Heading into the 2021 NRL season, there was a lot of hype around the Gold Coast Titans.
Star recruit David Fifita was poached from ‘big brother’ the Brisbane Broncos. Herman Ese’ese was poached from the Newcastle Knights and of course there was Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.
The experts were tipping top eight. Others were bold and going for a potential top four. For fans it was more the seasonal hope of a return to the finals series after so many years lost in the wilderness when October comes each and every year.
A quarter of the way through the season it is time to run a fine tooth comb through the Gold Coast Titans of 2021 at this point, and see what has worked and what hasn’t, as we try to evaluate as fans of the club whether it is time to start saving our paycheques to begin preparing for a finals series ticket.
Justin Holbrook
On the back of a strong season, despite finishing just outside the top eight come the season’s finals series in 2020, the board at the Gold Coast Titans elected to extend the contract of their head coach.
It was considered a weird decision considering the coach was just in his first year of his contract with the club.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
The game of rugby league changed throughout the pandemic and has morphed into a faster game as those in power continue to take the game to the next level.
The gamble the board took in extending the contract of the coach looks, thus far, to be a master stroke as he has shown his rugby league mind has been able to adapt to new tactics to keep the team relevant and in the mix throughout the games.
The team
The team as a whole looks to be pretty settled. Players know their roles in the game, and what their tasks on and off the field are.
No one is perfect, and while there are teams at the top of the table that are performing consistently, the players throughout the team seem to struggle as a unit to perform to their potential at the same time.
It is easy to suggest that it is up to the big-name players – the ones taking up a major portion of the salary cap – to cause the headaches for opposition. And to some degree it is true. However, it is also those on the smaller contracts who need to play like the million-dollar players.
With a 3-4 start to the season, it is easy to jump on one of two bandwagons when it comes to the Gold Coast Titans – you are either on the bandwagon believing this is the year, or on the bandwagon to hate on the club for not performing to your expectations.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
A quarter of the way into the season, the team has obviously shown glimpses of what they can do when they do click but they have been inconsistent thus far and therefore it makes it difficult to back them week in and week out. It all depends on what team shows up on the day.
In saying that, however, the team looks more relaxed, settled and fluent on the field than what we have seen from them in recent campaigns. Players look fitter. Watching on the cameras at halftime they don’t seem to be as exhausted as they have in seasons past.
Whether they have the longevity to see out the whole season is another question altogether, but there seems to be no issues within the team.
The million-dollar men
The salary cap, player retention and decisions relating to a club are important, especially when you have an entire south-east region of the state watching you closer than your dog watches your plate at dinner time.
It is something every club has to juggle. Some are lucky enough to already have players within their system while others are lacking in certain aspects and need to rely on outside help to cover a spot. It is not as easy as us armchair experts at home think.
When it comes to the salary cap, you can either pay on current talent, risking your roster growing old by sinking funds into the players you know, or you pay on potential once you identify a player that you believe in your structure could be the next greatest player in the game.
The difficulty is getting the balance right.
The Gold Coast Titans have a sad history of paying overs for players to lure them to the glitter strip – paying on neither current talent or potential, rather paying on previous talent but looking for a big-name signing.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Immediately when you begin talking million-dollar men and the Gold Coast Titans, thoughts rush to the current names Ash Taylor, David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui – among the three highest players on the 2021 playing roster for the Gold Coast Titans.
Fifita in particular was called out by the experts following a pretty ordinary Round 1 performance, and has now scored nine tries already this season.
The 21-year-old is also equal first for line breaks at this early part of the season with nine accredited to his name, to go with his 1023 running metres.
Fa’asuamaleaui was signed by the Titans in 2019, and therefore was largely lost in the hype towards the 2021 season following the Titans securing the prized signature of Fifita from the Brisbane Broncos.
Despite his young age, the experience he received under arguably the best coach in the game in Craig Bellamy at the Melbourne Storm on their way to the 2020 premiership was worth more than what money could buy.
Currently suspended, Fa’asuamaleaui – although young – has shown he does have a calm head on his shoulders. I know it is ironic writing this when he is suspended for foul play.
There are times when he lifts the players around him: the forwards, backs, whoever it is. He has a tendency to inspire, whether it be a big bruising tackle, a last-second offload or just a strong, hard run.
He has run for 856 metres in his six appearances so far this season, but for Fa’ausamaleaui he is always among the best performers for the club even on disappointing days.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
And that off course brings us to Ash Taylor. He is usually the one that trolls target, as do most journalists and at some point. But Ash Taylor only has one critic he truly has to answer to and that is himself.
The 26-year-old Ash Taylor can be seen as the first hammer blow the Titans struck against the Broncos back in 2015. This was the halfback the Broncos had been banking on and he was snatched from under their noses.
Taylor made his debut for the Titans in Round 1 of the 2016 season alongside fellow club debutants John Olive, Tyrone Roberts, Chris McQueen and David Shillington. In his 12 appearances that season he scored four tries, kicked 18 goals and a field goal to finish second on the club’s point scoring list for the season with 53 points, just three behind Tyrone Roberts.
