Gold Coast Titans hopes misplaced on performance in 38-10 trial loss to Broncos

GARTH Brennan is facing a testing start to his NRL coaching career after the Gold Coast Titans fumbled their way to a 38-10 trial loss to the Broncos.

Bryce Cartwright didn’t have a chance to shine. (AAP Image/Josh Woning)

GARTH Brennan is facing a testing start to his NRL coaching career after the Gold Coast Titans fumbled their way to a 38-10 trial loss to the Broncos.

The Titans did little to excite the 8056 at Clive Berghofer Stadium in Toowoomba as Brennan’s greatest fears came to realisation.

Rebuilding the Titans in the post Neil Henry and Jarryd Hayne era may be a bigger task than the rookie coach ever imagined.

While they were missing most of their stars, the lack of basic skills and discipline signalled alarm bells for Brennan’s Titans.

“There were some young guys having their first taste playing against the big boys and the Broncos fielded a fairly quality side,” a philosophical Brennan said.

“There are a lot of positives to take out of that and there were no major injuries.

“They showed some spirit to score some late tries. There is plenty to be excited about.

“It’s an experience having a game like that for some of those young guys. It will be a big boost for them going forward.

“We will be a better team as the year goes on than we were tonight.”

Brendan Elliot can’t get away. (AAP Image/Josh Woning)

Star Penrith signing Bryce Cartwright played just 20 minutes before being sent for a shower and had few opportunities to showcase his talent.

Centre Brenko Lee was made to look second-rate by Broncos weapon James “The Jet” Roberts, who burned him for two tries in the opening 20 minutes.

Given the lack of genuine NRL talent they fielded, the Titans were always going to struggle against Wayne Bennett’s slick Broncos.

However the performance did little to fill Titans fans with any hope that the club is on the rise after last year’s dismal season which saw the Gold Coast finish 15th.

Bryce Cartwright didn’t have a chance to shine. (AAP Image/Josh Woning)

If the Titans are going to be competitive in 2018 then Brennan must extract something from his players outside the top 17 and on last night’s performance that is not going to be easy.

One of the few positives for the Titans to take out of the match was the fact most of their stars were sitting on the sideline.

The likes of captain Ryan James, Kevin Proctor, Nathan Peats, Jarrod Wallace, Anthony Don, Michael Gordon and Ash Taylor took no part in the trial.

James and Taylor were rested ahead of next Saturday’s final hitout against the Warriors while the Titans have some injury concerns close to the season with Peats and Don still recovering from shoulder injuries.

The Titans get hold of Joe Ofahengaue. (AAP Image/Josh Woning)

Brennan has a decent team at his disposal when his best players are available, but given the Gold Coast’s history of fielding beyond 30 players in a season he could be relying heavily on a squad that is not up to the rigours of the NRL.

The only genuine highlight for the Titans was the performance of rookie playmaker AJ Brimson, who was solid at halfback before shifting to fullback and scoring the Gold Coast’s first points in the 60th minute.