Round 1: TITANS vs DRAGONS (2024)

[MaroonTitan]

I didn't like that performance. I hope it's the worst we'll see. I think Des might chop and change after a few rounds but give a few of these guys enough rope under him. I don't know about fitness levels in the team or injuries but it looked to me like our bench could've been handled better (I know, trust in Des). Liu started well and only got 23 minutes all up. I never like having Tino, Mo and Randall of the field at the same time either - and that's when nearly all their points came.

There were a few unforgivable things for me. Verrills turning his back on the play was lazy stuff. I expect so much more from one of our leaders. The A defender was asleep too. Who was it? BK's hands are terrible. Lofi had no interest in either marking Lomax for the pass (he was well inside of him) and too slow to react to what was a predictable kick. Beau was awful and made it really hard for Weaver, who had to make 24 tackles and doesn't look to do that very well. Klese is too slow off the line too often and Tanah had to make 31 tackles. Klese made 46 but how many of those were first contact? Not that it excuses Tanah's poor form, which was obvious before he had to make any tackles.

AJ and Tino were brilliant. Kini was was very good too. Randall was good in the first half but I wonder if he can play more than 40 in the back row. I'm not sure of his lateral movement to be an edge backrower but he has to be a consideration, or Alick gets a shot. I don't understand having Erin, Randall and Liu all in the 17, especially if Tino or Palasia spend anytime at lock. Des might be sussing them out.

I think the left edge missed three or four times as many tackles as the right edge and the right edge made heaps more. The left looks like a rabble. Getting DF back on the right will make our right edge the best it's been in many years.

I was thinking the same as you HS about Weaver at 7 for Round 3. I think Tanah will have to really make the case to Des to keep him after that. I worry about Weaver and Klese together though, so he might wait until DF comes back.

Lots to think about after that one. Tanah, BK and Beau all have a case to make to keep their spots. With Foran back for the next one, AJ could move to the left and Jojo on the right. Foran and AJ would keep Beau and Lofi more accountable. Beau's smart enough to get it right after the video sessions. I think with all the middles, Alick is an easy swap for Erin on the bench and brings a bigger and different body shape.

I think Titanic warned us: the first part of the season could be really hard to watch but Des will work it out.

[lonegull]

The titans were so far of the pace diabolical in attack and players looked slow and unfit

[Cowabunga]

If anyone needs time in QRL it's Fermor, He's ****ing up that whole left side right and his defence was already bad in 2022 on top of making the most mistakes with the ball but he did some OK stuff with the ball to make up for it...He's so bad defensively, I think people have ignored or forgot due to his attack in 2022.

He's coming off an ACL but the problems are worse then ever, If we score 2, He'll let in 5.

[Menoitios]

I used to watch the little facial expressions and body language of Tino in post game press conferences with Holly after performances like be that. He seemed annoyed at Justin and his defending sh1tty performances.

Tonight...he and Des were short and not so sweet. I think they're on the same page.

I'm tipping us to make the 8 still. Something about that presser gave me confidence.

[Whats Doing]

Fermor was never a great defender back in 2022 and does not have great lateral movement which is when he is really exposed in defence. It just that he was great in attack that masked his defensive deficiencies.

In a positive, the speed off the line was great in the first half and we started to dominate field position. The problem is we had 2 halves who just don’t know how to set up plays, run the right lines to put players through gaps which negated the majority of our attack. Our halves were completely dominated by both Hunt and Flanagan who both had a field day. I see Tanah getting a roasting here and he was poor but Weaver was just as poor if not worse IMO.

Until we start to get some size across the team, some decent halves and 5/8 into this team we just won’t be competitive. The problem is the powers to be have this squad signed for a number of years.

Des needs to be some miracle worker with this lot and my pre season prediction of 11th is already looking optimistic even after 1 round as most sides have shown improvement, unlike the Titans.

[Menoitios]

I'm sure Des will sort it. My patience with Tanah has dried up. With Foran dropping out (I doubt that was big surprise to the team) Boyd would have been expected to stand up.

[Cowabunga]

100% WD, We can jerk off to our juniors or systems and think everything is going to come right but it's time soon, We are in our 4th year from a rebuild and the teams we try to be like didn't do anything like we are.

