Round 2: TITANS vs BRONCOS (2021)

[Titanic Believer]

Born in Brisbane and Wests Panthers fan in the 70s. Broncos till the first Titans matches at old Cararra stadium.

[Titanic]

Bears junior and then to Lang Park 2 (before Purtell Park, yes I’m that old) with the mighty Panthers. My only diversion from the Coast reincarnations was a shared membership year during Stupid League with the Crushers.

[5 Year Contract]

Game day. While last week was deflating im expecting big improvement today. The conditions dont suit but I really hope we cut down on the silly handling errors. Also I really hope they stop this going to Proctor out wide for a crash ball every set. I like his passion but ive said since he has been here that he absolutely cannot break the line out wide. How many times have we seen him burst through the line out wide....I could count them on one hand!....surely this is how we should be utilizing big Fifita.

Anyways the game will be one and lost in the middle. If we can keep it tight and hit it hard I think we can expose the donkeys up the guts and let the backs work wide.

While a loss wouldnt be panic stations I just cant cop losing to the broncos.

[Mr Bods]

History shows it’s very hard to make the 8 from 0W 2L.
It will be very grim for tonight’s loser and the goodwill built up from the end of last year will start to evaporate.

[NZTITAN]

Think we win this matchup in at least 8/10 worlds it's played in. Alex Glenn scores his annual try against us in 10 of them.

I'll go Titans 24-14 with Tino MoTM with Patty Herbert getting some meat

[DIEHARD]

I just typed a whole post and accidentally clicked the back button!

Let me try to reconstruct.

I enjoyed reading about people's supporter history. I think it is an incredibility interesting topic. I used to train and bus down from north Brisbane to the Chargers games. Can't say I felt anything for the Seagulls. Mainly because during that period I waas certainly a Broncos. Before... as Titanic correctly coins it... the Stupid League War.

I think Sami will rise to the moment. I think that Fifita will be much fitter and more involved and get more ball. I hope we see more of AJ. Mo will bounce back from a very rare poor game. Tino will deliver and hopefully cut some defensive errors.

I was worried about the weather. I wasn't lazy and checked it.



The Titans have won four of their past six games against the Broncos.

Hoping we can add on that statistic tonight!

[DIEHARD]

Titans v Broncos: Coates, Asiata cleared; Kelly to miss derby
https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/03/15/...ensland-derby/

It's fair to say the Broncos exceeded expectations in their first game under Kevin Walters while the Titans failed to live up to the hype they carried into round one.

Brisbane burst out of the blocks to lead Parramatta 16-0 at half-time but were run down late as injuries and fatigue took their toll.

The form of Anthony Milford at five-eighth was a huge bonus for Walters while Patrick Carrigan and Thomas Flegler were also strong.

In contrast, the Titans were held to just one try in a 19-6 loss to the Warriors and will need to find some cohesion quickly if they want to avoid a repeat of last year's 0-2 start to the season.

The rundown
Team news
Titans: Phillip Sami has got a reprieve after being left out of the side last week, called up to replace centre Brian Kelly (fractured hand).

Star second-rower David Fifita overcame an ankle infection and two days in hospital to play 71 minutes in round one and still make 13 runs so he'll be more dangerous this week with an uninterrupted preparation. The Titans have won four of their past six games against the Broncos.

Herman Ese'ese and Sam McIntyre were omitted 24 hours before the match.

Broncos: Tests cleared Xavier Coates (neck) and John Asiata (neck/shoulder) of any serious damage and both have been named to play. Brisbane coach Kevin Walters said on Thursday they had been cleared and would take their place in the line-up.

Prop Matt Lodge is expected to miss 2-3 weeks after scans confirmed a low-grade hamstring injury. His starting place is taken by Thomas Flegler. The new man on the bench is Rhys Kennedy.

The Broncos have won five of their past six games at Cbus Super Stadium.

Cory Paix and Corey Oates were left out on the eve of the match.

Key match-up
Anthony Milford v Ash Taylor: Both men have copped plenty of criticism over the years for failing to steer their teams around the paddock and lacking consistency but on their day they can be electrifying.

If the Titans are to challenge the big guns in 2021 then this is the sort of game they should be winning and Taylor needs to take control. Milford launched his season with some great touches against Parramatta and he's a dangerous oppponent when he's on song.

