Dodged a bullet may not be the right term, but if there was no history between Gold Coast and Daly Cherry-Evans and the club had the chance to go for his signature now I don’t think they would be nearly as desperate to get him as they were last year.
They were prepared to throw a fortune at him then, at the expense of heavily loading up their salary cap on one player, and when he agreed to join them only to pull out of the deal using the Round 13 rule and re-sign with Manly it was considered to be a dark day on the glitter strip.
Then they picked up rookie halfback Ashley Taylor from Brisbane, a 21-year-old who had only made his first-grade debut in the final round of last season.
As promising as he was, no-one knew for sure whether he was going to make the grade or not, but it is clear now that he has got the goods at NRL level.
This season, Taylor is partnering Tyrone Roberts in the halves. Next year, the Titans will have another very promising young player to pick from there in Kane Elgey, who made his first-grade debut for the club last season and played 16 games before being ruled out for this season with a torn ACL.
Look, Cherry-Evans could be doing great things at Gold Coast now, had he gone ahead and joined the club, but he would have wanted to be doing great things for the money they were going to pay him.
Instead, they’ve got a terrific, young number seven who really did want to come to the club and could turn out to be a ten-year player there. Elgey is only 22 himself, so he could be the same.
Taylor obviously cost way less than Cherry-Evans, which, along with the unfortunate loss of centre James Roberts due to an administrative stuff-up, left Gold Coast with plenty of room under the salary cap to sign the right sort of players mid-season, if they became available.
They have since picked up hooker Nathan Peats and centre Konrad Hurrell.
Taylor played with a lot of maturity and kicked a field goal under pressure in golden point extra-time for Gold Coast to beat South Sydney 29-28 in Perth on Sunday night.
The win means the Titans are in the top eight. That is obviously important for any team, but in the bigger picture of the game at large it’s very important because after two lean years in a row the Titans needed the team’s form to improve considerably to generate hope in a difficult market.
We’re only halfway through the season so anything can still happen, good or bad, but Gold Coast do look real. There are still plenty of things they can get better at, but they’re not lacking commitment.
Ryan James had a monster of a game up front for Gold Coast. He occasionally gets mentioned as a contender for NSW selection, but he is yet to get picked. Why? I don’t know. Maybe he’s too big, too strong, too mobile, runs too hard and hits too hard.
Queensland always seem to be smarter about picking the right players. I’m convinced that were James a Queenslander, he would have been picked to play for the Maroons before now. But there is no excuse for Blues coach Laurie Daley to not seriously consider him for State of Origin II.
Boyd Cordner is out injured, creating one vacancy among the forwards. James is obviously best-known as a prop, but he’s quite athletic for a big man and could play a bit of second-row as well. Plus, I’m hoping the Blues see the error of their ways and discard Dylan Walker.
It wasn’t Walker’s fault they picked a centre on the bench for Game 1 of the series, but the foolishness of the decision was proved when he got just nine minutes at the end of the game and did nothing except concede a vital turnover.
James and Bryce Cartwright to come into the 17 for Cordner and Walker. Two players who can bend the line and offload.
Games at Suncorp Stadium are usually more open than those at ANZ Stadium. Waiting for something to happen, which they seemed to do for large parts of Game 1, is not going to even remotely work for NSW. They have to make it happen or the series will be lost.
Birdy
Guest
Extremely interesting comment Tom. ? I wonder if the police are putting 2 and 2 together or separating 6 and 7 also?
Tom G
Guest
I couldn't agree more. DCE is a proven champion who has played his last couple of years in average sides.and copped the flak because he is well paid. I would hasten to ask all those Manly "fans" who said that we kept the wrong half, how is that statement looking right now?
Scott
Guest
What they need is to hope some local talent comes through with selective buying. Ryan James and Kane Elgey are two great examples of local players who have come through the system. DCE was never a good buy simply because he is not good enough for the money he was offered and secondly because he didn't want to come to the Gold Coast. It is however important that some "experience" is purchased and whilst I thought he was an awful buy at the time I am starting to like Greg Bird. In relation to crowds it helps to have a superstar but it helps more to win.
Scott
Guest
Ken, I am a Titans fan so I have been hoping the wheels didn't fall off but I think if you made your comment after the Melbourne Storm game at home people would have stated the wheels at least looked wobbly. I never saw them as a wooden spoon team however the pleasing part has been Ashley Taylor who was a question mark after Elgey got injured due to his age. They have a very strong and solid forward pack with last years result believed to have been impacted by a fairly ordinary start to the year off field. Personally I am hoping for a finals berth but it is close in the middle of the table with the return of Elgey next year definitely a positive. In relation to Ryan James I believe he wasn't even selected for the City / Country match which puts him way down the pecking order for reasons I fail to understand.
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
'Dodged a bullet' - More like, side stepped a black hole.
Birdy
Guest
The Gold Coast should be a blue print for future expansion. How the NSWRL rushed expansion. How poor management collapsed other franchises. How good management is setting the Titans for a successful future...... Getting rid of the old adage that sporting clubs can't survive on the coast. How dumb are we ? We can't set up a sporting club in a population of over 600000. Finally and most important. We do have the talent for expansion we just don't seem to have the ability to set them up or coach and run them. The Titans , finally with hands on help from the NRL are showing us how.
