NRL 2022: Tigers v Titans farce not a sign of weakness ahead of expansion claims Abdo
The NRL insists there is enough talent to fill expansion teams despite fears that Thursday night’s Titans-Tigers borefest proves otherwise.
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The NRL is monitoring the quality of games amid fears the introduction of the Dolphins and a player drain could cause more Titans-Tigers style shockers.
Fans were left aghast on Thursday night as the Titans and Tigers produced one of the worst spectacles of the NRL era.
Punctuated by 27 errors and a general lack of skill, the Titans eventually snatched victory with the first try of the game after 79 minutes to record a face-saving 8-6 win at Cbus Super Stadium.
While it was a tight contest, the match never reached any great heights from an entertainment perspective, with some claiming it was the worst game in living memory.
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The 2022 NRL season has so far generally been more competitive and entertaining than last year’s blowout-ridden competition where teams struggled to adapt to new rules.
But there is a genuine fear about where Redcliffe expansion club the Dolphins will find 36 NRL quality players to add to the competition next year when it moves to 17 teams.
The Dolphins’ recruitment drive for their foundation season has been slow, with coach Wayne Bennett so far only securing eight players in the lead-up to pre-season training beginning in November.
NRL chief Andrew Abdo said the league carefully studied talent pathways before deciding there would be enough quality players to fill a new franchise.
“When you look at expansion in any code around the world, it’s a bit of ‘chicken and egg’ as you open up opportunities for players,” he said.
“We have extensive feeder programs in NSW and Queensland and we’re looking at other ways to widen the pathways in other parts of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.
This Titans vs Tigers game pic.twitter.com/nbFkhSdRmI
— Simpsons Related NRL Memes (@Simpsons_NRL) March 31, 2022
if you watch the titans v tigers game this morning its a pretty funny april fools joke
— Aaron Wallace (@wallyscr) March 31, 2022
“When you provide opportunities for players that aren’t getting a starting position, that are in a club’s top 30, and you spread that talent across teams, the talent develops even faster. That builds over time.
“We did a whole lot of work around potential rosters hypothetically. Not in terms of who would sign, but from a salary cap perspective, key positions and what level of depth we had in each position.
“The analysis absolutely showed there was sufficient depth to fill the 17th and potentially 18th team.
“It does take time for any franchise to build a culture and team. We’ve seen that in other professional sports. It’s a long-term investment.”
For the most part, the opening four rounds of the NRL season has included tight contests and enough upsets to keep the competition interesting.
Margins have been the tightest since the NRL era kicked off in 1998 and teams have adapted to the new rules, limiting score blowouts and lopsided possession counts.
Abdo said the NRL was monitoring match quality to ensure it wasn’t diminishing and contests like the Titans-Tigers game were an anomaly, as opposed to the norm.
“It’s too early to say, it’s only been three rounds,” he said.
“A definite positive has been the games being pretty close and competitive. The margins have been the lowest since 1998.
“We’ve seen leads change hands, a number of golden point games, and a high percentage of matches finishing within six points.
“We are really focused on the entertainment spectacle of the game. It’s not just about it being a close game. It has to be an engaging game.
“Things like line breaks, tries and the unpredictability of the game are really important. We will continue to monitor that.
“It is too early to be definitive. We have clearly seen teams adjust in the off-season to the new rules so there is a better competitive balance.
“We’ve seen some really entertaining games and then some with high error rates. We expect that to normalise over time.
“The commission is very focused on ensuring the game is entertaining and the balance is right.”
NRL HORROR SHOW EXPOSES LACK OF TALENT
The Gold Coast Titans narrowly avoided an embarrassing defeat after snatching an 8–6 victory against the Wests Tigers in the worst NRL game since, well, the Tigers-Warriors mistake-a-thon last Friday.
The 27 errors weren’t even the worst part. These two teams looked like they would have trouble scoring if they played the game for 160 minutes.
It is too late now but the NRL must seriously look at whether there is enough first grade talent to fill another team in 2023.
The Dolphins need to sign 36 players for their inaugural season and at this rate it looks like there will be a lot of substandard talent entering the top grade.
The Redcliffe expansion club has so far only signed eight players and while coach Wayne Bennett claims he is taking his time, it may be a sign that the talent pool is low.
Bennett says he only wants to sign the best players, but there aren’t that many of them getting around, especially off-contract this year.
The Dolphins need to pinch two players from every club to fill their quota. After what happened last night, they may narrow their focus to the other 14 clubs in the NRL.
MIRACLE END TO MISERABLE NIGHT
Five-eighth AJ Brimson pinched victory for the Titans in the final minute of an error-riddled contest at Cbus Super Stadium on Thursday night to relegate the Tigers to a club record seventh straight loss.
While the pressure intensified on Tigers coach Michael Maguire, this was far from an impressive night for the Titans.
Not since Canterbury beat Illawarra 4-2 in the 1993 NSWRL has there been a first grade game without a four-pointer scored and this contest went 79 minutes without a try.
The 8774 that braved Cbus Super Stadium on Thursday night, and lasted until full-time, could not believe what they were witnessing as the Tigers went heartbreakingly close to their first win of 2022.
While the Titans made it a 2-2 start to the season, they got a serious reality check after last year’s drought-breaking finals appearance.
“We expected a really tough game and we got that,” Titans coach Justin Holbrook said.
“To find a way to win at the end, I couldn’t be happier or prouder of the boys. I thought we deserved the win.
“We had four guys with Covid. Our facilities are under water. We just got on with it.
“It was a scrappy game all round but we came up with a win and that’s the main thing.”