Stat attack
In his first game in the NRL since 2017, David Mead ran for a team high 191 metres against the Eels and had two line breaks and three tackle breaks. Mead's ,metre-eating efforts outstripped powerhouse Parra duo Maika Sivo (130 metres) and Blake Ferguson (181 metres).

[DIEHARD]

VIDEO: Titans v Broncos - Round 2
https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/03/17/...cos---round-2/
Gold Coast Titans host Brisbane Broncos on Friday night at Cbus Super stadium. Jamie Soward previews the game

[DIEHARD]

Fans buck Broncos in derby
http://www.couriermail.com.au

THE Broncos have rubbished claims their fans have abandoned them on the back of last year’s wooden spoon season.

The usual sea of maroon and yellow jerseys isn’t expected to be seen at Cbus Super Stadium in tonight’s derby against the Gold Coast Titans.

The Titans have had record low interest from Broncos members and fans wanting tickets for the game.

In contrast, Titans registered fans have been buying tickets at a record high, sensing their club’s rise after finishing ninth last year.

The lack of interest from Broncos fans could be attributed to daylight saving, meaning the game kicks off at 7pm instead of 8pm, making the Friday night commute to the Gold Coast tougher.

But the Broncos’ Round 1 crowd of 28,313 was nothing to write home about for an NRL season-opener on a Friday night at Suncorp Stadium.

A Broncos official told Sport Confidential the Round 1 crowd was around 3000 better than the average crowd drawn for Parramatta games over the past three years.

The Broncos rolled over their 2020 members into this year, ensuring they had around 26,000 members to build on.

[DIEHARD]

RANKED: Best Gold Coast Titans wins over the Brisbane Broncos of all time
https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au...ec5d45e280dd92

In 31 NRL clashes with the Brisbane Broncos the Gold Coast Titans have won nine and drawn two.

Their rarity only makes those precious wins sweeter.

With a 10th win potentially around the corner, the Bulletin team has gone back through the archives to re-live each of the nine victories.

1. ROUND FIVE, 2007
Venue: Suncorp Stadium

Crowd: 47,686

Score: Titans 26-16

Match report: HISTORY repeated itself at Suncorp Stadium last night as the Gold Coast Titans handed their `big brother’ a lesson in rugby league in front of a packed house in Brisbane.

In a performance reminiscent of the Gold Coast Giants debut in 1988 - who with a team of relative unknowns upstaged the mighty Broncos 25-22 - the Titans toppled defending premiers Brisbane 28-16 as 47,686 fans watched on.

It was the first time the two sides had met since the Gold Coast returned from seven years in the rugby league wilderness.

“It doesn’t get much better than coming to the premiers at their home ground and beating them,’’ said Titans coach John Cartwright.

“To come out and put that performance on only four or five days after the win at Penrith is very satisfying.

“The fans were great. They really got behind us.’’

Almost 20 years ago Brisbane had a side overflowing with some of the game’s biggest names including Wally Lewis, Gene Miles, Colin Scott, Greg Dowling, Chris Johns, Allan Langer and Terry Matterson.

The modern day Broncos boasted eight current Kangaroos in their starting side including captain Darren Lockyer, centres Justin Hodges and Tonie Carroll, hooker Shaun Berrigan, prop Petero Civoniceva, back-rower Sam Thaiday, fullback Karmichael Hunt and winger Brent Tate.

The only current International in the Titans line up was Tongan winger Lelea Paea.

The only other time a Gold Coast side knocked off the Broncos was when the Seagulls triumphed at Carrara 25-12 in 1994.

The two clubs have played each other 14 times in the past.

The Broncos were considered unbackable favourites to trounce the Titans.

“We had the confidence and the self belief that we could win the match,’’ said Prince.

His performance cemented his status as the centre of the Titans’ universe with both of the Gold Coast’s first-half tries stemming from the star halfback.

He put Mark Minichiello through a gap to score in the 26th minute before backing up two minutes later to set up centre Brett Delaney with a sensational cut-out ball.

Karmichael Hunt hit back for the Broncos eight minutes out from halftime.

Prince combined with fellow playmakers Preston Campbell and Matt Hilder to send Delaney crashing over for his second try 13 minutes after the break, taking the Coast to a 16-6 lead.

