Jim Dymock says defence will be his first focus in new role as Gold Coast Titans assistant coach

IN his first interview since being appointed assistant coach of the Gold Coast Titans, former NRL premiership winner Jim Dymock has outlined his main objective for the wooden-spooners in 2020.

NEW Titans assistant coach Jim Dymock has vowed to put the defensive steel back into the NRL wooden-spooners in 2020.

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In his first interview since joining the Titans as Justin Holbrook’s assistant last month, Dymock today told the club website his first priority would be to rectify Gold Coast’s leaky defence.

The Titans had the worst defence in the NRL this year, conceding more than 27 points per game.

By way of comparison, the competition’s best defensive team, Melbourne, let in a miserly 12.5 points per game.

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Holbrook’s St Helens side conceded 13.6 points per game across their 29 regular season outings in the Super League, while Intrust Super Cup premiers Burleigh – who were led by Dymock’s new fellow assistant coach Jim Lenihan – were even more miserly in conceding an average of 13.2 points.

New Titans assistant coach Jim Dymock. Picture: Tim Hunter.

A skilful yet aggressive lock or five-eighth who helped Canterbury claim the 1995 premiership, Dymock said he had made it his mission to bring the fabled Dogs of War mentality to Cbus Super Stadium next season.

“From my point of view, it is all about defence,” the 47-year-old, who played six Tests and six Origins for NSW, said.

“Attack takes care of itself. Every player can attack. Attacking is easy.

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“But defending your line for long periods of time and having the belief in your defence that, if you do make an error or give a penalty away, you can turn sides away – that is the hard stuff that has to be learned.

“There are a lot of skilful players at the Titans, but the main focus for a lot of them has been attack. They need to get their head around the defending side.

“They need to learn to love hitting in defence. They need to learn to love the contact, love the collisions. Once they do that, the attack will just come naturally.

Dymock in action for Canterbury in 1995.

“If you get 50 per cent of possession and you are completing at 80 per cent, and you have your defensive line speed in order, you will always be in the game. It doesn’t matter who you play.

“If we keep turning up for each other, and get that defence right, everything else will come off that.”

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Having served as assistant to John Morris at Cronulla this year, Dymock said he was “excited about joining the Titans”.

“Everyone knows the Gold Coast is a great city and a great place to live. But I am not going up there for the weather,” he said.

“(The fans) want to see effort, they want to see courage. In 2020, the Titans will give them that.”