Round 10: TITANS v PANTHERS

[DIEHARD]

Penrith perfect test for Tanah
http://www.gcbulletin.com.au

WITH Titans five-eighth Ash Taylor set to return from a troublesome hip injury as early as next week, his stand-in Tanah Boyd has circled Sunday’s clash with competition leaders Penrith as the perfect opportunity to cement his place in the six.

Boyd, who came in for Taylor and scored a try in last week’s win over the Tigers, says after 18 NRL caps he now feels at home in the top grade and plans to do all he can to remain in coach Justin Holbrook’s plans moving forward.

“Yeah, I do. I’ve been waiting a while now for this type of opportunity and I’m confident and ready to go,” he said.

“I just have to keep things simple and do my job. I thought I did that last week and I just have to keep backing that up and playing well.”

The 20-year-old former Australian Schoolboys representative bagged two Dally M votes for his performance against the Tigers – and the Titans may need a similar showing from Boyd if they are to upset the unbeaten Panthers.

Opposed to the would-be NSW State of Origin halves pairing of Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai, Boyd said the Penrith pair would pose a perfect gauge for his personal performance.

“It would be awesome to go against them and show everyone what I can do,” he said. “It will be a big test for us.

“We will have to try to shut them down because they’re (Penrith’s) main keys and if we do a good job on them it will go a long way (to the Titans winning).”

Already heavy outsiders against the competition’s benchmark team, the Titans were hit with a further blow midweek when star backrower David Fifita was suspended for two matches for a grade-two careless high tackle on Wests Tigers playmaker Adam Doueihi.

With few outside the Titans’ four walls giving them any chance against the Panthers, Boyd said the stage was set for a Gold Coast “ambush” at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

“I think it’s a massive challenge for us. We know … we’re probably the underdogs, which suits us I think,” he said.

“We want to ambush them and I think we’re going to do that.

“We’ve shown we can play good footy and score tries. But good teams play the full 80 (minutes) and that’s what we’ll have to do against Penrith, because they play the full 80 all the time.”

Boyd said there was extra motivation to win, with fanfavourite Anthony Don set to play game 150 for the club.

“Donny’s a legend of our club. It would be big for him and us if we can get the win.”

[DIEHARD]

Fermor won’t try to be Fifita 2.0
http://www.gcbulletin.com.au

HOW does one replace David Fifita’s output in the Gold Coast Titans’ second-row?

You don’t, says his wouldbe stand-in Beau Fermor.

Fermor looms as the likely replacement for the suspended Fifita ahead of Sunday’s clash with competition leaders Penrith at Suncorp Stadium, with a mooted move from centre to the back-row.

If Fermor is handed the Mission Impossible task from coach Justin Holbrook and starts in place of Fifita, the 22-year-old said there would be no Tom Cruise impressions.

“Obviously it’s unfortunate to lose Dave, especially against the Panthers,” Fermor said.

“The way he’s been playing, we need all hands on deck to beat a team like Penrith.

“But, if I get the opportunity to play (in the back-row) I’ll just try to play my role.

“I’m not Dave. I play differently to Dave and I’m not going to try emulating what he does, because I can’t do what he does.”

It was a fair comment from Fermor about a player who, with nine tries in as many games, has at times put the Titans on his back.

Twice Fifita has crossed for a hat-trick – Roosters winger Brett Morris the only other player to hit the triple-try tally more than once this season.

However, Fermor is not without tryscoring form of his own.

It was his matchwinning three-try performance in Burleigh’s 25-18 Intrust Super Cup win over the PNG Hunters that propelled him on to the Titans’ bench for the Round 8 loss to the Broncos.

He was then shifted to centre – and crossed for a try – in the win over the Wests Tigers last weekend.

His versatility is an obvious positive with Fermor saying his immediate preference was “somewhere in the 17” although beyond that, it was the back-row.

“(The back-row is) definitely my preferred position. I want to play there as much as I can and put my best foot forward to give Justin a good headache,” Fermor said.

That starts with a quality showing against the benchmark team in the NRL on Sunday.

“It’s a great challenge for us,” Fermor said.

“Obviously the Panthers have been the form team for probably the past two years now.

“To come up against a side like that will help show us how we’re really going.

“If you want to win the comp you need to beat the best

– the Panthers are that.”

[DIEHARD]

ORIGIN A NO.1 PRIORITY FOR BRIMSON
http://www.couriermail.com.au

Titans star keen to keep gig as Maroons fullback for series opener in Melbourne

TITANS jet AJ Brimson wants to win back the Queensland No.1 jersey but says he could form a deadly combination with Kalyn Ponga if the Knights dynamo is fit for the Origin seriesopener.

Brimson has set his sights on being picked by new Maroons coach Paul Green for Origin I in Melbourne on June 9.

The Gold Coast fullback made his Origin debut in last year’s first game in Adelaide but suffered a serious foot injury, which ruled him out of the remainder of Queensland’s epic series win.

Brimson scored a try on debut and proved he was up to handling the Origin arena after Ponga was ruled out with a shoulder problem.

Ponga was expected to be Queensland’s Origin I fullback this year, but he missed this weekend’s Magic Round with a groin injury and is racing the clock to prove his fitness for the MCG showdown.