The Titans co-captain combined with Campbell again six minutes later to wrap up a gift try for prop Michael Henderson, who strolled over unopposed from 5m out.

Hodges crossed in the corner after the Titans fell short on the left-hand side in the 65th minute.

Titans backrower Anthony Laffranchi put the final nail in the coffin with five minutes remaining when he barged over from dummy half.

A late try to Tate, three minutes from the final siren, was little more than a consolation.

The match finished with the Titans making a massive 304 to Brisbane’s 269.

Despite their lower workload in defence, the Broncos missed 26 tackles compared to the Titans’ 18 and made 17 errors to the Gold Coast’s 12.

Uncharacteristically sloppy ball control let the Broncos down throughout the match.

Titans co-captain Luke Bailey put in another phenomenal performance.

2. ROUND SIX, 2008
Venue: Robina

Score: 26-24

Crowd: 27,176

Match report: LAST night was more than just a victory over big brother Brisbane for the Gold Coast Titans - it was the night that Gold Coast rugby league came of age.

The Titans, wearing the strip inspired by their forefathers, encompassed everything that has made the 13-man game great throughout the region since the Tweed Heads Seagulls were founded in 1908.

Not only were the Titans a formidable football side but the players who proved the main strike weapons for Brisbane hailed from the Gold Coast’s sandy shores.

Coast juniors Ben Hannant, Denan Kemp, Steve Michaels and Darius Boyd were among the Broncos’ best.

Kemp scored his sides first while Michaels and Boyd combined for a 70m effort for the second. Boyd grabbed the third on his own.

Titans boss Michael Searle has told the quartet the door is always open if they want to come home.

Titans halfback Scott Prince last night further bolstered his claims for an Australian jumper ahead of the May 9 Test against New Zealand.

Measuring up against young Broncos halfback Peter Wallace, who is second favourite with bookies to win the vacant NSW State of Origin jumper, Prince again proved his class.

The man feeding Prince, hooker Nathan Friend, was also outstanding, revelling in the added responsibility of his new role as an 80-minute player.

Where he used to sometimes hang back and seemingly go through the motions, the 2008 model Friend is taking charge, not only in defence but in attack.

When the NRL judiciary handed down its somewhat bewildering verdict on Wednesday night, sidelining Mat Rogers with a month-long suspension, coach John Cartwright and Titans fans alike felt robbed.

Coming just a week after the Gold Coast lost inspirational co-captain Luke Bailey to a broken arm, it was a body blow the Titans didn’t need.

But Harrison and fullback Preston Campbell combined to share the playmaking duties in his absence.

While Harrison didn’t have the kicking game that saw Rogers impress at pivot in the early rounds, he was solid in his first venture outside of the forward pack.

But the difference for the Titans was not Prince or Friend, three-try hero Matt Petersen or Campbell, although all played superbly.

Where the Titans outplayed the Broncos was off the ball, the work performed by the names that won’t be remembered this morning for having man of the match performances.

Everything the Titans did last night they did together.

Every time Prince, Friend or Campbell touched the ball they had teammates running decoys in numbers.

In defence the Titans had each other’s backs, playing as a unit.

It may have taken 100 years but the Gold Coast has finally arrived as a force to be reckoned with on the big stage.

Where there once used to be whipping boys there are now proud warriors who demand the respect of all who stand in their way.

3. ROUND 6, 2014
Venue: Robina

Score: 12-8

Crowd: 20,500

Match report: THE Titans are outright first on the NRL ladder – the only team to have lost just one game this season.

But it took a thrilling 12-8 win over the Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium last night for many fans to realise just how far the team can go.

The Titans were down and out, trailing the rampant Broncos 8-0 with 20 minutes to go as Luke Bailey (ankle), Ashley Harrison (shoulder) and Anthony Don (dislocated finger) left the field.

It’s a scenario the Titans have faced many times against their “big brother”. In 11 of the past 15 clashes the result had gone the other way.

But up stepped David Mead, the flyer from Papua New Guinea who arrived in Australia 13 years ago with nothing but scintillating speed and a dream.

Mead had just stopped Bronco Ben Hunt from scoring a try that would have sealed Brisbane’s ninth win from their past 10 games against the Gold Coast but he wasn’t done yet.