I’d like to personally congratulate Wests Tigers v North Queensland from Rd 11, 2015 at Campbelltown for no longer being the worst NRL game this century. #NRLTitansTigers
— Scott Bailey (@ScottBaileyAAP) March 31, 2022
What’s the opposite of champagne football? What a crap game #NRLTitansTigers
— Rob Sutherland (@rob_sutherland3) March 31, 2022
If I were a Wests Tigers fan I'd be suing them for emotional abuse at this point #NRLTitansTigers
— Matt Bungard (@TheMattBungard) March 31, 2022
TITANS NEED TO LIFT
The Titans got the win when Brimson pounced on a loose ball in the final minute but this wasn’t the type of performance needed to be a top eight team.
They lost fullback Jayden Campbell (ribs) following last weekend’s shocking loss to Canberra while Isaac Liu, Phil Sami and Beau Fermor succumbed to Covid during the week.
Their training ground at Parkwood went under water again and they were on a short turnaround, with new No. 1 Jamayne Isaako only having a handful of sessions.
But if they are serious about being a finals force then performances like this simply cannot be accepted.
The Titans have only faced one top eight team from last year – Parramatta (lost) – in the first four rounds of the season and have the most favourable draw of any team in the 2022 competition.
While they will walk away with two competition points, they must improve massively to play finals this year.
TIGERS UNDER FIRE
This was the most committed performance from the Tigers in 2022.
While they lacked class and polish, the Tigers never gave up and defended well all night.
It took a moment of madness in the final minute of the game for the Titans to snatch victory and Maguire should not be crucified with Wests starting the season 0-4.
But the brutal reality is they now face the Sharks, Eels and Rabbitohs in the next three rounds and are staring at a 0-7 start to the year.
If that eventuates, Maguire will struggle to survive.
“It can be a cruel game,” Maguire said.
“I’m really proud of the players with how they continue to stay at it and work.
“I’m finding out a lot about my coaching. I couldn’t be prouder of them. There’s a lot of hurt at the moment.
“I’m enjoying coaching these boys because of the adversity they’re having to face. They keep having a crack. If they do that over and over, we’ll put ourselves in a winning position.”
REVEALED: WHY ISAAKO REJECTED TIGERS FOR TITANS
—Travis Meyn, Peter Badel
Jamayne Isaako will make his Gold Coast Titans debut against the Wests Tigers club that wanted him in their colours.
Isaako has been catapulted into the Gold Coast’s No. 1 jersey for Thursday night’s clash against the Tigers at Cbus Super Stadium to replace injured fullback Jayden Campbell (ribs).
But he could have easily been standing on the other side of the field.
While contracted to the Broncos last year, Isaako met Tigers coach Michael Maguire in Brisbane as his New Zealand Test mentor looked to lure the goalkicking ace to Concord.
The not-so-secret meeting created shockwaves at Red Hill as the Broncos denied giving Isaako permission to negotiate with rival clubs. That changed this year when Isaako was released after just one round to join M1 rivals the Titans.
A week later, he finds himself doing exactly what he was recruited to do — cover for the young Campbell for the remainder of the season before Isaako joins expansion club the Dolphins in 2023.
Isaako, 25, said he had a good relationship with Maguire, but wanted to remain in Queensland.
“I certainly get along with Madge. I respect him as my international coach,” the six-Test Kiwi said. “The opportunity to go to the Tigers probably wasn’t in the best interests of my family and myself.
“I definitely considered all of my options. Going to Sydney was a tough one with a young family and everything I had going for me here. I didn’t really want to move.
“Luckily enough, the opportunity came to come to the Gold Coast. I took that with both hands. I’m grateful to Justin (Holbrook, Titans coach) and everyone at the club for allowing me to be here and giving me an opportunity.”
Maguire said while he rated Isaako, a move to the Tigers wasn’t going to work out and he was focused on helping Wests clinch their first win of 2022.
“I had a chat to Jamayne last year,” he said. “We caught up, but at the time Jamayne was contracted to the Broncos and he wanted to stay there. He‘s now moved on to the Titans.
“I’ve coached him in the New Zealand team and he’s a good player. We all know what Jamayne is capable of it, but I can’t worry about him, my focus is on my own players this week.”
Isaako has only had a handful of training sessions with his new teammates since signing with the Titans last week. He admits he could be targeted on Thursday night but is up for the challenge and is determined to keep his place in the team when Campbell is cleared to return.
“I’m always up for a challenge,” he said. “I know this will be no different. It might be a game plan for them to come towards our back three, but I’ll certainly be up for the challenge.
“Jayden is obviously a young and exciting talent in the game.
“I want to do whatever I can do to help benefit his game and better his game as a fullback … I’m only here for seven months.
“I want to play well and keep a spot in the team. I’ll certainly be trying to retain a spot after this game. The main thing is I repay Justin for the faith he’s given me with this opportunity.”
With 77 games for the Broncos under his belt, Isaako’s experience will be a welcome addition to a Titans team that gave up a 22-point lead against Canberra last weekend to lose 24-22.
The Titans were screaming out for a cool head in the second half as the Raiders gathered momentum and Isaako is confident he can make an immediate impact despite his limited preparation.
“I wasn’t expecting the opportunity to come so quickly,” he said.
“The way the Titans play is pretty similar to how a lot of the teams play. It’s more about me adapting to the different calls they have for their shapes.
“I’ve had two training sessions this week where I’ve got up to scratch with that and I’m feeling pretty comfortable.
“My attacking ability comes naturally, it’s more about my defence and organising our defensive line that I have to focus on.
“It’s such a young side here. Most of the players only have a handful of NRL experience under their belt. Luckily I’ve had 77 games with the Broncos so I can add that experience to the team.
“Justin and the boys have certainly made me feel welcome over the last week. Hopefully I can be on top of my game and put in a good performance.”
Isaako won’t be the only backline change for the Titans, with top try-scoring winger Phil Sami (Covid) replaced by Corey Thompson.
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