Round 12: SHARKS vs TITANS 2021

[DIEHARD]

Mo was fantastic last week. If he puts in again it'll greatly boost our chances of being in the Finals. I honestly forget how young he is.

[DIEHARD]

Sharks v Titans: Three out, Johnson named; Fifita back from ban
http://www.nrl.com

Neutral territory at Coffs Harbour makes this contest even harder to predict as neither the Titans or the Sharks have a strong "away" record so far in 2021.

The Sharks will have a little more belief after snapping a six-match losing streak with their one-point victory over St George Illawarra last week. The Titans will also feel confident after bouncing back from their big loss to the Panthers in Magic Round to topple the Bulldogs 30-20.

However, the Titans are crossing the chalk more often - they lie fifth on the NRL table with 45 tries in 11 games, compared with the Sharks' 33 in 13th spot.

Last round they scored five tries to Cronulla's two, with Jamal Fogarty the third-best goal kicker in the NRL - Chad Townsend sits in eighth.

The rundown

Team news
Sharks: The bsence of suspended trio Mawene Hiroti, Josh Dugan and Teig Wilton has forced a reshuffle. Hiroti's wing spot is taken by Ronaldo Mulitalo, who returns from a knee injury. Wilton is replaced on the interchange bench by Siosifa Talakai, who returns from a four-game suspension. Jesse Ramien is back from an eye injury to fill the centre spot vacated by Dugan.

Shaun Johnson has again been named to return from a hamstring injury for his 200th career game with halfback Chad Townsend dropped to the reserves list.

Andrew Fifita is back on the bench after being left out last week and he takes Billy Magoulias' spot.

Titans: The return of David Fifita from suspension pushes Beau Fermor to the bench and Sam Stone out of the squad.

Patrick Herbert is back from a calf injury in the centres so Esan Marsters drops out of the side.

Ash Taylor is listed among the reserves as he nears a return from a hip injury.

Key match-up
Briton Nikora v David Fifita: The Sharks back-rower faces a huge challenge trying to contain a fully rested Fifita down the Titans' left edge. The elusive Shark might have played for New Zealand, and has only five NRL games less than Fifita, but Nikora is sure to find the speed and power of the Maroons Origin forward a lot to handle. Fifita returns to the Titans line-up after a two-game suspension for a careless high tackle.

Stat attack
The Titans have lost their past five meetings with the Sharks. They last tasted victory against the boys in the black, white and blue in July 2017 - a 30-10 win at Cbus Super Stadium.

[Upthetits]

Very worried about this game. If sharks show up we could be in big trouble

[Mexican titan]

Very worried about this game. If sharks show up we could be in big trouble

Despite how poor the Sharks were against the Dragons, if we play like we did against the Dogs we are shot. The Sharks have three outs but in my opinion they are stronger with the replacements. Mulitano and Ramien are better than the blokes out and Johnson always kills us.
Obviously a game we need to win, but not confident at all. Anything near our best we win well, but that has been a while now. I lived in Coffs for a while on my way to the Coast and that stadium has no atmosphere at all. A great surface but little else.

[DIEHARD]

League Unlimited: Cronulla v Gold Coast preview
https://leagueunlimited.com/news/360...itans-preview/

[Dooldog76]

I think this game is crucial. This is the type of match we will rue losing at the end of the season if we miss the finals.

[JunctionBlock]

I think this game is crucial. This is the type of match we will rue losing at the end of the season if we miss the finals.

If we lose this I don't think the 8 is likely. It's a game we should win and have to if we want to remain a chance given our run home.

[Dooldog76]

If we lose this I don't think the 8 is likely. It's a game we should win and have to if we want to remain a chance given our run home.

Agreed. I'm just worried about Johnson. He seems to be our kryptonite when we play him.

[5 Year Contract]

I never feel comfortable with the sharks. I keep waiting for us to have our “bounce back game” where we show our top 8 credentials with a stoic win. Not seeing improvement in defence or in some areas of attack. By now it has to be certain players letting us down and we could all name them. Hopefully I’m proven wrong

[JunctionBlock]

Agreed. I'm just worried about Johnson. He seems to be our kryptonite when we play him.

Hopefully he blows a hammy or two when he breaks our line and goes for a run.

[DIEHARD]

[DIEHARD]

NRL Tickets Snapped Up At C.Ex International Stadium
https://www.newsofthearea.com.au/

OVER 7,500 tickets were snapped up for the sellout NRL clash between the Cronulla Sharks and Gold Coast Titans at Coffs Harbour’s C.ex International Stadium on Sunday 30 May.

Both teams come into the clash following wins last week, the Cronulla Sharks won a 13-12 golden point thriller and are looking to build on that performance in front of a big crowd at Coffs Harbour as Sharks captain Wade Graham told News Of The Area.

“From what we’ve heard, Coffs Harbour and the mid north coast have embraced the game, there will be a big crowd and we look forward to getting up there and trying to build on the win we had on Friday against the Dragons.