Deputising at fullback in place of the injured William Zillman, Mead gathered a Hunt grubber and raced 99m and score the try of the season.

It brought the Gold Coast back into the game and when Aidan Sezer literally pinched victory from Broncos fullback Ben Barba minutes later, the Titans had recorded their fifth win of the season in front of 20,542 screaming fans.

“I think our boys really needed something like that,” Mead said.

“We’d been defending on our line for a while and the forwards were getting pretty tired so I was glad when I picked the ball up and there was some space there.

“I was pretty tired so I was just thinking, ‘I hope I get there’.

“I knew there was a front- rower (Josh McGuire) chasing me. He was getting pretty close and it would have been pretty embarrassing if he caught me.”

Titans coach John Cartwright was impressed by Mead’s performance.

“He looked really sharp tonight. Probably the sharpest I’ve seen him all year,” he said. “That was the type of play we needed.”

Cartwright is facing one of the biggest selection dilemmas of his eight-year coaching career, albeit a welcome one.

Mead’s solo effort last night has heaped the pressure on regular No. 1 Zillman, who has missed the past three games with a hamstring injury but is expected to be fit to play Penrith on Monday week.

Cartwright said both players would be in the team but didn’t rule out Mead retaining the No. 1 jersey after he registered runs of 247m overall last night along with a number of brave defensive plays.

The Titans made a scratchy start to the season with errors and penalties marring their opening four games.

But they managed to win three of those and upset wins over Melbourne and Brisbane in the past fortnight have now made plenty of people realise just how good they are.

That includes Broncos co-captain Corey Parker, who said the Titans were first on the ladder for a reason.

“Very gritty. That’s why they are where they are,” Parker said.

It’s the type of grit a premiership season can be built on.

4. ROUND 13, 2019
Venue: Suncorp Stadium

Score: 26-18

Crowd: 30,048

Match report: Gold Coast have put their off-field woes to one side to claim an impressive 26-18 NRL win over Queensland rivals Brisbane.

The Titans headed to Brisbane with million-dollar halfback Ash Taylor unavailable due to personal issues, recruit Tyrone Peachey reportedly seeking a move back to Penrith and coach Garth Brennan facing speculation over his immediate future.

In reply, they belted an undermanned Brisbane line-up yesterday in front of 30,048 fans at Suncorp Stadium.

Centre Brian Kelly nabbed a double for the visitors while captain Tyrone Roberts was sensational, scoring 14 points including a solo try in the first half.

Impressive youngster Jake Turpin scored the Broncos’ only try of the first half as Brisbane – playing without State of Origin representatives Joe Ofahengaue, Corey Oates or Matt Gillett – slumped to just their second defeat in their past six matches.

Coach Anthony Seibold is also facing a headache in his halves with young No.7 Tom Dearden injuring his ankle in the opening five minutes of the match.

Dearden failed to return and was due to undergo scans today to determine the extent of his injury. The Titans made light of their underdog status by charging to a 12-0 lead early in the half, including a special effort from Roberts where he dummied past Broncos’ NSW Origin representative Payne Haas and left skipper Darius Boyd on his knees before scoring.

Turpin replied for the Broncos shortly after he’d won possession with a big hit on Keegan Hipgrave.

But a try in the final minute of the half to Anthony Don gave the Titans an 18-6 lead at the break.

A pair of penalty goals and Kelly’s second try extended that lead to 26-6 before late four-pointers to Kotoni Staggs and Anthony Milford added some gloss to the scoreline for the home team.

The Titans face a short turnaround before hosting the Warriors on Friday at Cbus Super Stadium, while the Broncos are away on Saturday against Parramatta.

5. ROUND 7, 2020
Venue: Suncorp Stadium

Score: 30-12

Crowd: 6,262

Match report: THE Gold Coast Titans are celebrating an epic unexpected win over the Broncos last night, giving the team a much-needed boost.

For 32 years, the Broncos have been Queensland’s flagship club.

Now, they are a deadset embarrassment.

Besieged Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold is fighting to save his job after the Broncos crashed to their fifth consecutive loss with a pathetic 30-12 derby defeat to the pumped-up Titans.

The Big Brother Broncos had their pants pulled down by a Titans team that led from start to finish, running harder, playing tactically smarter and tackling with a spirit that painted Seibold’s troops as a passionless rabble.

