‘It can usually lead to a lot of negativity’: Des Hasler’s warning to his players after last week’s costly loss

The Titans had been punching above their weight a few weeks ago, but a costly loss to the Wests Tigers has the potential to quickly derail their season.

Titans coach Des Hasler has warned his side not to get too frustrated following their ugly loss to the Wests Tigers that dropped them to last spot on the ladder after they failed to take advantage of a stack of attacking chances in the wet.

The Titans made seven line breaks to three last week but were restricted to just two tries in the opening 19 minutes, with Gold Coast held scoreless for an hour against a side that had gone nine games without a win.

The Titans let an early lead slip last week as they dropped to the foot of the table. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

“That game was probably one that we thought we were controlling pretty well. If you look at all the paperwork, all the number suggest so,” Hasler said.

“But we didn’t come away with the win, so we’ve got to be careful with the frustration because it can usually lead to a lot of negativity.

“We probably felt more disappointed in ourselves that we let that two points slip by, so we’ve got to front up this week against a Warriors side that has played back into form.”

They’ll be hoping for a swift response against the Warriors at home on Saturday, with livewire fullback Keano Kini hoping to build on his impressive form in recent weeks, with AJ Brimson likely to return from injury after next week’s bye.

Kini was a handful for the Tigers defence, while Jayden Campbell continued to show encouraging signs at five-eighth alongside the veteran Kieran Foran.

Keano Kini has had some nice touches at the back this season. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

“I thought young Keano had an outstanding game. He ran for over 300m, but there are still parts of his game that he’s working on,” Hasler said.

“JC is building back into a bit of match fitness and a bit of match form, so he’ll continue to improve. There’s always excitement, there’s always something happening and there are always points around JC.

“JC is very fortunate in the fact that he has a lot of those prerequisite skills that are important for any spine position. It’s just the number of games and repetitions and getting the games under his belt. He’s got an outstanding future.”

There is some good news for the Titans with powerhouse forward David Fifita given the green light to return after he missed last week’s loss with an ankle injury.

Fifita was again overlooked for the Maroons side for game 2, with Hasler expecting big things from his back-rower.

“He’ll be back, he’s ready to go, so no doubt he’ll have a point to prove,” he said.