2022 Season General Discussion Thread

[DIEHARD]

Points for a BRL/Seagulls-Valleys reference, RavShamrock!

And hurry up before every last fan has gone to the Phins

The Dolphins are a threat and hopefully we can be competitive. Even though they aren't assembling lie-up fill of stars, the founding moments of any new club are fascinating. They have done some great work lately.

Seems like some of the other cellar dwellers will be hitting the straps like the Bulldogs and maybe Dragons. I'd really like to not win the wooden spoon.

[DIEHARD]

Can we please stop talking about the... the... just silly claim of two Premierships before 2030?

And the "strategic plan" is just a flyer. Most of the pages were just big photos or graphics. LINK TO IT

But looking back the 'Strategic Plan' of 2015-2019 was three pages. LINK

This just invites ridicule and we aren't qualified to buck NRL statistics.

Sorry to be negative but it doesn't stack up against some of the other Strategic Plans put out by the NRL and other RL entities around the world.

Gold Coast Titans vs Cronulla Sharks, team news, scores
Travis Meyn
https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/

The Titans insist they still want to win two NRL premierships by 2030 as captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui reaffirms his desire to transform the Gold Coast’s losing culture.

Origin star Tino Fa’asuamaleaui insists he won’t quit the Titans and wants to turn around the Gold Coast’s losing culture as CEO Steve Mitchell declared the club’s dual-premiership dream was still on track

The Titans will head into Saturday’s clash with Cronulla at Coffs Harbour sitting in last spot on the NRL ladder following a disastrous first half of the 2022 season.

With only three wins from 14 games, the Titans have slumped below the battling Bulldogs and are the only current bottom four club that hasn’t sacked their coach this year.

A fifth straight loss would intensify pressure on coach Justin Holbrook, who went into this season hoping to improve on last year’s drought-breaking finals appearance.

With the play-offs all but gone, the Titans are now fighting to avoid collecting a second wooden spoon in four seasons following the 2019 debacle under ex-coach Garth Brennan.

Maroons prop Fa’asuamaleaui has been a rare shining light for the Titans this year, continuing his rise as one of the NRL’s top forwards with consistently excellent performances.

Fa’asuamaleaui, 22, had an 85 per cent winning record at Melbourne (23 wins from 27 games) and won an NRL premiership in his second season, but has enjoyed success just 37 per cent (13 wins from 35 games) of the time since joining the Titans last season.

He knocked back a lucrative offer from Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins to remain at the Titans until at least 2024 and said he was committed to turning the club into a winning franchise.

“It was rare to lose at Melbourne,” Fa’asuamaleaui said. “When I saw Storm lost twice in a row recently, I can’t remember that happening when I was there.

“It’s a bit strange coming from Storm, but these are the bad times where we have to learn and make sure we really take it in.

“I hate losing. Anyone who plays footy should hate it too. That’s something I really want to change at the club.

“Hopefully in the future we are like the Storm and the losses don’t happen as often. That’s why I’m at the Titans for a long time. I really want to be the one that changes that.

“I signed at the Titans for a long time because I want to be the one that changes that (losing culture). That’s what I am really motivated about. Hopefully we can work hard enough so that in the future it doesn’t happen.”

After playing finals last year with a 10-14 record, the Titans boldly declared they wanted to win two premierships by 2030.

That dream appears to have gone off course, but Mitchell insisted the goalposts haven’t shifted for the wooden spoon contenders.

“We are well below expectations,” he said. “Our purpose is to make our community proud and at the moment we’re not doing that. We need to be honest.

“The club across the board is well-positioned. The NRLW program is very strong, our diversification of the business through netball and our commercial aspects is really strong.

“Our NRL program needs to improve. We’ve got some work to do there.

“That road map to 2030 is firm in the ground. That’s the strategic plan we’re working to.

“Two premierships between now and 2030 is our absolute intent. It’s the same with the NRLW program. Our aspirations strategically and on paddock haven’t changed one ilk and they won’t. That is what we’re working to.”

Despite losing nine of their past 10 games, Holbrook has resisted making mass changes heading into the Sharks game. Mitchell said the team needed to improve its mental resolve and follow Fa’asuamaleaui’s lead.