The Titans ambushed Brisbane with four first-half tries for a 22-0 halftime lead and withstood a brief fightback to bury the Broncos when Phillip Sami crossed in the dying minutes.

This performance was so insipid that Brisbane’s 6262 fans booed them off at halftime, prompting former skipper Justin Hodges to say: “I’ve never ever seen a Broncos team booed off.”

On paper, the Broncos have more talent but the Titans simply played with more enthusiasm and wanted victory more.

The Titans ran and defended like it was a grand final. By contrast, the Broncos looked as flat as a McDonald’s hot cake in the opening stanza.

Reeling at 22-0 at halftime, the Broncos came alive in the second half. Two tries in 10 minutes to Ben Te’o (49th) and Herbie Farnworth (59th) whittled the deficit to 24-12, setting up a tense final quarter.

But the Titans held their nerve to leave Seibold facing a nervous future.

6. ROUND 20, 2012
Venue: Robina

Score: 14-10

Crowd: 20,067

Match report: IT was a refereeing decision that is sure to generate plenty of debate but Luke ‘Bull’ Bailey’s crucial eight-point try typified the performance of the Titans’ warhorse.

As the ageless Bailey dived over the line to deliver the knockout blow in a 14-10 win over the Broncos at Skilled Park last night, he copped a stiff arm to the nose from Brisbane fullback Josh Hoffman.

The decision was clear cut. A possible eight-point try was awarded and captain Scott Prince slotted the two easy conversions to end the Titans’ six-match losing streak against ``Big Brother’’ and keep their season alive.

Bailey, playing with a busted ribcage, was superb in an impressive team performance. Hoffman and Broncos teammate Ben Te’o were placed on report for separate infringements with Bailey copping a fist to the face on both occasions.

Bailey, at age 32, chased every kick with energy coaches dream of. The king himself, Wally Lewis, labelled him ``the best kick chaser in the competition’’.

His 12 hit-ups and 27 tackles weren’t record-breaking numbers but they were the catalyst behind the upset win. The man of the match award was an easy decision.

But while Bailey was outstanding, it was a team performance coach John Cartwright had wanted to see so badly after their trouncing of Canberra last weekend in the nation’s capital.

With back row certainties Ashley Harrison, Greg Bird and Ben Ridge on the sidelines, as well as tough enforcer Nate Myles leaving the field 60 minutes in with a painful sternum injury, the Titans could have been forgiven for folding.

Instead, they turned their desperation into two valuable competition points.

The troops left on the park played out of their skin.

Desperate sides under pressure can respond adversely but the Titans produced exactly what was needed last night to keep their season alive.

Their equation of reaching the finals now sits at four wins from six matches.

The dreaded ‘M’ word, mathematical, can be kept in the closet for at least another week as they have some breathing space.

Not only did the Titans outplay the Broncos, they left plenty of points on the field showing there is improvement left in this side as it makes a charge for the finals.

Matt Gillett had a prime opportunity to score first when he charged down a Prince kick but fumbled the ball with an open tryline in sight.

Zillman continued his form he rediscovered in the nation’s capital last week when he charged on to a pass from Prince, beating three Broncos defenders before passing to Mead who streaked 50m to score one of the Titans’ best tries of the season.

Zillman pierced Brisbane’s defence again and found Steve Michaels only for the Titans centre to drop the ball and bomb a certain try.

It was a crucial mistake as the Broncos went up the other end of the field and scored through Corey Norman after Mead failed to defuse a Peter Wallace bomb.

The first 20 minutes of the second half was filled with half opportunities but it wasn’t until Bailey barged over from a deft Luke Douglas short pass that the game opened up.

Bailey was awarded the try and given a penalty at the same time. The result was a 14-6 lead. Te’o scored a consolation try in the final minute but the damage was done.

The Titans paraded around Skilled Park thanking the 20,067 strong crowd.

They travel to meet the Roosters next Friday and a third straight win would take them one step closer to the top eight.

7. ROUND 20, 2009
Venue: Robina

Score: 34-18

Crowd: 26,336

Match report: THE Gold Coast Titans unleashed their ruthless streak with a 34-18 demolition of the Brisbane Broncos last night.

