Titans officially best team in Queensland after taking down Cowboys
We didn’t see that coming! Perennial strugglers the Gold Coast Titans are officially the top-ranked Queensland team in the NRL after taking down the North Queensland Cowboys.
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The Titans are brimming with confidence following their dominant 30-10 win over the Cowboys to become Queensland’s best NRL team in the competition.
After nearly toppling the defending premiers last week, the Gold Coast were all class to end a 10-game losing streak against their Sunshine State rivals at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook – in just his first year as head coach – has turned his side into the best Queensland NRL club so far this year, despite the bar being set quite low.
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“Obviously as Queensland teams we’re not performing well but it is good to be the top Queensland side, that’s for sure,” Holbrook said.
“We do want to get more wins and we do want to keep going now. We’re playing good and getting better.”
BACKWARDS STEP
Cowboys coach Josh Hannay said it was difficult to watch his side’s performance.
“It was a real step backwards for us,” Hannay said.
“I thought the first half was really poor. They did the jersey and the club a disservice with some of the football that was put out there.
“Titans deserve a lot of credit.
“We were our own worst enemy in that first half particularly.
“When we look at this performance on Tuesday, we can’t sugarcoat it and we have to be really honest.
“It was hard to watch that first half.”
The Titans were allowed to score five consecutive tries to take a 24-0 lead after just 43 minutes on the back of a dynamic AJ Brimson performance.
North Queensland’s incoming coach will need to address their defensive woes if they are to be any premiership threat next year.
COWBOYS DEFENSIVE WOES CONTINUE
North Queensland now boast their worst defensive effort in more than a decade, having now conceded more than 22 points in five straight games for the first time since 2010.
Their defence has let them down so far this season with the second-worst points against (343) stat in the NRL.
Only the bumbling Broncos have a worse record for points against (401) so far in 2020.
The Cowboys trailed by 20 points by the end of the first half – their worst ever halftime deficit to the Titans – and things hardly improved in the second stanza when the Gold Coast extended their lead through Brian Kelly.
CAPTAIN MORGAN RETURNS
Michael Morgan’s return to the NRL was always going to be rusty – coming off a four-month break after having shoulder surgery.
The skipper fell off two crucial tackles in the first half, which both led to Gold Coast tries, and a kick out on the full in the second half ended the Cowboys’ momentum.
“It’s a week he’ll never forget after the birth of his first child,” Hannay said.
“He’s his harshest critic and he’s in there pretty disappointed with some of the involvements he had.
“There was a bit of rust there and that was to be expected.
“A lot of his errors came from trying to do something, if you like.”
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KEVIN’S HEAVEN
Gold Coast skipper Kevin Proctor had a field day in front of his home crowd.
The backrower was pivotal to his side’s 20-point victory after finishing the match with a try, two try assists, two tackle busts and 26 tackles.
His determination to bat back a grubber kick from well behind the deadball line for Brian Kelly to score in the 43rd minute epitomised the Titans’ effort all afternoon.
Proctor eyes new deal
— Chris Honnery
Titans captain Kevin Proctor has declared his desire to remain at the club next year as speculation continues to grow around his future.
Off-contract at the end of the year, Proctor faces an uncertain future with a plethora of talented young forwards including David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui en route to the Gold Coast from 2021.
Proctor put on one of his best performances all season against the Cowboys on Sunday, finishing the match with two try assists, a try and 26 tackles.
The Kiwi international said he saw a bright future for the club and wanted to remain to enjoy the good times ahead.
“Obviously I would like to stay here,” he said.
“I just like where the Titans are going and where we’re heading at the moment.
“I suppose being here when the times weren’t real good, I’d like to be here when the times are good.
“We’re heading in the right direction with Justin (Holbrook) and Mal (Meninga) doing his thing.”
Holbrook said he had been impressed with his captain’s performance from the past few weeks.
“He’s fantastic,” Holbrook said.
“He’s been great since he came back a couple weeks ago.
“KP has been great for our club a long time and there’s a heap of things that go into the recruitment.
“We’ll see what happens with that.
“The way he’s playing is what I’m loving.
“I’m loving how much he’s competing for everything.”
Cartwright ready to step back into limelight
— Exclusive by Peter Badel
Titans foundation coach John Cartwright has rocketed into contention to replace Paul Green at the Cowboys after being interviewed by the North Queensland board.
North Queensland play the Titans on Sunday at Cbus Super Stadium and the Cowboys have sounded out the very coach who spearheaded Gold Coast’s entry to the NRL in 2007.
Cartwright, who celebrates his 55th birthday on Sunday, had eight seasons at the Titans, coaching their first game against the Dragons and helping the Coast to the 2010 preliminary final before his departure at the end of 2014.
The Penrith legend then linked with the Cowboys as an assistant to Green, helping North Queensland to the 2015 premiership before linking with Manly, where he has served as a deputy for the past four years.
But Cartwright still has head-coaching aspirations and he has entered the mix to take charge of the Cowboys in 2021 after formally meeting with North Queensland powerbrokers.
His chances have been aided by the withdrawal of two rival candidates, with Nathan Brown agreeing to a three-year deal with the Warriors and Melbourne assistant Jason Ryles agreeing to stay loyal to the Storm.
Brown and Ryles’ management team advised the Cowboys on Friday the pair were out of the running for the job.
The Cowboys have opted for a thorough search of candidates, rather than headhunting one specified target, and are considering the likes of Cartwright, Todd Payten, Anthony Griffin and England Test coach Shaun Wane.
North Queensland will not rush their search and plan to announce Green’s successor by mid-September, but Cartwright’s interview is evidence the former Titans mentor is a serious contender.
Cartwright had mixed success at the Titans. He steered the club to their best-ever finishes in 2009-10 with back-to-back top-four placings, but he slumped to the wooden-spoon in 2011 during the Titans’ financial crisis which sent the Coast broke and required an NRL lifeline.
There is a feeling that the Cowboys require a father-figure style of coach after seven hard-edged seasons under Green, who took North Queensland to their first title, plus another grand final in 2017.
Cartwright could provide a more supportive touch, having been a popular assistant at the Cowboys and now the Sea Eagles.
Meanwhile, the Titans’ current coach, Justin Holbrook, is wary of the return of Cowboys skipper Michael Morgan from injury for their derby clash at Cbus.
“Michael is one of the best players in the game so it’s a huge boost for them,” he said.
“He is a player we have to do a good job on and he will give them a lift.”