Lean years for the club as a whole followed. Despite languishing near the bottom of the ladder, the name Ash Taylor would more times than not be among the statistics come the end of the season for kick metres, line break assists, and try assists due to his precise kicking game.
It was his hefty price tag that drew the ire of most and made him the target for social media abuse, which unfortunately saw him take two months away from the game in 2019 to deal with mental health issues that resulted from the intense public scrutiny.
At the back end of 2020 Taylor along with Jamal Fogarty helped the Titans go on a five-match winning streak to close out the pandemic-affected season.
The wraps were high on the playmakers, and it shows that you do not have to be on the big money for big things to be expected.
Fogarty and Taylor have in 2021 thus far been a poor combination, as it seems the 27-year-old Fogarty struggles with the expectations that have come on the back of his performances throughout 2020.
(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
Ash Taylor would no doubt be the first to put his hand up to say at times he has not performed as he’d like, whether it be circumstances, or the rub of the green during the 80 minutes of game time, but he cannot be questioned for his lack of effort.
Is he worth $1 million? He has been, he has shown he can be, and it will be up to coach Holbrook, the coaching team and ultimately the list manager to bring Ash Taylor back to his best.
No matter what team you follow or support as a footy fan, you like watching good footy and the Gold Coast Titans team firing with all cylinders with an in-form Ash Taylor is as good as anything.
The frustrating
As fans of the game and as supporters of the club, there are some frustrating aspects that the Gold Coast Titans are guilty of. For the club to develop into serious contenders, they need to work on these things.
At the time of writing, a look through the NRL stats section will show three Titans players inside the top ten for penalties conceded – Patrick Herbert with seven penalties in as many games tops the list, while Mo Fotuaika on five is in fifth position, and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is sixth with four.
While I know it doesn’t seem like a lot, especially in this day and age with the speed of the game quickened with set restarts, it has almost become part of the landscape of the game already to give away the set restart on the early tackle to provide your team with more time to get set.
When you add to that the handling errors the Gold Coast Titans happen to come up with, it does make for a very frustrating match to watch. Alexander Brimson, despite all of his brilliance, also seems to be struggling from expectations following his Queensland State of Origin debut last season.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
He backs himself with ball in hand, and it is something you like to see from a young player – too many voices in your head can ruin a young gun as we have seen happen with Taylor. However, at the moment it is like AJ Brimson feels he has to produce every time he has the ball.
In saying that, he has eight handling errors to sit 13th overall on the list for them at this point of the season. That is something no doubt he is not happy with and will be working hard on for the remainder of the season to stay fit and to reduce that number.
Is Mitch Rein the answer for the Titans? There was hope in the pre-season that the side may have pulled off the biggest coup of all with the signing of Cameron Smith. However, it wasn’t to be and by then the Titans had put their eggs in the basket of Mitch Rein, opting not to renew the contract of Nathan Peats during the off season.
It is commendable to have a relatively young roster as the Titans currently do. However it can come with issues when it comes to having a calm, cool head who is able to control the game. Cameron Smith – while retired from playing – could still be the answer for the Gold Coast Titans.
The Smith family have planted their roots on the Gold Coast, and while Smith retired as a one-club player with the Melbourne Storm, as the GOAT he could offer so much to the young Titans-based players – in particular the likes of Erin Clark, Tanah Boyd and Mitch Rein, just working with them and sharing knowledge and tips that could prove pivotal in the later rounds of this season and as these players continue to move forward with their careers.
(Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
Sometimes the lack of experience is on display for the Titans in the crucial times and it seems like players begin to panic and try to create the miracle play themselves rather than having the cool head around to help them through. As a Titans fan it is frustrating.
It’s more frustrating when it is the experienced players who you’d think would take the younger players around them from the collar and rise them up. But the experienced players seem to be making the basic schoolboy errors.
Conclusion
So is it worth jumping on the bandwagon of the Gold Coast Titans? Is it the year to be excited? Is it the year we return to the finals?
The Gold Coast Titans are one of the most frustrating teams to watch. The slogan for Queensland is beautiful one day, perfect the next. Unfortunately for the Gold Coast, their team does not replicate the state’s slogan. Mind you, do any of the Queensland clubs so far this season?
With some guidance, and the more season goes, you will find the side will gel even more and more consistency would be the result.
While the season is still young, it is these early games and competition points the club are currently missing out on that could prove the difference come the finals.
The Titans will win more games than they lose this year and will scrape into the top eight. For them to challenge for top four in future seasons, there is a lot of work to do.
For now, Titans fans, start calling the broker and prepare that loan as finals tickets, warm beers and cold pies are on your horizon.
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
Assume 5 teams Panthers, Rabbitohs, Storm, Roosters and Eels are all more than likely to make the top 8 for the finals. Then the remaining 3 spots will be fought out between 6 clubs- Titans, Knights, Raiders, Dragons, Warriors and Manly. (apologies in advance but I have ruled out the Sharks, Dogs, Cows, Tigers and Broncos). It will come down to consistency, all of Manly, Raiders, Knights, Warriors and St George have shown potential to be a dark horse, and they can play good footy. For the Titans to make finals footy they will need to be better than at least 3 of these teams? We are Round 8, almost 1/3 of the season gone – too early to call me thinks, but you know who they have to beat. Like some other comments in this blog – the worrying sign was the thrashing by Manly, now Manly could well be the season’s dark horse, but that scoreline was ugly. The match against the Rabbitohs however showed a very good Titans team that while Work in progress is to be respected, both sides played some fantastic footy, if the Titans can play like they did in that game on consistent basis and build on that then I have no doubt they will make the 8.