In a convincing display, the Titans flexed their premiership muscle by putting the battling Broncos to the sword in front of 26,336 fans to maintain their unbeaten run at their Skilled Park fortress this season.

Miracle man Nathan Friend completed an incredible recovery from an ankle injury to take his place in the No. 9 jumper while skipper Scott Prince was marvellous, scoring one try, having a hand in his side’s five others and kicking five conversions from six attempts.

The Broncos travelled to Skilled Park with nothing more than pride on the line.

By the time they left, they barely had that.

Three quick tries in the dying minutes was the only positive the Broncos could draw from the lopsided encounter.

“I thought the first 40 minutes was as good as we have put together all year,’’ said Gold Coast coach John Cartwright.

“But the back 20 minutes was very disappointing.

“We missed a lot of tackles and a lot offloads and probably gave them some points they didn’t deserve.

“I think there is still a mile of improvement in us.’’

Missing seven top-liners in skipper Darren Lockyer, Karmichael Hunt, Sam Thaiday, Peter Wallace, Israel Folau, Nick Kenny and Tonie Carroll, Brisbane were always going to struggle.

But nothing could have prepared them for the blue and gold blitz.

The struggling Broncos, who have lost six of their past seven games, must win four of their remaining six games to make the finals.

The high-flying Titans only need one more victory to cement a playoffs spot.

The Broncos were on the scoreboard first with a penalty goal to stand-in captain Corey Parker in the opening minutes.

From then on it was all the Titans with Prince setting up three tries in nine minutes.

The champion playmaker sent backrower Mark Minichiello and Origin star Ashley Harrison over with clever passes and then put in a grubber kick for prop Michael Henderson to pounce.

The Sultan of Skilled Park struck again before the half was out.

This time he shifted the play to the blindside at the last minute and found the chest of winger Kevin Gordon with a bullet-like pass to stretch the home side’s advantage to 22-2 heading into the sheds.

Not content to just set up tries, Prince scored the best four-pointer of the match five minutes into the second half when he pulled in a Preston Campbell grubber from under the nose of rookie Broncos trio Josh Hoffman, Antonio Winterstein and Dale Copley to touch down.

Gold Coast centre Esi Tonga then followed the procession of Titans tryscorers, before the Broncos, to their credit, dug in.

They refused to let the Titans crack the elusive 40-point barrier, which they are yet to do since entering the competition in 2007.

Harrison (rib cartilage) and Minichiello (cork) are the Titans’ main injury concerns while Friend (ankle) pulled up sore but is expected to take on the Cowboys next Friday.

8. ROUND 18, 2020
Venue: Robina

Score: 18-6

Crowd: 9,729

Match report: THE Titans broke a 32-year hoodoo and lodged a contender for try of the year as the Gold Coast heaped more misery on the Broncos with an 18-6 win at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday night.

The Titans of 2020 became the first Gold Coast team since 1988 to register two wins in a season against Brisbane.

The 12–point victory was the Titans’ third straight win and relegated the Broncos to a ninth consecutive loss.

The fortunes of the southeast Queensland rivals could not be more contrasting this year.

Long considered the “Big Brothers” in the rivalry, the 15th-placed Broncos are fighting to avoid collecting their first wooden spoon.

The Titans, last year’s NRL wooden spooners, are the most improved team of 2020, sitting equal ninth on the ladder following a sensational back half of the season.

The pendulum has swung in the battle for Queensland supremacy and the derby attracted the NRL’s biggest crowd (9729) since the post-COVID resumption.

Coach Justin Holbrook has not only turned the Titans into a competitive outfit, they are now one of the NRL’s most entertaining teams.

“It’s something I’m proud of, to be part of the first Titans side to beat the Broncos twice in a season is fantastic,” Holbrook said.

“To finish the year as the top Queensland side, I’m proud of that. We’ve got everything going and we want to get better again next year.

“It would have been nice to play a few more (games), we’re on a bit of a roll.

“I might ring Peter V’landys and ask him to stretch out the season (laughs).

“We have standards we want to live by. The boys have bought into it over time.

“I’m really happy to get a good win at home. I’m really happy for all our fans.”

THE Titans were the better team in the opening half but only held a marginal 12-6 lead at the break.

That changed in the 44th minute with a sensational 95m effort that will feature on highlights reels for years to come.