“After our win we will head into the game with some renewed confidence and with the Titans travelling well this year I can see it being a tough and entertaining game,” said Graham.

The Titans defeated the Bulldogs 30-20 last Saturday at Cbus Super Stadium and will welcome back the fire power of crowd favourite David Fifita who returns to Coffs Harbour following a two match suspension.

The 21 year old is one of the most explosive forwards in the game and a key ingredient to the exciting brand of football played by the Titans.

Gold Coast Titans CEO Steve Mitchell said, “It should be a great game against the Sharks and I’m sure it’ll be a big local crowd who will enjoy the exciting brand of football that the Titans play.

“The Gold Coast Titans are excited to be able to play in front of fans in Coffs Harbour.

“As the closest NRL team, we know that plenty of local fans make the trip north to Cbus Super Stadium throughout the season,” said Mitchell.

Section Leader for Stadium and Major Events at Coffs Harbour City Council, Daniel Heather is delighted with the public response.

“Ticket sales are over 7,500 which means all of the seats in the grandstand are sold out,” Daniel said.

“The stadium is not quite at maximum capacity because general admission tickets sales are determined by the two square metre rule, which means the supporters in general admission will get a good view of the game.

“It’s been a lot of work in the making and we are delighted to bring a competitive NRL match to the community, a game like this has a broad appeal not just to rugby league fans but the broader community.

“Coffs Harbour’s reputation as a sports venue continues to grow and the feedback we’ve received from the athletes and sporting bodies has been very good, we hosted the Oztag State Cup a couple of weeks ago which brought in an estimated three to four million dollars into the local economy, so the benefits of staging major events is very good,” said Daniel.

The match kicks off on Sunday 30 May at 2pm at C.ex International Stadium and is televised live on Fox Sports.

[DIEHARD]

Cronulla Sharks hit Coffs Harbour
https://www.miragenews.com/cronulla-...arbour-566374/

In what is shaping up to be a massive weekend of sporting action, there have been various Sharks sightings around the town.

Ahead of Sunday’s Cronulla Sharks-Gold Coast Titans NRL Telstra Premiership clash at C.ex Coffs International Stadium expect to catch some glimpses of the Sharks players, coaches and ambassadors as they make themselves at home on the Coffs Coast.

The Sharks players are scheduled to visit Toormina and Woolgoolga High Schools, Coffs Harbour Health Campus, play Trivia at the Pier Hotel on Friday night, and be at Toormina Gardens Shopping Centre on Saturday from 12pm with ambassadors Ben Ross and Brett Kimmorley.

Coffs Harbour Mayor Councillor Denise Knight said “we are thrilled to be recognised as the regional sporting capital of Australia, and hosting a Sharkies home game at our world class C.ex Coffs International Stadium is a great honour – especially as it is the Indigenous Round.”

While General Admission and Grandstand tickets are SOLD OUT, there are a few tickets left on the Legends Deck – check out the Stadium Facebook for more details.

NRL GAME DAY

12.00 pm Gates Open

12.15pm Curtain Raiser – Group 2 Under 15’s Development Squad game

2.00pm Kick Off – Sharks v Titans

FREE shuttle buses running – info will be sent direct to ticket holders or find details on com.au/NRL
Shuttle bus stops include York St Oval / Vernon St / Toormina Gardens / Sawtell RSL
Food vendors and Bars operating from 12pm at the Stadium
No ticket sales available at the gate.

/Public Release. This material comes from the originating organization and may be of a point-in-time nature, edited for clarity, style and length. View in full here.

[DIEHARD]

200 FOR REIN MAN
http://www.gcbulleting.com.au

WHEN Gold Coast hooker Mitch Rein started out, playing in even one NRL match was all he ever wanted.

On Sunday he’ll lead the Titans out of the tunnel for his 200th match, a critical mid-season battle with the unpredictable Cronulla Sharks that will help dictate whether Gold Coast’s destiny in 2021 will lead to the finals.

At 31 his body bears all the scars you’d expect to find after 11 seasons on the front line. They are the sacrifices he has made without complaint to live out his boyhood dream. “Everyone knows how hard it is get to the NRL in the first place,” Rein said. “It takes a lot of dedication and sacrifice along the way. “It’s something I’m pretty proud of and I know my family is too so I’m looking forward to getting down there on the weekend and just enjoying it.”

Rein has produced his most consistent football in his fourth season on the Gold Coast, a fact he credits to the flowing game plan installed by Titans coach Justin Holbrook.

“Playing the way we’re playing, we all enjoy playing the way we do,” he said.

“We have a lot of gifted footy players in our side that enables us to play that way. It’s good in attack but we just need to fix up the other part of our game, that’s our defence, which has been letting us down.”

Four weeks of intensive defensive training have been dedicated to solving the frailties that have leaked 172 points in five weeks.

That work will be put to the test by a Sharks team boosted by the return of Kiwis playmaker Shaun Johnson.

[Titanic]

Let’s hope that the enjoyment of playing will increase with some increased determination in defense.