Round 10: TITANS vs PARRA (2023)

[Whats Doing]

Great win, surprising. I was at the game with other team fans and they were all asking the inevitable question, when will we choke, "do we sing the team song at half time". Great to see us grind out a win.

One question I found funny "do you guys only do goal line defence, you let teams walk down the field and then aim up when you're foot is on the try line?"

Very true observation. The Eels made a 400 metres more than us and considering our metres included the 90 metre intercept from Lofi, the Eels were marching down the field particularly the 2nd half.

So a great effort from us considering the pressure we were under. But yes it is our Achilles heel,

[Upthetits]

Really stoked for the lads. Great win everyone put in a monster effort. Seeing the eels get close to scoring a couple times but there being like 5 titans there all over them really showed the desperation.

Honestly if JC keeps playing like this where does brimson fit in? If JC can keep developing his passing game when he's much more of a threat already with it then brimmo is really makes me think he can't not be starting

If we didn't blow the dolphins and cows games we would be top 2nd but tied first on points. Crazy to think

[GCTTSD]

Feel like Tanah Boyds kicking game needs its own appreciation thread every kick landing withing 5 metres of the goalline to his credit hes really bounced back since the shocker at st George

[Titanic]

We desperately need to have other options to give him some relief but he is certainly aiming-up.

[The Birdman]

I thought it was overall a very good performance with a dash of some old bad habits.

I'll say it again. We'll be a much better team when AJ and JC are in the 1 and 6 jerseys. Foran is obviously very tough but his body is broken and he's not up to playing 80 minutes anymore at NRL level. He was badly exposed on the Dylan Brown try at the end, though Kelly definitely didn't do him any favours.

Teams are also going to adjust and start putting more pressure on Boyd's kicking game as no one else is taking pressure off him in that regard.

As stated above I think we are still really leaking running and post-contact metres, particularly in the second half of games.

Overall though it's hard to be too critical right now, pretty much everyone bar Clark and Vuna IMO were either very good or great.

[NZFan]

Best game from Boyd by a long way. While Lofi definitely could have passed to Foran, I really am a sucker for a winger chip and chasing. I think if trained well, it is a high percentage option when one on one with the fullback. Try scoring opportunities don’t come around often and fullbacks these days are often very solid in defence. Lofi is such an exciting player.

What a buy Randall has been. Two weeks in a row he has played out of his skin playing big minutes.

[MaroonTitan]

I'm with you NZF. Randall is the buy of the season for any club. He's playing his best footy and has been crucial to our two wins in a row.

[hungryjacks]

Want to give a big thumbs up to Randall as well, not sure how Verrills will fit back into the team but Randalls line speed and also the way he moves the ball around seamlessly to our halves and forwards is super impressive.

[Hail Sezer]

Bit late to the party here but only caught the last 20 minutes on Sunday so only got the chance to watch the full game last night.

Probably one of the best wins we've had in a while built on effort, attitude and some resilience...who would've thought. We've still got a lot we need to be better at but to back up last weeks performance against Manly was really important.

Most of the player shouts in here have already covered it but I thought in particular Boyd, JC, D Fifita, and Tino were enormous. Mo's effort with the ball is also worth a mention and I think all of our outside backs contributed well with the ball as well, particularly in yardage.

Lofi is growing in confidence and I like how that edge is finding variations in shape to find him space, usually using Fifita as the centrepoint whether on or off ball. Lofi's tries are great but I'm liking a few other things in his game that are improving - his willingness for tough carries, and his will to compete on absolutely everything with his opposite winger. Seeing him literally running towards the cover D on that intercept because he knew he could find another gear if needed, just to make the conversion easier, is a good sign of where his confidence is at.

Parra are a better side than their ladder position suggests. They are very good with the ball, typically have a dominant middle and their 6/7/1 are among the best in the comp at playing off the back of it and stress testing edge defence. I think we experienced all of that on Sunday. Jojo's contact on D is fantastic but he's prone to being a bit passive at times and there's a disconnect between him and Sami that has been exposed a few times now (hard to say who's to blame unless you know the system and they're both Mic'd up tbh). Klese got caught out a few times too in his stint but these are necessary learnings for these young guys to go through in order to improve. And BK is BK - he'll give you a high volume of carries, pull out some excellent plays with the ball, but is prone to poor defensive decisions, errors and ill-discipline often at the worst of times.

Overall, happy with the win and especially happy with how we won.

Congrats to Keano on the debut too. Poor kid got thrown into dummy half for the first time in his life but he made his tackles and he didn't shy away from the kick chase and other little effort areas he could've just flunked and put it down to being out of position and on debut. I must say, I don't think I've ever seen the playing group show so much support for a debutant - both when he was named to debut, and after the game. There is clearly an immense amount of respect there for Keano and that's including from the senior players, which usually speaks to how he's applying himself off the field.

[DIEHARD]

That was a first class win for the Titans. We really showed our potential and all our players stood up and many stood out.

It was no easy game and was against quality competition in Parra.

David Fifita continues to excite and impress. He really is doing so much work for us and is unselfish in creating opportunities. A real team man and I can see why people see leadership in him.

