You know, 2016 was a perfect season for the Gold Coast Titans.
This was a team in tatters, one that had just lost their star centre and their gun young playmaker was out for the season.
However the stars aligned, Ashley Taylor turned out to be the best thing since sliced bread, cap troubles forced Peats out of Parramatta, they managed to snag Konrad Hurrell, and Jarryd Hayne returned to the code mid-season.
I don’t think anyone could have imagined a real season going this well for the team that were the wooden spoon favourites this time last year.
Yet here they are, a team that has gone from strength to strength, recruiting well and it really does look like that they will make the finals once again in 2017, with a spine that includes a gun halves combination, Jarryd Hayne, and soon to be State of Origin hooker Nathan Peats.
Can this team do it again and make the eight once more? Or were they really just a big old ‘flash in the pan’? Well as a completely unqualified human I am here to tell you.
Strengths
This is one of the best young halves combination I have seen since Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran in 2011.
Kane Elgey in 2015 demonstrated the class he has showing play far beyond his years despite a few injury hiccups.
Meanwhile, while Elgey was injured in 2016 Ashley Taylor came into the Titans side as a complete rookie and helped guide them to the finals with his amazing kicking game.
With Wayne Bennett already reportedly attempting to lure him back to the Broncos’ fold, it is fair to say this kid and his halves partner have a wonderful future ahead of them.
This second row of the Titans is wonderful. Chris Mcqueen successfully reinvigorated his career last year, once again looking like the State of Origin level second rower he was in the past.
Kevin Proctor meanwhile has been a mainstay of the New Zealand side since 2012 and it isn’t hard to see why.
Jarrod Wallace is a young forward currently on the raise and Zeb Taia will provide the squad with an injection of life off of the bench.
Nathan Peats is a very, very talented dummy-half. He isn’t one of the game’s elites yet and does have issues in terms of injury but his defence and service around the ruck is top tier. There is a reason he is heavily tipped to take over Robbie Farah’s NSW No.9 jersey.
And finally, Jarryd Hayne. The two time Dally M winner carried a team into the grand final one year on his back, which just shows how much natural talent he has.
He was a little off when he first came back to the league last year, mostly because he just spent the previous year and a bit practicing and training for a different sport. However with a pre-season he should be back to his best. And his best is good enough to drag a team into the top 8.
Weaknesses
I don’t like their backline at all. John Olive is a promising young player and Hurrell finally gained consistency last year but the rest of it is average at best.
Meanwhile, Dan Sarginson is probably not going to work at all. Granted I haven’t seen much of this guy, but I want someone to name an English back that has had a decent career in Australia in the past 10 years.
Considering other backs with bigger wraps on them like Tomkins and Hardaker have failed I highly doubt Sarginson will buck that trend.
I like the forwards of this Titans team but I think it might have depth issues. With David Shillington retired they are down that one depth prop in case of injury, and if injury strikes they may suffer.
I may have praised Jarryd Hayne earlier but he does come with an asterisk. You see, he may be a great player but in a huge problem with him and his time at Parramatta is that they got too reliant on him.
The strategy of ‘chuck it to Hayne’ worked in 2009 but from then on out it didn’t do too much. It wasn’t until 2014 when Parramatta got more options in attack that they started to threaten the top 8.
So as good as Hayne is, this Titans side has to be weary of falling into the same trap, especially with their great young halves combination.
However, I do have faith in their coach and think they will avoid falling into this trap.
Summary
This is a very good squad no matter how you cut it. Their spine is great, their forwards are good and the backs are at the very least serviceable.
They are a side that demonstrated that they have the heart and spirit of an elite team in 2016. And now for 2017 they have the side of an elite team. If they can transfer that over they will be a premiership threat.
I can’t really see this team missing the 8 unless something catastrophic happens. And from there I don’t think I can see them making it far into the finals, maybe even the grand final.
However I don’t believe they will win it this year. This side needs another year of gelling before that can happen.
For a club that looked like it might be dropped by the NRL and/or purchased by the North Sydney Bears, everything is looking up.
They are finally able to attract decent players to their squad, they have a great coach and amazing facilities.
The sky is the limit for this club if they can keep their core group of young guys in the long term.
