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Justin Holbrook’s job is hanging by a thread after another embarrassing loss, with the Titans going down 36-26 to the Canterbury Bulldogs at CommBank Stadium.
It is the club’s eighth on the trot and with the Titans coach coming under increasing pressure, he called for reinforcements to his squad ahead of the August 1 deadline, with spine players top of the wishlist.
“It’s pretty obvious that we need an experienced half and probably an experienced hooker as well,” said Holbrook.
“We’ve got the make-up of a good side. These guys are trying so hard and we just need a bit more direction out on the field and those little periods that we’re having that have cost us numerous times this year won’t happen.
“I don’t comment too much on recruitment, it’s an ongoing thing, but as a club we’re in a position to look at those areas which we want to do. We have plenty of guys that are trying so hard but we just lack a little bit out on the field.
“I’m confident as a coach that when we get those key positions sorted, we’ll be fine.”
Holbrook left the coaches box at halftime and watched from the sideline as his side staged a minor rally after the break, though they left themselves with far too much to do after trailing 26-10 at the break.
The manner in which his side capitulated – again – in defence is no longer excusable at this level. There were some that were putting in extra levels of commitment, particularly captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and second-gamer Jojo Fifita, but too many who failed at basic levels of competence, organisation and execution.
“We came out of the blocks slow and made some poor decisions in D that left us with too much work to do in the second half,” said the coach. “We’ve got to be better for 80 minutes to give ourselves a chance of winning.
“We’re not happy with how many losses we’ve had. As a club, there’s a lot of inexperience in key positions and that’s been a tough learning curve for all of us. We’re preparing as best we can.
“It’s a tough day for us today but there’s plenty of fight in the boys and that’s what I need to be seeing.”
This is a Bulldogs team that have revitalised their attack since Mick Potter got the job, but they could not have expected to find it so easy. Josh Addo-Carr had a hat-trick within 45 minutes, two of them long-range interceptions, and other first half scores for Matt Burton, Jeremy Marshall-King were far, far too soft.
This is the ninth time in 19 games that the Titans have conceded more than 30 points. They are yet to win a game away in 2022. Only the Dogs putting the cue in the rack early kept the score even half respectable.
Jason Kiraz makes a break. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Beyond the coaching pressure on Holbrook, there was the rerun of Matt Burton v Fa’asuamaleaui from Origin 3, with Dogs enforcer Tevita Pangai jnr having promised to step in on behalf of his teammate if required.
Tino was jeered constantly by the raucous Canterbury crowd, and the entry of TPJ in the 25th minute was met with great anticipation. He made a beeline for Fa’asuamaleaui and they came in from all parts. Perhaps Holbrook’s best decision of the day was to choose that moment to give his skipper a breather.
Trent Barrett’s Bulldogs tried to be the Dogs of War, but Mick Potter’s are The Entertainers, with points fests a regular occurrence these days.
“It’s a solid result today,” said Potter. “We were a little disappointed in some of the tries scored against us, but that’s where we are at the moment.
“I think we can do better and it leaves a little sour taste in the mouth in terms of what we thought we could have done and what actually happened, but happy for a win. Any win is a good win.”
With ball in hand, they are a breath of fresh air. The willingness to offload, spread wide and attack via the wings has been on show in recent weeks, where Canterbury have run up scores on Souths, Parramatta and Wests Tigers, with only a game in a monsoon against the Sharks an exception.
Burton and Addo-Carr’s rapport on the left edge goes from strength to strength and the performances of youngsters Jacob Kiraz and Aaron Schoupp will give fans plenty to look forward to. They might be playing only for pride at this stage, but there was plenty of it on display from both the players and the 11,726 fans at CommBank Stadium.
Potter has become more assured in recent weeks and expressed an interest in taking a more permanent role at Belmore once his interim period ends.
With Cameron Ciraldo heavily rumoured to be the next head coach, that might be elsewhere in the staff, but after the effect that he has had, it’s hard to argue against the current incumbent staying on somewhere.
“It’s a fantastic club and I’d like to help them,” said Potter. “I think I can in some capacity, whatever that might be I’m happy to talk to whoever it is.
“The fans are enjoying a couple of wins that we’ve had. The players are playing what they see and I’m really happy for them. The crowd’s happy when you win and that’s all that matters for them. They just want you to win.”
Burton darted on his own 20 early in the game and caught Patrick Herbert in a slide, splitting the line wide open. Addo-Carr proved how quickly he had shaken off his glute issue by sprinting up on the side, taking the pass and cruising to the line.
On the first serious set from the Titans, hooker Aaron Booth slid a kick through and found Toby Sexton for a very simple try.
If the Dogs’ defence can be weak, the Titans’ tackling can be near non-existent. After AJ Brimson had failed to deal with a Burton kick, resulting in a set on the line, Marshall-King stepped through from dummy half under the posts for a very, very easy four points.
Fa’asuamaleaui claimed an eye gouge and Corey Waddell was put on report. The Titans skipper later told Fox League he didn’t think there was any intent from the Bulldogs forward to cause damage.
Booth sought Brimson on the short side, but Addo-Carr read it, took the intercept and went the length. Jojo Fifita put in a superb effort to reach him from the other wing, but only enough to knock the Foxx from his feet as he put the ball down.
Kiraz fended through Tanah Boyd and raced 70m, and while Brimson did stop him, the Dogs simply spread to the left to Marshall-King, who found the line shot and put Burton over for another.
The Dogs were then undone by another simple kick play: this time, David Fifita the beneficiary.
The tries just kept coming after the break. Addo-Carr completed the hat-trick by picking off a Sexton pass to race another easy 80m to the line.
Sexton again found nobody at home, Flanagan got a bad bounce and Philip Sami was on hand to get to the putdown before the dead ball line.
The theme continued. Herbert rose high above Aaron Schoupp to take another kick, this one from Boyd, and suddenly it looked on.
It didn’t last. The defence fell apart again, and it was no surprise that Addo-Carr and Burton were at the heart of it: Herbert, again, was caught inside and though the Foxx could have gone for the line, he looked inside to his five eighth for Burton’s second.
The points kept flowing. David Fifita took the short kick off, the Titans moved into good ball and his cousin Jojo was able to cross for a first try in the NRL.
The resistance had been fleeting. Though the Gold Coast did show some pride to get themselves back within 10, there was always the feeling that their tackling would let them down in the end. The Dogs always had far too much.