Pressure mounts on Gold Coast Titans after thrashing at the hands of impressive Melbourne Storm

KENNY Bromwich was binned for a punch but it was the only bump on the way to a massive win for the Storm over the hapless Titans, as pressure mounts on Neil Henry’s men.

Cheyse Blair celebrates a try with his Storm teammates.

PRESSURE is building on coach Neil Henry after the Titans on Sunday crashed to their fifth consecutive defeat with a diabolical 38-0 loss to the Storm at Cbus Super Stadium.

The Titans submitted their worst performance of the season against a rampaging Melbourne side which exploited the shock axing of Gold Coast duo David Shillington and Anthony Don.

Former Maroons enforcer Shillington was dropped on match eve, while reliable winger Don was also dumped just 24 hours after signing a new two-year deal.

In the absence of Shillington, the Titans were belted in the middle third as Melbourne monsters Jesse Bromwich and Nelson Asofa-Solomona inspired a seven-try massacre.

The 38-point drubbing almost eclipsed the Titans’ worst loss to the Storm, a 50-6 hammering in Melbourne in 2007. And it was the first time in Gold Coast’s 10-season history that they had failed to score a point on their home turf.

“We were never in that game, it was a good old-fashioned flogging,” Henry lamented.

“You look for answers and sometimes they aren’t there.

“That’s a hiding and while we need to react to it, it can’t be something that weighs us down.

“Our next task is the Roosters and we need to be better than that ... regardless, that’s not up to any sort of standards you set for your team.”

After a month of the 2016 season, the Titans were the competition surprise packets and Henry was duly credited with instilling a harder edge to his side’s defensive systems.

But after five straight losses, the Titans’ self-belief is being tested. Henry must stop the rot or risk the prospect of the Coast crashing out of finals contention for a sixth successive season.

With Storm commanders Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk in supreme form, Melbourne bolted to a 20-0 half-time lead and shifted into overdrive after the break to leave the Titans floundering.

The Coast have defended with great heart for most of the season. But on Sunday they resembled the rabble of 2015, executing poorly, failing to build pressure and allowing the Storm pack to rumble effortlessly through the midfield.

It is unlikely the presence of Shillington would have halted the Melbourne juggernaut, but axing one of the Titans’ marquee recruits on match eve was a brave gamble that backfired.

“He has copped it on the chin,” Henry said of Shillington’s demotion in favour of Lachlan Burr.

“It was a bit of a rotation there and Burr has been good in the middle.”

Storm skipper Smith backed the Titans to bounce back from their worst capitulation of the season.

“They have a tough team, they are very fit,” he said.

“You never plan for a 38-0 scoreline. I’m sure the Titans will have plenty more wins this year.”

MELBOURNE 38 (C Cronk 2 S Vunivalu 2 C Blair B Green T Harris tries C Smith 5 goals) bt GOLD COAST 0 at Cbus Super Stadium. Referee: Chris James, Grant Atkins.

Originally published as Pressure mounts on Gold Coast Titans after thrashing at the hands of impressive Melbourne Storm