Moeaki Fotuaika continues his return to form and has been laying a strong platform for us. It is always a sight to see him power onto the ball. Really raises the spirits.

Another exciting event was the debut of Keano Kini. After following his promising career he is finally an NRL player and didn't look out of place against grown and experienced players. Seeing the excitement and ceremony around his first game by friend and family was a moving spectacle.

Campbell stood tall again. Love him.

I constantly mention how much I enjoy AKP because I absolutely love strike wingers and we finally have some firepower and speed out wide. His cheeky kick over the top and regather could have gone either way. But he also is the type to chance his arm and have a fistful of luck. He is the type of player that gets seats filled and people tuned in.

I'd like to throw my commendation for Tanah along with everyone else too.

Looking at everyone's MoeJoe points, it's a real spread and that means good times in the game.

I'm hoping we can march on and bring back a few injured players that we have missed.

Oh and finally, Foran had a great game.

I watched the game with an American friend and I'm delighted to see the team play exciting and attractive footy. And get the win.

[DIEHARD]

'Cool experience': Kini savours unlikely and unfamiliar Magic Round debut
https://www.titans.com.au/news/2023/...c-round-debut/


Having trained at fullback all week, Gold Coast youngster Keano Kini instead got his first taste of NRL coming off the bench and playing hooker as his side held on to down the Eels at Magic Round.

With a surprise call-up to the side earlier in the week, Kini entered the game late in the match, taking over the dummy half role in the final stages of the game and had some key involvements – least of which being his support in the build-up to Brian Kelly's try which proved the difference despite Parramatta's late comeback.

While not in his favoured position, the highly rated youngster was grateful to be given the opportunity to get a taste of the top grade and couldn't wait to do again.

“It was pretty different, man, a lot of respect for the hookers,” Kini said.

“I didn't usually play hooker, but when I came on I was just trying to make my tackles. It was such a cool experience being in Magic Round. I loved it, hey.

“There wasn't really a plan, we were going to see how Foz [Kieran Foran] was going but coach just told me to stay ready and then that's what I did. So when I went on at hooker, I just tried my best."

Kini – who moved over from New Zealand two years ago – was also grateful for his family, many of whom braved a brief hailstorm and the Suncorp Stadium elements to watch his debut.

“I probably had about 30 or 40 (family members there), half of them flying over from New Zealand,” Kini said.

“It was so cool to have them at my jersey presentation. It made it feel special given all the sacrifices they’ve done for me, so it was awesome to play for them.

“My mum and dad moved over here, not just for me for themselves as well, but they sacrificed so much to come here.”

Carving up the Hostplus Cup competition with the Burleigh prior to his NRL debut, there are a number of similarities between Kini and other talented outside backs at the Titans, including Alofiana Khan-Pereira — who was the leading try scorer while at the Bears – and Jayden Campbell, who like Kini, has come through first-grade playing an important utility role from the bench.

Kini said his time developing his game under the coaching of former Parramatta back Luke Burt had helped him prepare for his unexpected Magic Round debut.

“I wasn't expecting a debut this early. I might have to go down back down to Cup and ply my trade and just wait for my wait for my opportunity [to play NRL again] and take it when the opportunity comes,” Kini said.

“But playing with the Bears is awesome. The coaching staff there, Burty the head coach and the boys, they're so welcoming. They make you feel part of the club really well and I've been loving it. There's a good winning culture down there.”

[Titanic]

Somethings I failed to mention:
(a) Dave Fifita's reaction at full-time epitomises the guy's buy-in to the club. Gone are the doubts over his contract and the hesitancy over his role.
(b) MoFo's error rate has gone from lots to almost none.
(c) Boyd's kicking game has risen to NRL level and we just need some diversity from dummy half or the back.
(d) Randall is turning into a revelation.
(e) BK is rocks and diamonds and must be feeling some pressure from Schoupp and Jojo who can both play left if necessary.
(f) Sami great with ball, on the other side not so much.
(g) Cannot fault the commitment in defence but when you give away so much weight then of course they will roll straight through our middle on rotation.
(h) Kini unlucky not to be picked this week but isn't far away

[Cowabunga]

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr_0B4ZB7gc/

Great photos of the team with Joseph.

JC is starting to have some really nice plays the right side which I thought has been one of his only weaknesses on the attacking side of the ball, If he can keep getting better at that it makes him even more dangerous with his defence getting better. Tannah is making some big strides in this area on top of everything mentioned which is finally making us more dangerous on the right and with some more games together I think can become pretty dangerous themselves.

[Titslover]

The annoying thing is we always spread it to the right and although Sami has been in great form and makes some great runs, he literally cuts back in every single time rather than backing himself. If we did the same shifts to the left Lofi would score 8/10 times I reckon.

[Appsy]

The annoying thing is we always spread it to the right and although Sami has been in great form and makes some great runs, he literally cuts back in every single time rather than backing himself. If we did the same shifts to the left Lofi would score 8/10 times I reckon.

100% agree. Although if Jojo ran a support play inside a bit better for Sami to offload when he cuts back in that would come off better rather than cutting back in.