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The Gold Coast Titans are the most recent addition to the National Rugby League, with 2014 being their eighth season in the NRL. In that time, they’ve only graced the finals on two occasions.
In 2009 they toppled out of the finals race in straight sets, while the following year was slightly more successful. They won against the Warriors at home to earn a week off, but failed to win their preliminary final against the Roosters and missed out on their first grand final berth.
So is this the year the Gold Coast Titans go all the way to their first grand final appearance? Let’s take a look at their personnel.
The Coach
John Cartwright is under a fair amount of pressure this year. The Titans haven’t made the finals since 2010 and received their first wooden spoon in 2011.
Cartwright is an excellent coach but has won a total of 86 of his 170 NRL games. He has a lot of work to do.
The signing of Neil Henry as assistant coach adds some experience to their side.
Henry coached the North Queensland Cowboys to 59 wins out of 129 games and has also coached the PM’s XIII team that played in Papua New Guinea, while regularly assisting Mal Meninga in the Queensland camp at State Of Origin time.
Henry looks to be a huge signing that the Titans might have needed. Don’t be surprised if Henry replaces Cartwright as coach in the coming years.
The Backs
The Titans have bought a whole lot of speed in the off-season, bringing in Kalifa Faifai Loa, Siuatonga Likiliki, Maurice Blair and trading a homesick Jamal Idris for Brad Tighe.
This adds to the existing speedsters in Kevin Gordon, who just signed a new three-year deal until 2017, and David Mead, who is pushing for the fullback spot having played a lot in that role last year.
The centre spots are wide open at the moment, and with Brad Takairangi looking to play some time in the forward pack, the race for the 3 and 4 jerseys is on.
Tighe and Blair look to have a lead in the race, though Faifai Loa, Likiliki, Steve Michaels, Anthony Don and Jamie Dowling are all scratching at a chance to prove themselves either in the centres or on the wing.
Aidan Sezar and Albert Kelly formed a nice combination in the halves last year. No one expected that two different players could form such a unique combination, and this pairing will only grow and mature over the years.
The Forwards
There is a lot of competition going on with the front and back row.
Ryan James has just signed a new contract and is looking to prove he was worth keeping this year, and with a Blues Origin jersey in his sights, he’ll be hoping he has a excellent start to the season.
Workhorses Luke Bailey and Nate Myles have some competition, with Matt White looking to make a comeback after suffering a season-ending injury last year in the trials. Luke Douglas has also made his mark, either in the starting side or off the bench.
Mark Ioane has made an impact in the trials and might be called up if injuries occur during the season.
Dave Taylor is looking to have a huge year this year after a disappointing 2013 in which he missed Australian and Queensland representative selection due to poor form.
There has been a lot of talk about how well his off-season training has been. Come Round 1, Taylor just needs to show what he’s capable of.
With Ben Ridge, Mark Minichiello, Dave Taylor, Greg Bird, Ashley Harrison and Brad Takairangi making up the back row, Ben Ridge and Brad Takairangi could be the only back rowers to miss out on selection.
Come State Of Origin time, Ridge and Takairangi should get some game time.
Matt Srama, Sam Irwin, Beau Falloon and Paul Carter are the hookers all pushing hard for selection. With Srama and Irwin out for some time, it looks like Falloon will pair up with Paul Carter in Round 1.
Off-season recruit Carter has shown great skill playing at dummy half in the trials, with aggressive runs and control around the ruck. Primarily a back-rower, his versatility makes him a must-have for the Titans’ top line-up.
Carter has also shown the same type of aggression Greg Bird displays on the field and many have commented on great similarities between them. Big things are in store in 2014 for Paul Carter.
Gold Coast Titans Predicted Best 17
1. William Zillman
2. Kevin Gordon
3. Brag Tighe
4. Maurice Blair
5. David Mead
6. Aidan Sezar
7. Albert Kelly
8. Luke Douglas
9. Beau Falloon
10. Nate Myles (C)
11. Greg Bird (C)
12. Dave Taylor
13. Ashley Harrison
14. Mark Minichiello
15. Luke Bailey
16. Ryan James
17. Paul Carter
Predicted finish: sixth
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