Happy to see a player (Don) be rewarded for good form and called up.
Why is there a winger on the bench?
Happy to see a player (Don) be rewarded for good form and called up.
Why is there a winger on the bench?
I’d like to know when was the last time a winger was selected on a bench, maybe Jason nightingale but this selection doesn’t make any sense whatsoever
And a pretty average winger at that. Having him on the bench is beyond words, although that could (should) change before kickoff. I don't really agree with Rein and Peats both being in the 17 unless they just straight swap, but surely there is a better interchange forward in the club rather than name Sami.
Sami decision is perplexing at best. But on the bright side, we lose our starting halves and we can still field what I think is a pretty competitive side. In the last couple of years the sharks games have always been close and we have got a few wins against them. I think we may surprise some people.
I'm happy that we aren't afraid to drop and promote. I'm happy to see Don back.
I know very little about Jacks, but he seems to have a wrap around the forum as an organiser.
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Gold Coast playmaker Ryley Jacks in the box seat
https://www.titans.com.au/
Cooper Cronk showed Ryley Jacks exactly how to succeed in the NRL and had no idea he was even doing it.
Like the studious carpentry apprentice that he was coming out of the under 20s, Jacks arrived in Melbourne at the end of 2016 and immediately went to work learning from a man with a masters in play-making.
Given the haphazardness of the Titans' attack when they were forced to play 68 minutes against the Raiders without Ash Taylor and Tyrone Roberts, having Jacks waiting in the wings is the ace up coach Garth Brennan's sleeve that he knew he would need to pull at some stage in 2019.
His preference would have been to wait longer than round two to use it, but with Roberts set to miss three weeks and the uncertainty surrounding Taylor's quad injury, Jacks now has the perfect opportunity.
More than anything they need a calm head who can put the structure they have built all pre-season into practice and Jacks took lessons from the very best.
The 26-year-old Queenslander spent the first seven games of his NRL career as Cronk's halves partner and said his education extended far beyond what happened over the course of 80 minutes.
"Cooper was massive. I followed him around a lot," Jacks told NRL.com of his single season as Cronk's teammate in 2017.
"I'd watch what he was doing before a game and after."
After two years in the Roosters' under-20s system, Jacks was playing for Burleigh in the INtrust Super Cup in 2015, convinced his NRL dream would not come true.
A move to the Sunshine Coast Falcons in 2016 provided a pathway to the Melbourne Storm where he made his NRL debut and played 25 games over the past two seasons.
He returned to the Gold Coast in the off-season a vastly different player and one who carries with him the simple philosophy employed by Storm coach Craig Bellamy.
"Getting to be in that system for two or three years was unreal, you just learn so much," Jacks said.
"I feel as though I'm a totally different player to what I was in '15," said Jacks, who has guided Tweed Heads to two straight wins to start the season.
"They strip it right back as soon as you get there. It's all about basic stuff.
"I was a bit surprised when I first got there how simple it was. You've just got a few jobs that you need to do but you've got to nail them.
"That was the first thing, your fitness and your basic catch-pass. You'll work on that for pretty much the whole start of pre-season and then you start getting into more specific things when you start playing.
"But they strip it right back and start from the start, which I didn't think NRL clubs would do."
"Nailing" your job and "stripping back" the game is apt terminology for a young man who is a qualified carpenter, his time on the tools not excusing him from the initiation all Storm players are subjected to.
"As soon as you get down there you've got the two weeks on a construction site during the day and then train in the arvo," Jacks said.
"For me, that was pretty much what I did for four years so when I got there I was a little bit upset. I thought I'd just become a full-time footballer and then I've got to go back to work.
"You do two weeks of that and then you're off to the torture camp for three days of hell."
He returned to the Gold Coast determined to play his way into the starting side for round one but a hyper-extension of his elbow came at the worst possible time.
"Three weeks in a brace which was probably the last thing I wanted after doing a full pre-season," Jacks said.
"That was hard, having to watch the rivals for your spot go out and train."
He missed the opening trial against the Cowboys as Roberts captained an inexperienced team and then played the second half against the Broncos as the Titans gave up an 18-0 lead to lose 25-22.
But he gets his chance against the Sharks on Saturday afternoon determined to put his classes with Cronk into practice.
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Brimson bounce back
https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/
GOLD Coast young gun AJ Brimson is keen to make amends for his Round 1 performance after being named as part of the Titans’ newlook halves pairing.
Coach Garth Brennan has been forced to reshuffle his playmaking positions for Saturday’s clash with Cronulla following injuries to Tyrone Roberts (achilles) and Ash Taylor (quadricep strain).
The Titans yesterday named Brimson at fiveeighth while former Storm player Ryley Jacks will debut for his new club in the No.7.
Brimson was thrust into the playmaking role after 12 minutes of Sunday’s match against Canberra when Roberts left the field injured.
Brimson admitted it wasn’t a top effort but was keen to improve while Roberts and Taylor recovered.
“I didn’t have my best game on Sunday,” Brimson said.
“If that’s the role (Brennan) wants me to do (play in the full 80 minutes) than I’ll definitely be keen for it.
“(Losing Roberts to injury) hurts a lot. Obviously, Tyrone was always going to be the halfback, running the team around and I was focusing on just running the ball.
“That changed on Sunday and my role changed to direct the team around.
“Obviously, there’s going to be a few sprays which we deserve but I think we just want to wipe it and start again I guess.”
The 20-year-old said he enjoyed training with Jacks in the halves and said “it wasn’t a bad option” to partner him on the paddock at Shark Park on Saturday.
Winger Anthony Don has also made his way back into the starting squad after an impressive outing for Burleigh in the Intrust Super Cup at the weekend.
Phillip Sami has been moved to the bench for the return of Don, while centre Dale Copley drops out of the 17 with a calf complaint.
Brennan’s forward pack remains the same as last week and lock Jai Arrow said the team had to harden up against a fired-up Sharks outfit looking to make amends for their Round 1 loss.
“The Sharks are a big forward pack and if we’re not running harder than them, they’re obviously going to dominate us,” he said.
“We want to be up for it.”
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I think Sami on bench is essentially having a utility ( peachey ) on bench, except our utility is good enough that we want him on for 80 minutes instead of the winger.
I guess we can be happy that Garth is totally moving away from the Peats / Rein combo, but i personally want Rein in the 17.
This early season injury malarkey has the potential to put our season and Brennans job under pressure very early which turns the whole season into a long drawn out grind. If we are down 0-3 or so and have injuries to key players the season will disappear very quickly which would be a shame.
Also happy with Lee - i thought he was best out of our 3/4 line the other night. much stronger carries than the rest and he has now seemingly jumped Sami as well as Don and is our first picked winger. good on him for working his ass off and earning that.
Cheers Ravs, good to annoy someone for the right reason for a change
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