Titanic Titans turn terrific
Roar Rookie By Merk51, 21 Aug 2012 Merk51 is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- Gold Coast Titans, John Cartwright, NRL, Rugby League
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With just one win from eight matches, and the club facing financial disaster, critics had found an easy target as they eyed yet another failed Gold Coast sporting franchise on the horizon.
It seemed the Gold Coast Titans would collapse.
Despite winning their opening match against the North Queensland Cowboys 18-nil, the Titans quickly took a nose dive with five straight losses against the Canberra Raiders, Melbourne Storm, New Zealand Warriors, Canterbury Bulldogs and the Sydney Roosters.
The critics were circling with some out-right declaring the Gold Coast would earn themselves back-to-back wooden spoons.
However with the club slowly clawing its way out of financial ruin, a new CEO in David May stepping in to replace Michael Searle, who like a true warrior fought to the end before falling on his own sword, and a pledge to reconnect with the Gold Coast community, things have turned around.
The Titans may just sneak into the top eight and play finals football.
Since winning just two of nine matches to start the 2012 season it was a heart breaking 15-14 loss at the hands of the Wests Tigers in round nine that sparked a verbal spray to all players from coach John Cartwright and forged a mid-season revival for the cash-strapped team.
A morale boosting 25-14 victory over eventual competition leaders the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs helped spark a golden run, with six wins coming from the next nine rounds helping the Titans to reach the top eight.
However losses to top eight sides the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Melbourne Storm saw them slip out of the eight, but a win over the cellar-dwellers the Parramatta Eels lsat weekend hsa kept their late season resurgence alive.
While the club requires results to go their way for a chance to slip into the top eight and play finals football, under the restructured Australian Rugby League Commission finals series rules, the officials, players and fans remain hopeful that the club will be able to succeed and prove their out spoken critics wrong.
With two rounds remaining and the Penrith Panthers next on the Titans hit list, it will be coach John Cartwright that feels the pressure to motivate his team to continue their golden run.
Hopefully, they win their final round encounter against the Manly Sea Eagles, who they beat earlier in the season 26-14 at Brookvale Oval.
For the club to cap off one of the biggest comebacks in any rugby league season, the Tigers and Raiders need to stumble, and need to stumble quickly.
What do you think, Roarers? Can the Titans make it?
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The Crowd Says (5) | Page 1 of Comments
Have Your Say
- Explore:
- Gold Coast Titans, John Cartwright, NRL, Rugby League
August 21st 2012 @ 7:13am
Distant Knight said | August 21st 2012 @ 7:13am | Report comment
Not sure how you can say the club has clawed its way out of financial ruin… the new owners still have to front some money first…
August 21st 2012 @ 8:26am
turbodewd said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:26am | Report comment
The Titans have been impressive since Myles and Bailey returned. Lets hope their crowds return too, they used to be 2nd only to the Broncos in attendance.
Oh and can someone at the GC fix their jersey situation, they seem to have a new one every year. I wager $1000 if you gave 100 GC schoolkids some crayons and asked them to draw the Essendon Bombers and GC Titans jersey they would have no problem with the first and no idea with the latter.
August 21st 2012 @ 8:53am
Merk51 said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:53am | Report comment
I couldn’t agree with you more. And to be honest that is one of the reasons they have lost the support of the local communities. There are just too many changes happening with their shirts every year that forces parents to buy $199 shirt for their child.
Then the players go to schools and as happened at the beginning of the year due to them cramming six school visits in one day the players no longer have time to interact. In one instance Scott Prince was asked for an autograph and he was being dragged away by the media people so he said to the students “I will sign one and you can go and photocopy it”.
Hopefully David May as the new CEO can step in and get this club back to where it was, and with his efforts hopefully the community come back and support them.
August 21st 2012 @ 9:12am
turbodewd said | August 21st 2012 @ 9:12am | Report comment
“Scott Prince was asked for an autograph and he was being dragged away by the media people so he said to the students “I will sign one and you can go and photocopy it”.”
WTF! That is pathetic. I mean that’s the stuff that kills crowds.
August 21st 2012 @ 9:24am
Merk51 said | August 21st 2012 @ 9:24am | Report comment
Exactly but it happened earlier this year when I was up there (on the Gold Coast) and the students were complaining to the television network etc but my point is this is the type of thing that separates a club from the local community, and this is the type of thing that proves they care about money rather than the community when they book soooo many schools into one day where the players don’t have the time to connect with their fans.