2016 finish: 8th
Predicted 2017 finish: 3rd
Transfers
Gains: Dan Sarginson, Jarrod Wallace, Kevin Proctor, Paterika Vaivai, Tyler Cornish, Daniel Vidot
Losses: Nathan Friend, David Hala, Nene Macdonald, David Mead, Cameron Cullen, Luke Douglas, Josh Hoffman, Greg Bird, Jed Cartwright, Daniel Mortimer, Brian Kelly, Matt Srama, David Shillington
Full-strength team
1. Jarryd Hayne
2. Daniel Vidot
3. John Olive
4. Konrad Hurrell
5. Anthony Don
6. Kane Elgey
7. Ashley Taylor
8. Ryan James
9. Nathan Peats
10. Leivaha Pulu
11. Chris Mcqueen
12. Kevin Proctor
13. Jarrod Wallace
14. Tyrone Roberts
15. Agnatius Paasi
16. Eddy Pettybourne
17. Zeb Taia
Albo
Guest
Like a lot of clubs, they have a pretty good starting 17 when at full strength. But not sure they have the depth if they cop some injuries ( and they do have a few in their squad that spend a bit of time on the sidelines as a rule ). I like their off season buys of Proctor & Wallace and even the Sarginson buy indicates the awareness to improve their backline. The return of Elgey is a massive boost and the improvements expected from Taylor & Hayne give them a serious look when at full strength. They have a good coach. My queries are (1) the loss of Bird as their natural on field leader & who steps up now ? (2) I have serious concerns about the durability of Peats to see a season out , and they need a reliable 9 to make an impact. (3) they are based on the Gold Coast which in itself is a traditional deterrent to focused footy activity of any code, (4) Depth looks ordinary if they suffer some injuries. I can see them make the 8, only if all goes right for them.
RIGGS
Guest
Don't kid yourself, the Illawarra is the Sutherland in Cronulla, The Warringah in Manly and the Bankstown in Canterbury. Should have always bee the Illawarra Dragons but the Steelers party sold out. Steelers are goneski, 2 games in Wollongong per year...pffftttt. I do remember less empty seats at games in the 90's and jerseys not changing every season? Funny the AFL pretty much stick with their jerseys and dominate our NRL. And never mock Tina....Tom Jones and Jessica Mauboy have been epic flops.
Keith Sheldon
Roar Guru
I will be honest, I do think I should have switched them with the team I have coming fifth along with some other shuffles. But it was too late to re-arrange my ladder since I was a third of the way through my previews at that point.
BigJ
Roar Guru
go back to the ninties mate, and by the way the Steelers aint gone they merge with the Dragons. Bears fair enough, better them then the Eagles.
BigJ
Roar Guru
Keith, nice article mate, i think you have hit the nail right in the head with the prediction, they wont take out the minor premiership but third i reckon is right on the money. the Titans are going from strength to strength and are looking lije real contenders this year dispite the weekend game against the Warriors. Its not how you start the season but how you finish it. I think that the halves will be a force this year and although thier back line is not the best theyll come together well. as already said its only a matter of time before the Titans are the premiers.
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Hayne, Proctor, Sarginson and Hurrell should all be right to go in round 1 - but a lack of training may come back to bite Henry on the butt if he chooses to start them before they're ripe. Peats will probably miss the first 3 games. His shoulder went back into place fairly quickly. Tyronne Roberts will take his place at hooker.
Bing
Guest
Prediction: another season of Hayne based headlines and reminders the NRL should never have allowed a team on the Gold Coast. Giants-Seagulls-Chargers-Titans-Haynes. Bring back the Steelers, Bears and Tina Turner's Simply The Best.
andrew
Guest
I don't think they have much depth either - but then other than maybe the Panthers, not many teams really do. What they do have in their favour is that if you had to name the best four halves (including 5/8's) from every club, with Roberts, Elgy, Taylor and Hayne all players experienced in either 6 or 7, they have depth there. For most clubs if they lose a 6 or 7 it is almost certainly the end of the road for them but the Titans could make do.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I don't disagree with you Keith re depth. Teams that get a good run with injuries or can cover better for them will be advantaged. I'm surprised you think the Titans have a lot of depth though. Outside their top 17 (and even a couple of spots within it) are a bit thin.
Keith Sheldon
Roar Guru
This was written before the Zeb Taia thing happened. Depth is an important thing for all teams, which is why I value it so highly and teams with terrible depth (like the Rabbitohs) are punished so harshly in my ladder. I think the difference between teams this year is non-existent, and in scenarios like this it comes down to the quality of players outside your top 17.
kk
Roar Pro
The injury list is disconcerting. Peats, dislocated shoulder and Politoni ,broken arm added to supposed knee problems for Hayne, Proctor, Sarginson and Hurrell. Titans play games 1, 3 and 4 against Easts, Eels and Cowboys at home and travel to Hunter for game 2. In Season 2017 there will be few certainties.