The eye
Guest
Aside from the 2 beltings the Storm gave them,been competitive all year..all they've been begging for is an outside back,hopefully that's Hurrell, and a fullback..still waiting,to make a real charge at the 8...I'd rather watch Ryan James play than Milford or Thurston..
Birdy
Guest
It seemed everyone wrote the coast off , not just for the season but for their whole existence . They are becoming a real force and mostly with local talent. Top players will want to come to the club very soon knowing the titans will finally be a resl force in the NRL All they ever needed was a good front office. The crowds will come . All the fans ever wanted was to know the club would still be there next year and the year after. Way to go Titans.
Jaime O'Donnell
Guest
Upfront I will state that I am a Manly fan. I for one am pleased to see Daly is still with us. I may be in the minority, but feel Cherry-Evans' form this season, while not on par with previous season, is not as bad as media and keyboard warriors are making out. As a fan of the club, and having witnessed firsthand Friday's performance, if there is any blame to be laid it rests wholly and solely with our inept forward pack. A half back, no matter how good they are cannot produce any magic what so-ever what their pack is not making ground. Any one questioning DCE and if his heart is still in the game just needs to look at how he performed and stayed opn the field after suffering high ankle syndesmosis (however it's spelt) on Friday. While the team’s prospects this season seem to be going down the drain, we have enough talent coming through to rise and be a force again in the not too distant future. Fingers crossed Tom Wright will be ready for next season. Good luck to the Titans, you have two very bright prospects, look after them as the vultures will come for them.
Tony
Guest
As decent a game as Moylan had in game 1 I'd start with Tedesco and drop him to the bench. So Cartwright in for Cordner. Maybe injuries / unavailability will sort out who James can come in for but unlikely.
Ken
Guest
Yeah, he's a bit of a wild card. Certainly can be a game breaker if they can harness him.
Ken
Guest
It's a tough one, fans love home-grown stars they can follow from lower grades to success but you've got to get the fans in the first place and create an environment that can develop good young players - a couple of well-placed imports can really help with that. Not so sure that the Storm turn every player into a superstar. A number of journeyman players have looked their best playing simple roles off that ridiculously elite spine but very few that could be called stars. Of the player you mentioned only Koroibete comes closel and he already held the Tigers club record for most tries in a game before the Storm bought him. Note that when players like Smith, Cronk, & Slater started they were playing in a team with lots of experienced imports.
Agent11
Guest
I agree, they just need to keep doing what they are doing and not throw the bank at some mercenary superstar that could destabilize the club.
Albo
Guest
And if he has his head right, new recruit Konrad Hurrell too, should give them some real impact out wide !
Heich
Guest
Wrong they do not need super stars. They need to create stars in waiting. Such are stars, Kane Elgey, Ash Taylor, Anthony Don, Passi etc. They are a quality team with bright potential and can be seen displayed in every game. See teams like Storms. I bet they turn every player into super stars. players like korobeite, Vanivalu, Ryan Morgan Chaise Blair they will become super stars. Why the answer remains with the Storm coach and the team.
Kingcowboy
Guest
I hate to admit it but I think you are right. Personally, I would rather see a young team come through without the "big name" players. Seeing a team grow from the bottom up is a great thing to me. It makes the good times better knowing that your team has come through the tough times.
Ken
Guest
I think everyone was expecting the wheels to fall off after the first month or so of the comp but they've never really looked like falling back. Come the halfway mark of the season and a mid-range Titans team now seems natural. It made sense that they would be easy-beats. They already had the spoon in 2015, they messed up their salary cap with the turnaround deal with DCE and then lost their only standout weapon in Roberts. A bit of luck with recruitment though, with promising players like Taylor and Paasi instantly making an impact (and Peats being added recently) as well as some good coaching bringing out their best - now they look like a real football team. Certainly will be interesting once Elgey is back next year.
McNaulty
Guest
The thing DCE would have brought is his star status and therefore a probable increase in crowds. Hopefully the crowds will start turning up with wins but I think the Titans need at least one superstar - someone like Inglis, Smith, Hayne, SBW, Cronk, Folau, maybe even K. Hunt (on much less than those others mentioned)....in order to get headlines.
The Barry
Roar Guru
The Titans have Cullen as well who has played two games this season and done well. I keep waiting for the wheels to fall off for the Titans but glad they keep aiming up. They're a great example of what can happen when everyone plays as hard as they can if not every week then certainly most. I was shattered when Elgey was injured pre season. He was the young player from last year that I was most looking forward to watching this year. An Elgey / Taylor halves partnership is an exciting prospect.
Red Dog
Guest
There may be a few Manly fans that wish DCE did move on , new coach , new owners , new team all built up around the golden boy of the peninsula , and a new result for the Sea Eagles . Third last halfway through the season and I doubt they will change their standing much through the rest of the year . Tooves would be having a little chuckle to himself along with thousands of supporters from other teams .