Interim coach Craig Hodges takes blame for pushing Titans too hard before Roosters clash

Stand-in Titans coach Craig Hodges has questioned whether he pushed his players “too hard” in the lead-up to their thumping by the Roosters, which left them cemented to the bottom of the ladder.

• ‘Unacceptable’: Qld league’s worst year dissected

• Broncos’ finals fate on the line against Cowboys

Stand-in Titans coach Craig Hodges admits he must shoulder some of the responsibility for his side’s 58-6 trouncing by the Roosters at the SCG.

The struggling Gold Coast were subjected to their worst defeat since their inception in 2007.

It was also their second-biggest losing margin since their 54-0 loss to the Broncos in Round 22, 2017.

Now cemented to bottom of the ladder, the club is staring down the barrel of their worst season on record having only won four games.

Live stream the 2019 NRL Telstra Premiership on KAYO SPORTS. Every game of every round live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial >

Craig Hodges faces a big task to lift the Titans this week. Picture: Getty Images

Their previous worst win-rate in the NRL came in 2011 when the club won six games.

Hodges described the match as “disappointing” and “fairly poor” and questioned whether he pushed the players too hard in the lead-up to the game.

“I probably have to accept a chunk of responsibility for that myself,” Hodges said.

“We squeezed them really hard the past few weeks to try and get the best out of them.

“Maybe we flattened them a bit much, maybe squeezed them too hard.

“Whatever we’ve done, for all of us, that was way off the mark. It was unacceptable.”

The club is set to be bolstered this weekend by the return of workhorse Jai Arrow if named on Tuesday.

The Titans were no match for the Roosters at the SCG. Picture: AAP

However, former Australian and Queensland forward Corey Parker said Arrow’s return will come to nothing if his teammates did not improve.

“I can’t stress enough the individual performance or pride that those players have to have,” Parker said. “You can’t go and look your mate in the eye and say you had a real hot go with a scoreline of 58 points.

“I’ve been on the receiving end of some shellackings in my time and you just can’t do it.

“Jai Arrow, yeah he might be back, and he’ll turn up and give his best, but hopefully there’s some players around him that will do the same.”

Originally published as Interim coach Craig Hodges takes blame for pushing Titans too hard before Roosters clash