It started with five-eighth Ash Taylor, in his best performance of the season, slicing past a lethargic David Fifita.

Taylor found forward Jai Arrow before a sequence of passes to Anthony Don and Corey Thompson finished with Young Tonumaipea scoring.

The length-of-the-field try gave the Titans an 18-6 lead and was a blow to Brisbane’s already battered confidence.

The improvement in the Titans in the second half of the season has been remarkable.

After the first six rounds the Gold Coast looked destined for back-to-back wooden spoons, with only one win and some heavy defeats.

But Holbrook has kept chipping away and gradually made the Titans a competitive, exciting and determined team their fans can be proud of.

They have won six of their past 12 games and have an opportunity to finish just outside the top eight with matches against Manly and Newcastle to finish the year.

This is great momentum ahead of the 2021 pre-season and the arrival of some big signings in Fifita and Melbourne’s Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.

The Titans have looked a different team since fullback AJ Brimson returned from a broken back seven weeks ago.

After only three wins from their first 11 games, the Titans have won four of the seven matches Brimson has played.

Brimson has added an entirely new dimension to the Gold Coast’s attack and is a genuine 80-minute threat around the middle of the field.

At halftime he had already racked up 116m and his spark has eased the load of Taylor and halfback Jamal Fogarty, who have both benefited from the new-look playmaking spine.

9. ROUND 4, 2018
Venue: Suncorp Stadium

Score: 26-14

Crowd: 30,742

Match report: TITANS hat-trick sensation Phillip Sami is the Gold Coast’s $5000 bargain who defied his family’s wishes and knocked back Melbourne super coach Craig Bellamy.

Sami bagged his first NRL hat-trick in his eighth match as the Titans stunned Brisbane 26-14 in an Easter Sunday boilover at Suncorp Stadium.

The 20-year-old has been sensational on the wing after receiving a shot of confidence from coach Garth Brennan.

He has locked up the left wing for the foreseeable future and has the potential to shift one spot in and become a long-term centre on the Gold Coast.

Sami, a product of the Goodna Eagles, was chased by the Storm as a schoolboy, but pledged his allegiance to the Titans under-20s for $5000 after being spotted by former recruitment manager Jamie Mathiou.

“I chose to come to the Gold Coast Titans because I thought there was more opportunity for me to play NRL,” Sami said.

“I’m very grateful I did. I don’t regret it.

“My family wasn’t happy. They wanted me to go to Melbourne Storm but mum said ‘do what makes you happy’. I chose the Titans and she was happy for me.”

Sami made his NRL debut under Neil Henry last year and one of Brennan’s first moves as Titans coach was to extend the Maroons under-20s representative’s contract until 2020.

“That boosted my confidence – I was obviously doing something right,” Sami said.

“When I heard he wanted to do that I thought ‘he obviously believes I can do something at this club’.

“When Round 1 started there were injuries to Brenko Lee and Brendan Elliot and he sat down with me and said ‘you’re not in this team because of those injuries – you’re always in my team’.

“When he told me that, that really boosted my confidence and hopefully I can cement my spot on the left wing for the rest of the year.”

Sami has scored four tries in four matches this season but there is another facet of his game that is just as impressive.

The 97kg winger wants to run the ball at least 15 times every game and is averaging 16.8 carries a game.

He ran 21 times for 161m against the Broncos, busted six tackles and set up a superb try for fellow winger Anthony Don with a clever kick.

“As a winger, we really don’t do much,” Sami said. “I want to carry hard. It takes pressure off the forwards. They work really hard in the middle for us.

“I wanted to show Garth I was capable of playing first grade. He gave me a crack and I’m grateful for that.”

Brennan said Sami had impressed him since the day he arrived on the Gold Coast.

“I was excited by the young guy and everything he was doing at training,” Brennan said.

“He is a powerful thing and carries the ball strong. He gets us on the front foot with his carries.

“He’s a real prospect going forward. I’m really excited by how Sami is tracking along. He has been very consistent.”

[DIEHARD]

Nice support by the GC Bully. Front page and sports cover.

[DIEHARD]

Kevvie heaps pressure on Titans’ marquee man
http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au

BRONCOS coach Kevin Walters has turned up the heat on David Fifita after the Titans backed their $1.2 million man to fire against his former club.