That has opened the door for the likes of Brimson and in-form Cowboys No.1 Valentine Holmes to press their claims for the Maroons fullback duties.

Brimson, 22, will start at fullback for the Titans in tonight’s clash against the unbeaten Penrith Panthers at Suncorp Stadium and said he wanted to be in the No.1 debate. “I obviously want to be doing my best and put my hand up for that position,” he said. “If it’s not to be, I’d be stoked to play off the bench. I’ve played hooker, centres, halves, fullback. I feel like I could play that 14 role. “If I don’t get picked it’s not the end of the world. “I’d love to play with Ponga, I think we could link up well together. “We have a good healthy rivalry. We are good mates. “It’s good to have that fun on the field. We are competitive but we can have a laugh as well. “It’s impossible to not think about it (Origin) at all but my focus is on the Titans.” Brimson finished the 2020 NRL season with a run of remarkable form that earned him a Maroons debut. After missing the first half of the season with a back injury, he scored seven tries in nine games as the Titans went within a whisker of the finals. But he had to undergo surgery on a serious foot injury after his Origin debut which cruelled his 2021 preseason.

He has also been battling a groin problem this year which has impacted his greatest asset – speed.

“It was a short pre-season and I’ve had a groin injury the last month,” he said.

“It’s nothing too bad but it’s limited me throughout the week. It’s slowly getting better.

“It’s not ideal in-season. It’s physically demanding. For the first few days after a game I’m focused on recovering and then I have to prepare for the next game.

“It’s the same for every player in the comp. Everyone has those struggles.

“(My foot) feels fine. I remember reading that (Lisfranc injuries can linger) when I first did it and I felt nervous. But I don’t even think about it at all now. I’ve moved on from that.”

If Brimson is picked for Queensland, he won’t be fazed by the occasion of facing the Blues at the MCG.

“At the stoppages you’d look around and realise you’re in Origin with the maroon and blue jerseys and the players,” he said.

“But when the actual game was flowing it just felt like another game.”

[DIEHARD]

PUNCTURING PENRITH’S DEFENCE KEY FOR TITANS
http://www.couriermail.com.au

FORGET the attacking brilliance of Jarome Luai, Charlie Staines and Matt Burton, the Penrith Panthers have built their premiership assault on an unbreakable defence.

The Panthers will head to Suncorp Stadium on Sunday night looking to extend their unbeaten streak this year to 10 games when they face the Gold Coast Titans in the final match of Magic Round.

They have some of the game’s most exciting talent and Dally M Medal-leading halfback Nathan Cleary guiding them.

However, it is their nearimpenetrable defence which has the Panthers primed to avenge last year’s grand final loss to Melbourne.

The Panthers have only conceded 60 points in nine rounds this year at an average of 6.67 points per game.

They had the best defensive record in last year’s regular season, conceding 238 points in 20 rounds at 11.9 per game, and went on a 17-match winning streak before being ambushed by the Storm in the grand final.

If they maintain their defensive record, the Panthers will be hard to beat this year.

“They are probably better at that than their attack,” Titans coach Justin Holbrook said.

“They are averaging just over six points a game. They are doing a pretty fair job there. When you defend that well, you’re naturally going to score points.

“They are such a wellorganised side in attack and defence. They have had those combinations for a few years. They know each other’s games.

“The edges defend for each other and the middles are so mobile. That’s what makes them so effective and why they haven’t been beaten.

“We’ve got to play better than we have this year if we’re going to win.”

In contrast, the Gold Coast’s defence has crumbled as the season has worn on.

The Titans averaged 15.8 points conceded in the first five rounds but that has blown out to 35 points per game in the past four matches, three of which they have lost.

Titans co-captain Kevin Proctor said it would take time for the Gold Coast to become a solid defensive unit, like the one his former club Melbourne had.

“We’re still a little bit rocky with our defence,” Proctor

said. “We’ve had a few people in and out, we’ve been inconsistent with our defence. That’s what we have been working on.

“Having those combinations from backrower to winger and even in the middle, we’re finding the right formula. The coaches have given us the tools to do it. We need to make sure we consistently do it.

“They (Storm) are like a bunch of army cadets. They know exactly what they are doing.

“That’s what we’re trying to get to. We should be a welloiled machine like those guys.

“If someone does go down and someone comes into that spot, they know exactly how to do their job. That’s what we want our players to do, to play their role.

“I don’t reckon we’re that far off the mark, it’s just lapses in concentration at important times. We’re giving away silly penalties and six-agains. We should be able to defend them but we haven’t been.

“We need to back up our teammates’ errors and do that with our defence.”

A positive for the seventhplaced Titans this year has been the attack.

They have had few issues racking up big scores, posting the NRL’s sixth-best record with 218 points at an average of 24.2 per game.

While they will be missing their top two try-scorers in suspended David Fifita and injured Corey Thompson, Holbrook hopes the Titans’ attack can test Penrith’s defence.

“We’re attacking really well,” Holbrook said. “If we can do that and put them in an unfamiliar position, then we’re a chance.