Ron Swanson
Roar Guru
3rd?!?! I think your weakness was spot on and 3rd spot will be a stretch. Making the 8 again will be tough and highly commendable. A few injuries and the depth is pretty bare judging by some of the "squad" players in action on the weekend against the Warriors.
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
Just rang him. They haven't turned him away. They're still talking, that's just what they have have told him about their current level of interest. Could be BS of course to keep the price up. He'll probably close something, depends on what the deal looks like. But they definitely haven't shown him the door Becoming a patron of a player is an option that hasn't been discarded, but his concern is the lack of direct brand association with the Titans which has more goodwill attached to it than any one player. Outside of Hayne (who has a great personal brand) he's not convinced there is enough personal brand value in any one player which allows him to effectively use the guy for the money spent compared to other avenues of promotion or advertising. Spiv also worries about what happens if a guy does an ACL or goes mental in a nightclub. Although you might pay more for a club sponsorship, or a piece of the action in some part of the Titans enterprise, the risk is spread across the club as a whole and not concentrated in one player. You really need some household names and faces for TPA. And the number of those guys is pretty rare. Which I think probably explains why TPAs are faltering - unless its an off the books and under the table defacto playing payment. Most would be in that category in my estimation. Where are all these players on TV or in web ads?
The eye
Guest
A. Taylor not A. Graham
Adomental
Guest
>but I want someone to name an English back that has had a decent career in Australia in the past 10 years. Brian Carney had a killer 2006 for Newcastle, won the Dally M winger of the year award. (Admittedly 2006 is more than 10 seasons ago.)
The Barry
Roar Guru
I've never heard of a club or player who hasn't been training the house down in the off season. I take that with a grain of salt. Interesting that the Titans turned your mate down for sponsorship. Great they're doing well but it seems pretty poor business to be turning sponsors away instead of creating more opportunities. There's another article going on the Roar at the moment about how hard it is to secureTPA deals. I wonder if Spiv would like to be introduced to Kane Elgey or Agnatius Paasi, etc as a third party sponsor?
The eye
Guest
Defences will have to cope with a right side attack on the line of A.Graham, Proctor, Hurrell and Hayne..James,Paasi and Wallace(Greenwood another big body) down the middle..and clever grubbers from Elgey..should be more fluent than last year with all the late arrivals but..unfortunately half the side are going to start the season carrying injuries..
eels47
Roar Rookie
Outside of the spine, the Titans still come up short in a number of areas in my opinion. Their forward pack is a good one, but not in the top packs in the game yet. I agree with Andrew that you cannot undersell the impact of losing Greg Bird. The guy was a leader for this team and always gave it his all for them. I think 3rd is too high for them, but they are capable or finishing high on the ladder. I think they will finish in the bottom half of the 8, and will have the potential to trouble teams come finals time.
Jack Colwill
Roar Rookie
I think it's impossible to judge Sarginson yet, because he's come in so under the radar. Quite a few of the guys who have done the best in NRL coming from England in recent years, like Josh Hodgson, Elliot Whitehead and the like, have come in under the radar and been more successful than the guys like Tomkins and Hardaker that you've mentioned. I'm interested to see how he goes, but I will remind that the backline is a much harder place for English players to succeed in the NRL than in the forward pack. Don't know exactly why, but it just seems to be the way.
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
Excellent analysis TB. I was talking to my mate The Spiv up in Surfers Paradise about the Titans last week and he made two interesting comments. 1. Neil Henry is now in his third season as coach and has overseen a revolution in playing roster and culture. They have a settled side now and they have the wind in their sails from last season's results. Hayne has apparently been going been off the scale in off season training. 2. Spiv wants a piece of sponsorship action in one place or another with them and has been told that membership, corporate sales and sponsorship have already exceeded the full 2017 year's revenue budget for the Titans. That's good for the back office. Like you, I'm looking forward to seeing the halves combination. Elgey's back after a pre-season injury took him off the field for all of last year, and Taylor came out of nowhere last year and still won Dally M Rookie of the Year while playing most of the year with an injury. Don't forget Tyrone Roberts who stepped up like a boss and filled in for Elgey to great effect. They lost a few games last year by the a couple of points or so which if they had have been converted to wins, could have seen them placed higher. Their job will be to win the close games. If they can keep their good talent fit and on the field for most of the season, they'll be able to mix it with anyone. What I do like - and call me old-fashioned - about the Titans is this. They have over 6000 juniors in their catchment area. Kevin Proctor, Jarrod Wallace, Ryan James and Kane Elgey are all Gold Coast Juniors and are in the squad. The young grommets should be invigorated to kick the footy around in Winter instead of slipping on a wetsuit. They haven't made any extravagant claims about this season, but I think they'll be very competitive.