley Jacks has undergone a minor clean-out on his elbow that will keep him out of full training for at least two weeks.
    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

  2. #62
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    I just hope garth gets it right with the selections...so many different ways this team could come together

  3. #63

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    This is the first year in a long time where the lineup in round 1 is a complete mystery. Most years we've been able to pick 1-17 without fail, but with the crazy good depth we have this year we could see anyone picked anywhere, especially with the backline. Leaning towards a backline of Gordon, Sami, Kelly, Peach, Don, Brimson, Ash but having guys like Lee and Copley waiting in the wings is comforting. Bring on the trials.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Not sure how I feel about Brimson not being at fullback if Brennan is telling the truth. I feel like we discovered something great last year when he moved there and he looked at home. At five eighth he was good too, but he doesn't have a strong kicking game and I like him better at fullback where he can roam around the field and have his hands on the ball when he wants it. Gordon is reliable and won't let us down, and his goal kicking is a big plus, but I just think we should have kept building AJ at FB.

  4. #64
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    We got some tickets on sale for Titans vs Broncos trial, March 2nd at CBUS Super Stadium



    https://www.titans.com.au/Booking-an...n-trial-match/
    Last edited by DIEHARD; 08-02-19 at 03:45 PM.
    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. #65
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    Noice. Plenty of good tickets available.

  6. #66

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    Quote Originally Posted by Titanic View Post
    Hey Bodsie, I was at training today and noticed two things: firstly Taylor and Roberts didn’t socialize together at all and I was there for 2.5 hours; secondly I had a chat with said Roberts who said he was in for long term and would try his best and take whatever Brennan decided. He said he was really pleased to be back on the Coast. In fact he was pretty relaxed about it all and impressed me quite a bit as a bloke ... just saying.

    Also there are a lot of soft tissue injuries from the extraordinarily hard ground ... the players are very pleased to get some decent rain to soften it up. I asked several players of the training was contributing and they all were very happy with the club’s new culture and reckon Meninga is contributing a lot more than first thought while taking some pressure off Brennan.
    Thanks for that, Titanic! Reading media articles over the off season is one thing....but it can't beat good, honest feedback from people such as yourself.

    Keep these updates coming, mate!!

  7. #67
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    Quote Originally Posted by Titanic View Post
    Hey Bodsie, I was at training today and noticed two things: firstly Taylor and Roberts didn’t socialize together at all and I was there for 2.5 hours; secondly I had a chat with said Roberts who said he was in for long term and would try his best and take whatever Brennan decided. He said he was really pleased to be back on the Coast. In fact he was pretty relaxed about it all and impressed me quite a bit as a bloke ... just saying.

    Also there are a lot of soft tissue injuries from the extraordinarily hard ground ... the players are very pleased to get some decent rain to soften it up. I asked several players of the training was contributing and they all were very happy with the club’s new culture and reckon Meninga is contributing a lot more than first thought while taking some pressure off Brennan.
    Thanks for the post Titanic, I only just saw it now. Well what you say is encouraging that’s for sure. I think many of us want to see some rain at the moment. My front lawn is bordering on dead.

  8. #68
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Bods View Post
    Thanks for the post Titanic, I only just saw it now. Well what you say is encouraging that’s for sure. I think many of us want to see some rain at the moment. My front lawn is bordering on dead.
    Just finished mowing mine ... frig that in the off season when you can use games as an excuse. Will head to the US and China on business but will be back for the Raiders game.
    Four reasons to escape to Queensland: Sun, Surf, Sand & the Titans.

  9. #69
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    Garth Brennan believes Ash Taylor is ready to deliver on his enormous promise in 2019
    https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/

    It’s one thing to be labelled the NRL’s next best player. It is another living up to that huge potential.

    Until now, Ash Taylor has appeared burdened by the expectation.

    But after dropping seven kilograms over the summer, Gold Coast coach Garth Brennan has challenged his gun No 7 to grab hold of his own destiny in 2019.

    This time last year it was Matty Johns who came out and declared “it is just a matter of time” before Taylor took the title as the game’s best player.

    But 12 months on and Brennan concedes the career of the prodigious playmaker is at the crossroads.

    Taylor turns 24 on March 17, the same day Gold Coast kicks off its season against Canberra.

    And Brennan said every indication was that Taylor is set for his biggest season yet.

    “Hopefully. Everyone has been waiting for it, haven’t we?” Brennan told The Daily Telegraph.

    “At least he has got himself in the best shape. He has given himself every chance to get himself right. He is the lightest he has been for a long time. He is down to 87kg.

    “I think he played between 92-94kg last year. It was too heavy and he knew that.”

    Taylor was forced to withdraw from this week’s All Stars game in Melbourne after undergoing a recent shoulder clean-out to ensure he is ready to start the season, with Brennan’s aim to play Taylor in the trial against Brisbane on March 2.

    “In November we were doing some wrestling and he landed awkwardly on it,” Brennan said.

    “We had it scanned and there was no real damage to the shoulder, there was just a bit of impingement going on.

    “It just hadn’t come good.

    “So I said to the doctor, ‘look, what are our options?’

    “He said we either go along the way we are going, and needle it and try and get it right and eventually it might come good throughout the season, or we operate.

    “Ash was a bit disappointed about missing All Stars but he understands that he can’t go carrying a shoulder through the whole year.

    “Otherwise that is not going to help him get to his ultimate goal of playing semi-final football for the Titans and also playing for Queensland Origin.

    “You are not going to do that with a bung shoulder.”