“We’re not under any illusions about how big a challenge it is. They don’t have any weaknesses in attack or defence.”

[Titanic]

“We’re still a little bit rocky with our defense” ... well that says it all, Pepsi can’t count ... leaking hundreds doesn’t equal “a little bit “ it’s a cluster phuque.

[DIEHARD]

Titans v Panthers: Fifita suspended; Hopgood debuts for Penrith
http://www.nrl.com

Gold Coast have shown plenty in attack at times this season but their progress will be well and truly tested by the unforgiving defence of the competition-leading Panthers.

The Titans rank sixth in points scored but Penrith have conceded just 60 points, or 6.66 points per game, with the biggest score against them being 16 points by Manly in round eight.

Last Saturday's 36-28 victory over Wests Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak and gave Justin Holbrook's men a much-needed boost.

But if the Titans can't play above their No.10 ranking in defence then the potent Panthers (equal second with 260 points scored) will make them pay a heavy price.

The Telstra Premiership's No.1 team is firing on all cylinders and looking to chalk up their 26th victory in 27 starts.

Team news

Titans: Prop Tino Fa'asuamaleaui was sent home from Gold Coast training on Wednesday because he is still getting over a bout of gastroenteritis. He is in no doubt of playing at this stage.

David Fifita was named on Tuesday but received a two-match suspension on Tuesday night after unsuccessfully having his grade two high tackle charge downgraded at the judiciary.

The early indications are that Beau Fermor will move to second row to replace Fifita and recent recruit Esan Marsters is a chance to start at centre. Tanah Boyd retains the five-eighth jersey.

The Titans have conceded 140 points in their past four games.

Panthers: Kurt Capewell will miss a week after a failed HIA in round nine, with Liam Martin starting in the back row and debutant J'maine Hopgood joining the bench.

Centre Paul Momirovski is available after serving a three-game suspension but has been named in reserves with Matt Burton still in the starting side.

The Panthers will be aiming to become only the seventh team to win their first 10 games in a season.

Match: Titans v Panthers
ROUND 10 - SUNDAY 16TH MAY

Match Officials
Referee: Adam Gee
Touch Judge: Matt Noyen
Touch Judge: Wyatt Raymond
Senior Review Official: Henry Perenara

Key match-up
AJ Brimson v Dylan Edwards: Maroons hopeful Brimson showed what he is capable of when he gapped the Wests Tigers and sent Tyrone Peachey over for a length-of-the-field try in round nine.

His speed and elusiveness present a threat every time he touches the ball and have produced three tries, six try assists, 23 tackle busts and seven line breaks.

But Edwards is doing a mighty job himself for Penrith and has as many tries in two fewer games while actually more than having the measure of Brimson in tackle busts with 33-23.

Stat attack
As befits a team that is yet to lose this season Penrith rank No.1 in a glut of statistical categories in addition to points conceded including post-contact metres, tackle breaks, run and kick return metres and kick metres. They are second or third in another six categories.

The Titans, meanwhile, top just one - penalties conceded.

[Mr Bods]

Gee + Pereneum + Penrith = Pain
I feel like we are about to go to the gallows

[ozynorts]

Weather looks lovely for everyone at the footy though.

It is mate, in fact it has been perfect through all of the games.

[BundyTitan]

Marsters to centre and Fermor to back row confirmed in the late mail. How concerning is Sami and Marsters defending next to each other against Burton and To’o...can only hope for the best

[Hail Sezer]

Marsters to centre and Fermor to back row confirmed in the late mail. How concerning is Sami and Marsters defending next to each other against Burton and To’o...can only hope for the best

It’s Don & Marsters

Sami & Kelly on the left

Either way it’s concerning tbh

[DIEHARD]

Marsters to start Magic Round
Titans.com.au

Esan Marsters will start his first game in Titans colours, with the new recruit moving from the bench to the centres for the Magic Round clash against the Penrith Panthers.

With David Fifita dropping out of the team named earlier in the week (suspension), Marsters moves into the starting side with Beau Fermor moving from the centres to the second row.

Sam McIntyre will play his third game of 2021, with the forward joining the Titans bench.

Sam Stone will be the 18th man and HIA interchange, giving him a chance of making his first NRL appearance this season.

1 AJ Brimson
2 Anthony Don
3 Brian Kelly
17 Esan Marsters
5 Phillip Sami
6 Tanah Boyd
7 Jamal Fogarty (c)
8 Jarrod Wallace
9 Mitch Rein
10 Tino Fa'asuamaleaui
4 Beau Fermor
11 Kevin Proctor
13 Tyrone Peachey

14 Moeaki Fotuaika
15 Herman Ese'ese
16 Jaimin Jolliffe
18 Sam McIntyre

20 Sam Stone (Reserve)

[DIEHARD]

I'm gonna get some lunch and then come back and join you all in the rugby league trenches.

[Dooldog76]

I'm sure I just saw Jayden Campbell in the sheds.

[gcboyz]

I'm sure I just saw Jayden Campbell in the sheds.

You certainly did. Although he played yesterday he was on the list as a reserve.

[DIEHARD]

Please please no sin bins or sent offs (For us). But I'd prefer a fair game, 13 on 13.