Round 4: TITANS vs COWBOYS

[TITAN PETE]

Thurston searches for response
By Tony Webeck, Chief Queensland Correspondent
NRL.com
12:45am Tue 01st April, 2014


The exact nature of the content will remain restricted to those 13 Cowboys players left on the field at the end of Monday night's loss to the Titans but their response to Johnathan Thurston's spray after full-time will be evident when North Queensland host the Knights next week.

Thurston was extremely animated after calling his side into a circle following their one-point loss to the Titans but refused to divulge exactly which letters of the law he was laying down.

"That's just for us boys to know," Thurston said when asked what he had told them.

Pressed on whether he thought the dressing-down would have an effect, Thurston's response was simply: "We'll find out during the week."

Both Thurston and Cowboys coach Paul Green conceded that the side's preparation had been poor with a lack of urgency during training sessions a major area of concern.

Having led 6-0 at the break, North Queensland's chances were cruelled in the second stanza by a horror completion rate with Thurston, James Tamou and Kyle Feldt coming up with errors that handed the Titans possession in good attacking territory.

But despite such poor execution, Green saw enough in the effort of his players to make him believe that with a shot of confidence in attack they remain one of the toughest teams in the competition.

"We're not far away at all. We can certainly turn it around, there's no doubt about that," Green said.

"The thing is that the effort's there and while you've got that sort of effort, and that's across the board... Everyone's hurting when we lose like we did tonight and while blokes are giving that 100 per cent effort you're going to be in every game.

"What we need to fix up is not hard to fix up, whilst you've got that ethic and everyone cares about what we're doing.

"You don't know what the magical ingredient is when a team clicks, we haven't quite clicked yet in attack. While the effort's there – I can't fault the boys' effort – while that sort of effort is going in each week we'll never be too far away from any game and when we do get it right in attack we'll take some beating."

As for Thurston, he will start his search for answers on the training park when the side returns to Townsville on Tuesday.

"When you're tossing up the numbers that we're tossing up it makes it very hard for ourselves and we're the only people that can get us out of this," he said. "Training-wise we need to be better, preparation-wise we need to be better and when you're tossing up what we tossed up, it makes it very hard, and we still only lose by a point."

[Titanic]

That was a fine spray JT gave his mates and then was fortunate enough to be able to take it out on the ball too ... anybody else hear the crowd chanting "boring, boring" in the second half? ... lmao.

[Toads]

Once again, I tend to agree with Pete. Zillman or Mead should not be our long term prospects as Fullbacks. Not too sure of this Roberts bloke, but I tend to believe we need to go shopping for a specialist Fullback. It's just too much of a important position to have a mediocre player covering it these days..

[teke]

Once again, I tend to agree with Pete. Zillman or Mead should not be our long term prospects as Fullbacks. Not too sure of this Roberts bloke, but I tend to believe we need to go shopping for a specialist Fullback. It's just too much of a important position to have a mediocre player covering it these days..

im sure Mead is better than Roberts.

All the fbs I wanted at the club won't come here or the coach doesn't want eg. Tomkins , JOC, Barba. Locke is prob the only viable fb we have to chase ATM.

[Hail Sezer]

im sure Mead is better than Roberts.

All the fbs I wanted at the club won't come here or the coach doesn't want eg. Tomkins , JOC, Barba. Locke is prob the only viable fb we have to chase ATM.

Saw that coming

[teke]

Saw that coming

how when I tell u daily?

[Hail Sezer]

how when I tell u daily?

answered your own question xox

[teke]

I thought I had to make it very obvious for u young fella

[shamus]

Changed my mind again after looking at the nrl clip you posted (annoying voice guy)...I have gone for Keelback.

Totally harmless.

oh.......and Cartwright's post match interview went something like this...."Conditions weren't suited to playing good football"....something along those lines.. What tha!! It didn't freakin' rain until half time! Conditions were fantastic!

[teke]

Changed my mind again after looking at the nrl clip you posted (annoying voice guy)...I have gone for Keelback.

Totally harmless.

oh.......and Cartwright's post match interview went something like this...."Conditions weren't suited to playing good football"....something along those lines.. What tha!! It didn't freakin' rain until half time! Conditions were fantastic!

a few guys stated that the ball was terribly slippery with the humidity.

That's prob what carty was aiming at

[Titanic]

I thought he was talking about the snake infestation.

[shamus]

a few guys stated that the ball was terribly slippery with the humidity.

That's prob what carty was aiming at

Yep....didn't think of that. I left that up to someone else to think of. I knew I would not get let down.

[DIEHARD]

I thought he was talking about the snake infestation.

Definitely too many snakes laying around.

[TITAN PETE]

Changed my mind again after looking at the nrl clip you posted (annoying voice guy)...I have gone for Keelback.

Totally harmless.

oh.......and Cartwright's post match interview went something like this...."Conditions weren't suited to playing good football"....something along those lines.. What tha!! It didn't freakin' rain until half time! Conditions were fantastic!

Our resident Snake expert is right with his description of the Harmless Snake

[Titanic]

My wife suggested that it had been attracted sexually to the tv cables that were lying around ... you know what girls are like, one track minds and all that.