“We need to see an improvement in our effort on the paddock, our desire and mental rigour,” he said. “We are really strong in patches of games then we have these moments where we’re not.

“We want to see consistency across the 80 minutes in effort and mental rigour. If our group played with the same intentions as our captain played with in regards to effort we’d be in a pretty good place.

“Mental resolve is what we’re looking for.”

[DIEHARD]

BTW I was originally going to post this to talk about how much I admire and appreciate Captain Tino. It must have been quite a shift to come from the Storm to Titans and face defeat so often. But that is the measure of the man. He will have some more happy chapters ahead.

[RavShamrock]

So just as T just said in the game thread we have never been lower.
Isn't Smell My Finger the head of high performance...give the money back right now mate.
What the hell is going on with this joint? Is its only purpose to be a tax right off for the owners then come out and be honest or get personal who know what the f@ck they are doing.

[jacksonm]

I endorse having aspirations, just holding a press conference and going public was pointless and opens up the club for ridicule. This is the new Gus Gould Penrith 5 year plan.

[Titanic]

Who can finish this:

A man walked into a bar and said: “the Titans will win two premierships before 2030” and the barman …..

[RavShamrock]

When was the last time our team put on a successful set play?
Anyway just listening to Flanagan commentate tonight I don't think he's a natural but he certainly sounds like he understands the modern game. We could do way worse than this bloke but probably not much better

[JunctionBlock]

Who can finish this:

A man walked into a bar and said: “the Titans will win two premierships before 2030 and the barman ….. “

said

Go home Steve, you're drunk

[willhelm]

Congrats to Beau Fermor for being brought into the Origin squad. Won’t play but well deserved recognition for a quiet achiever.

[Just-a-Fan]

yeah good for Fermor
I do not understand why player that are leaving the club next season are playing
JAMAYNE ISAAKO is 1 I know he there for his goal kicking but really isn't Herbert just as good
I believe Sexton should also be given it back as well ( but that just me)
Walace what the F is he doing in the side upsetting the flow of the game how sad can you be to call challenge on that head shot
Mo on the bench please our best prop by a country mile always over a hundred meters and 30 tackles a game
AJ to me is only a 14 has not given anything this year I never seen anyone say he should be FB only a 6 well I think Turner has play he way in there until next year
everyone is having ago at Sexton for no speed but tell me who covers up most of the time it him yeah he doesn't always do the right thing but really who is in the team Only BIG TINO
Booth needs a run we will not change our ways until we get a good dummy half ( Booths not the answer but its the best 1 we got )
Herbert for me is only a winger and I think JOJO should be on his side and the could swap at time to help each other out
Anyway GO TITANS

[DIEHARD]

Let's hope this keeps up.

[NZFan]

Watching the last couple of games on replay Herbert’s body language has been really poor. There is quite a few occasions where players haven’t passed him the ball and he’s just thrown his arms up in the air. A couple of times the mic has picked him yelling in disgust too (although you can’t hear the actual words). Might explain that really poor attempt of a defensive read against the bunnies late in the game, but it’s obvious that some of the players aren’t happy.

[Mexican titan]

Watching the last couple of games on replay Herbert’s body language has been really poor. There is quite a few occasions where players haven’t passed him the ball and he’s just thrown his arms up in the air. A couple of times the mic has picked him yelling in disgust too (although you can’t hear the actual words). Might explain that really poor attempt of a defensive read against the bunnies late in the game, but it’s obvious that some of the players aren’t happy.

Funny reading about Herbert being frustrated about not being passed the ball. He obviously forgot last season and our finals appearance and that last play when HE didn't pass the ****en ball. That aside, he is a dumb footballer who I'd be happy to see gone.

[Titanic]

I was a Herbert fan but now not so much. However, those frustrations are not only from him. Have a close look at the faces when Wallace does a Wallace for example and that’s not all. Their confidence is shot and their professionalism is back at kindergarten level.

[The Birdman]

Funny reading about Herbert being frustrated about not being passed the ball. He obviously forgot last season and our finals appearance and that last play when HE didn't pass the ****en ball. That aside, he is a dumb footballer who I'd be happy to see gone.

I agree wholeheartedly with this. Herbert is also the king of the brain explosion.