Fifita will make his first appearance against the Broncos in tonight’s derby at Cbus Super Stadium.

The Queensland Origin star shocked the Broncos last year when he quit the club to take up a $3.5 million threeyear deal with the Titans.

Fifita’s Titans debut in last week’s loss to New Zealand was lacklustre after he battled an infected boil in his ankle in the lead-up to the game.

Now one of the highestpaid players in the NRL, Fifita’s performances will be heavily scrutinised and his form will go a long way to

deciding how the Titans fare in 2021.

Walters has long believed $1 million-a-season players must deliver weekly and the Broncos coach did not back down. “Certainly yes,

they have to be able to

deliver,” he said.

“I don’t think my opinions have changed on that.

“Dave came up in our video stuff, he is a good young player. “We’re really focused about us and our role and he is a concern for the Titans, how they want to go with Dave.

“I don’t think he has a point to prove. He was a player here and now he is at another club.” Fifita, 21, punched out 70 minutes against the Warriors before being replaced as the Titans suffered a 19-6 loss.

Titans coach Justin Holbrook said he was expecting his star recruit to have an improved performance following a steady week of training and the excitement of facing his old club.

“That’ll happen naturally, no matter who plays their old club,” Holbrook said.

“It will be no different. I just want him to play well.

“He has had a normal week which is great for him and our team. I felt a bit for Dave and left him out there longer than I had planned. When you’re down 12-nil, someone like him can change it.

“If we were up 12-nil he would have come off after 50 minutes. I left him out there a bit long. “You want Round 1 to be perfect but those things happen.” After a preseason of optimism, the Titans were disappointing in Round 1 but Holbrook isn’t stressing yet, denying they had to beat last year’s wooden spooners Brisbane.

“There’s a bit of hype around us this year and we didn’t play as well as we would have liked in Round 1,” he said.

“It’s only Round 2 so we’re worried about trying to perform our best to win.

“Regardless of finals footy and where the opposition came last year, it’s our biggest game of the year against our biggest rival.

“We want to win for ourselves, our area and fans. That’s enough motivation without worrying about the end of the year.”

[DIEHARD]

Fifita hits back at his critics
http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au

DAVID Fifita says he has ignored the pressure of being Gold Coast’s $1.2 million man as Titans coach Justin Holbrook gets set to persist with a shock positional switch for his game-breaking forward.

Fifita will be deployed on the unfamiliar left edge again when the Titans host Brisbane in tonight’s derby at Robina.

Fifita spent most of the pre-season training in his favoured right back-row berth, only for Holbrook to use him on the left in last weekend’s Round 1 loss to New Zealand.

Fifita, 21, came up against diminutive Warriors playmaker Kodi Nikorima in that game but failed to exploit the size difference after being hospitalised in the lead-up to the game with an infected boil. All eyes will be on how Fifita performs against his former club after quitting the Broncos to join the Titans on a $3.5 million three-year deal.

Fifita said he wasn’t concerned about the pressure that comes with being one of the NRL’s highest-paid players and he was ready to deliver for the Titans.

“The pressure is always there, but I block everything out and want to play football because that’s what I know I can do,” he told Fox League.

“I just love the game and want to make my family happy and proud. I want to do my best for them and my teammates. I know the expectations that are on myself. I’ve just got to do what I do and not worry about what people say.

“I know what I’m capable of doing.” Fifita played on the right in Gold Coast’s pre-season trial against New Zealand, but switched sides with co-captain Kevin Proctor in Round 1.

He trained on the left in Thursday morning’s captain’s run, which would put him up against Broncos five-eighth Anthony Milford. Broncos prop Tevita Pangai Jr said Brisbane would have to do their best to protect Milford and halfback Brodie Croft from Fifita.

“Dave is on the edge so he will be running at our halves, we have to present one line,” he said.

“He loves his drop plays coming back on the inside so we have to be ready for that. He is a strong ball carrier so it’s important we quieten him down.

“I was disappointed he left, we usually don’t lose players like Dave but last year we were disconnected with the community, disconnected as a whole.”

[gotitans101_]

I think we can easily match them in the forwards but their backs sorta scare me...Coates is a gun and the way Meady played last week...

[gothabull]

Covered all areas there diehard love your work yewww go titans!