Andy J
Roar Rookie
The loss to manly had me devastated the loss to south’s while frustrating was a pretty good performance. Not many teams will lead south’s 24-10 at half time, and while there were some defensive lapses the quality of the tries south’s had to score were exceptional and not many teams outside the top four would score them. Let’s hope we can put together. Good performance this week, and we play the Brisbane v parammata side not the Brisbane v Penrith.
Tom G
Roar Rookie
Sadly one of the halves is Ash Taylor
Tom G
Roar Rookie
Holbrook is obviously a pretty decent coach, he did well in SL over a few seasons and really lifted a pretty ordinary roster last year to being the top performing Qld side.. not a bad effort. The coach isn’t the problem and his pack seems decent enough as is the fullback and quite a few others. The halves however just aren’t first grade material. Fogarty is ok but nothing special which would be ok if the guy beside him was the star he is meant to be. He just isn’t. Taylor is patchy at best. He played his best game in a few seasons last weekend, really impressive but went missing after half time totally. Too much money tied up in this bloke over too many years for him to be so ordinary.
Crow
Roar Pro
Let’s see how they perform in the South East Qld derby against the stung Broncos.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Nice summary, Your Dudeness ! Right now the Titans are getting by mainly on the back of the individual talents of Fifita, whilst tremendous, are still limited to hat tricks ! :silly: The real issue is their overall teamwork which is limited by the quality of their spine. They need big improvements from their 6,7 & 9 to run the rest around the park in both attack & defence. At this stage I am not sure they are up to producing it on a consistent basis. I see them likely on the fringe of the 8 with a few others.
The Peoples Dude
Roar Rookie
Hey @Tony, First of all thanks for reading the article and taking the time to comment that loss (to Manly) was a true eye opening moment for me as a fan, and hope it was the same for the players. The loss to Souths, while alarming, at the same time not too bad the big question was asked pre-match whether they could take it to the top 4 - the answer is yes they can take it to the top 4 but they lack the experience at the moment to get themselves over the line.
The Peoples Dude
Roar Rookie
Thanks @andrew, Obviously as a fan I like to see the Titans do well. In all honesty - and its so hard with so many results and unknowns right now - but I'd say Top 8 yes, Top 4 No! Unfortunately, there are some players putting their hands up not to be offered a new contract, and at the moment there is the baffling such as the signing of Ese'ese and yet no matches a quarter of the way into the season. Time will tell :) Thanks for reading the article though greatly appreciate it.
Paul
Roar Guru
In years gone by, there was an assumption that any team which made the finals was going to be competitive. That means beating all sides below them and being competitive against other finals teams. It also used to mean being competitive once teams got into the finals In 7 games so far this season, they've only played two finals teams, the Raiders and Rabbitohs, both of whom beat them pretty comfortably in the end. The really big concern has to be the hiding the Titans were given by Manly, a side that's improving but not finals quality. That a team which is aiming to play finals has this record with a relatively easy draw, should be sounding serious alarm bells. The Titans may well make the finals (I doubt it), but unless they really lift in many areas, they'll be hammered in the finals.
mushi
Roar Guru
They are a team where young high potential halves could flourish. Expectations aren't(or shouldn't be) high and the forward pack is a monster.
armc2906
Roar Rookie
Good analysis TPD. I think the Titans are travelling ok. I really think their finish to last year was a bit deceptive. While great to see them string some wins together, they were never going to play finals so their wasn't a lot at stake in those games. I think seven rounds in they're in that mid-table group that is competing for the last few spots in the eight. They're a bit behind the likes of Panthers, Rabbitohs, Roosters, etc; but at the same time are above the bottom four. The big test will come through July and August when the pressure builds and they need to beat those teams that are currently around them. It is great to see them relevant again...
Contego
Guest
They will finish somewhere between 6th and 12th with the next few weeks deciding where. The defence is a definite worry but they have a lot of weaknesses that good coaches will exploit. The penalties conceded for Herbert is a big worry given he’s a centre and I thought Proctor or Wallace would have more than Moe
Tony
Roar Guru
Nice article Dude, an interesting analysis from an obviously devoted and frustrated fan. At the beginning of the season I had the Titans sneaking into the 8, however the big loss to Manly followed by being run down by Souths must be sounding alarm bells. Like a lot of clubs, it looks like they've got the squad to make some noise this year, as long as the squad has the desire.
andrew
Roar Rookie
P.D, I'd like to see the Titans do well,but at this stage they're maybe a top 8 contender, nowhere near the top 4. Holbrook's going to have to make the tough decisions on who to send packing if the Titans are to seriously challenge the teams in the top tier.