We've been rebuilding for years now and we're still changing because there's no idea.

The fact we've got a CEO and chairman who haven't got us anywhere further but promise 3 premierships by 20230, Get the **** out of here, Especially when Mccormack is gone now.

The issue is Titans are so unlikeable as a team. Love that this our squad going through to 26 mostly to, SO AWESOME.

[5 Year Contract]

100% WD, We can jerk off to our juniors or systems and think everything is going to come right but it's time soon, We're i n our 4th year and the teams we try to be like didn't do anything like we are.

We've been rebuilding for years now and we're still changing because there's no idea.

The fact we've got a CEO and chairman who haven't got us anywhere further but promise 3 premierships by 20230, Get the **** out of here, Especially when Mccormack is gone now.

The issue is Titans are so unlikeable as a team.

Spot on mate. These past few years I have loved what we have done off the field but the problem remains you can’t turn up every year and put up the same old garbage. We have now gone through rosters, coaches, CEOs you name it and the problem is still the same. We won’t turn up. We make the same frustrating errors and are just the joke of the league. How many more rebuilds can the fan base face. Either put up or **** this entire club down to ashes and rebuild from the guy selling tickets to the top. I’m absolutely tired of it

[Cowabunga]

Spot on mate. These past few years I have loved what we have done off the field but the problem remains you can’t turn up every year and put up the same old garbage. We have now gone through rosters, coaches, CEOs you name it and the problem is still the same. We won’t turn up. We make the same frustrating errors and are just the joke of the league. How many more rebuilds can the fan base face. Either put up or **** this entire club down to ashes and rebuild from the guy selling tickets to the top. I’m absolutely tired of it

What juniors are actually doing good since the system started properly in 2017 or so? The best anyone has looked is De Groot and might've been a better and safer decision the Kini.

Lofi, Haas, Weaver, Jojo, Alick and others who are still young.... There's no junior who's doing well anywhere. Everyone that actually looks good like Randall aren't from here.

I'd put Randall at 7, **** it.

[Menoitios]

A loss at home in round 1 burns hard after a long off season. It really does. But it doesn't make a season. Let's draw a nice big breath and see what happens next. If we are still a shambles after round 5 or 6...then ......

[Titanic]

My view is that IF, Hau, Pahulu and even Stimson all are in front of Clark, so I am expecting to see them soon. Haas wasn't great either but in comparison wasn't dreadful. The worrying thing is that everybody knows that you just have to pick your biggest team to roll over the Titans. We don't have the size AND we don't have the mongrel to compensate. I am not an AKP fan but we need to cover him because he does have a rare talent and Kelly isn't the guy to do that. As for Boyd, I am a bit of a fan of Foxwell. Yes, I know he can't be selected but he has learnt his trade the old school way rather than by being a child prodigy which seems to be a problem with half's these days. FMD it's only game one :-)

[Menoitios]

Weaver not only seeing Nosemax was infield, but being able to execute the kick for AKP's try showed more than Boyd offered all night.

[Cowabunga]

Haas was absouletely fine, There's so much bs hatred for a kid who gets picked because Alick sucks and noone wants to actualy watch him.

He doesn't get any plays for him but he's not even close to the 2nd rower who should be called out, Alick was horrible in the trial game and way off the pace defensively. Haas was way better, He didn't run heaps but there's so many more people to blame imo.

This team is built to be cooked.

[Menoitios]

Should Beau be given a little more time after all the footy he's missed? In reality...if Dave was an option, I think Des would have named him and given Fermy a week or two in qcup. Sadly, that wasn't an option.

[Cowabunga]

Our attack also sucks **** since 2021 and won't be the same as last year because we got bailed out by Fifita.

We're a joke of a team on offence that's been ignored just because of points when teams let them up, When we actually need points we've never scored them. We don't do well against good teams and haven't...

Keeping Fogarty was the one smart thing this club could've done, the second we get a halfback who's doing a job, we wouldn't be this ****ing ****....

I'm sick of waiting...

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We can't have Fermor and Fifita as second rowers.... Fermor cannot defend, we need one or the other.