    Brennan also believes the arrival of Mal Meninga as the Titans’ head of performance and culture can only benefit Taylor’s development.

    Meninga is not the type of hold back from having a tough conversation, even with the greatest of players.

    It’s legendary how he told Darren Lockyer, Petero Civoniceva and Steve Price that they were on their last chance for Queensland in 2006.

    It was that conversation that inspired the start of the Maroons’ all-conquering dynasty.

    Many believe if Taylor lives up his potential he could own the Queensland and Australian No 7 jumper for years to come.

    But that will only happen if he puts in the hard work and sacrifice off the field as well as on it.

    “Obviously having Mal in his ear at times to say, ‘mate, this is what we need from you’ is also going to be a massive bonus for us,” Brennan added.

    “At least with Ash knowing he is the fittest he has ever been he knows he can be on the ball all the time, not looking for shortcuts and not looking for places to hide.

    “Because he knows he has done the hard work. It is just about being professional.

    “That is where I have challenged Ash this year, (saying to him) ‘whatever you have done in the past, mate, hasn’t been enough. I need you, every time you do something, every action, when I am not looking, every time you put something in your mouth or go to drink something, just ask yourself, is this going to get me to where I want to be? Is this going to win me a comp at the Titans? Or is this going to make me play Origin?’

    “If the answer is ‘no’, then don’t do it.”
    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

  10. #70

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    Another great read! It seems we really have all of our ducks in a row this year. The focus of the club/players is laser-like. The mood seems to be shifting from "high hopes" to confident expectation. I think we're in for a good year.

  11. #71
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    I would counsel caution with expectations ... not because I am a cynic which I am but because until they get on the field for 2 competition points we really can't judge ... the level of nervous anticipation around the place is what has me predicting a 7-10 finish rather than 9-12.
    Four reasons to escape to Queensland: Sun, Surf, Sand & the Titans.

  12. #72
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    Quote Originally Posted by Titanic View Post
    I would counsel caution with expectations ... not because I am a cynic which I am but because until they get on the field for 2 competition points we really can't judge ... the level of nervous anticipation around the place is what has me predicting a 7-10 finish rather than 9-12.
    I counsel against getting hopes up and high expectations too based on people not getting disappointed and/or hurt. Best to keep a lid on things and be pleasantly surprised. Past history of supporting Gold Coast in everything there is supports my counsel of caution.
    Just let it unfold.
    At this point trying to get at least two wins in the first four rounds is all that matters.

  13. #73

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    I base my excitement and high expectations on the fact it's a new year. I refuse to live in the past. To constantly look back and remind myself of the disappointment serves me no good. If I do it to prepare a soft padding for when we crash back to earth......well, that's like starting the season with a defeatist attitude. My natural cheery disposition won't allow that.

    I understand that some sensitive souls may find losses hard to deal with......and I hate a loss as much as anyone, but you deal with it and move forward.

    I do get a bit slack sometimes reading on here about how we'll probably stumble this year, some of our players are no good, overweight etc etc......but I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion.

    Just on our players....I believe that as long as they are selected, they deserve my support. If they've been brought to the club, they deserve my support. We're never going to have 17 champions take the field each week. No club does.

    Some might suggest that if you've been unhappy for so long and you think starting the season with a possitive and expectant attitude is not a very good idea....maybe it's time to re evaluate if it's a good idea to invest so much emotion into the game.

    I reckon we'll have a great year! I'll support the team selected each week through thick and thin! It may be that this year is another in the building process...but that shouldn't dampen anyones hopes. Me.....I'm prepared to dig in again, support the team and back us to the hilt! Fly the flag proudly. Talk the team up at every opportunity. Back each and every player while they're here!

    That's all just my view on things though. I hope there are at least some here that are with me.

  14. #74
    Administrator DIEHARD's Avatar
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    Titans under the selection gun

    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. #75
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    Corey says more consistency key in getting Queensland sides to finals
    http://www.couriermail.com.au

    FOX League commentator Corey Parker has tipped Queensland’s NRL teams to have a resurgence in 2019, after both the Cowboys and Titans missed the finals last year.

    Parker, who believes consistency will be the key for the Broncos in 2019, says he also expects North Queensland and the Gold Coast to push for top eight spots this year.

    The Cowboys, who finished 13th last season, have made some big signings for the year ahead, including the recruitment of Parker’s former Broncos teammate Josh McGuire.

    Parker said he was interested to see how McGuire would be used in a pack that already has big names like Jason Taumalolo, Matt Scott and Jordan McLean, but could see the Cowboys had identified their weaknesses from 2018 and were on the right track to bounce back strongly.

    “There’s been a fair shakeup in terms of their personnel and they’ve identified areas they were deficient in and been quite vocal about that,” Parker said of North Queensland.

    “Last year was just a case of holding on to the same group for too long. We saw that with some of the players they let go.

    “With their changes, I see them improving pretty much straightaway.”

    As for the Titans, Parker said this is the year he hopes to see them reach their potential.

    The former Bronco said he could always see the Gold Coast as a side that never gave up, but like Brisbane, they needed to find consistency.

    He said the recruitment of Mal Meninga as the club’s head of performance and culture, plus the signings of Shannon Boyd and Tyrone Peachey, would only put the team in good stead.

    “It shows they want to keep improving themselves,” Parker said.

    “The playing group that were there last year showed on their best day they can match it with anyone.

    “It’s a matter of them finding their balance. With the guidance of some new influences around the group, hopefully they can do that.”
    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


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