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Pre-Season Challenge 2025 Titans vs Broncos Match Thread.

Hail Sezer said:
Just to throw this out there because I get the impression it’s been a bit misleading - the kids we’ve got out there are a year or 2 (or 3 in some instances) younger than you’d usually see them tested at this level. They’re MM eligible, just finished school and haven’t played any football against men (Sam played one game last year I think)

That’s not to excuse anything, just for some perspective

Doesn’t mean Stephenson & Sunny have not been carved up. Steep learning curve but they’ll be ok. Sunny isn’t even full time

Cooper been the best of the 19s kids
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Thanks for that important context @Hail Sezer.

Still very worried about that first have with plenty of our firsts.
 
Player Rating

1. Jaylan De Groot: 5.5 Defensively looks a little small in contact, could provide more in his kick return.
2. Allan Fitzgibbon: 7.5 Looks a first grader for mine, everything he tried came off.
3. Jojo Fifita: 8.0 Centre looks to be his position with his defensive efforts shutting down the ponies on more than one occasion
4. Phillip Sami: 6.0 Solid but not spectacular
5. Tony Francis: 7.0 Strong bringing the ball back on kick returns
6. AJ Brimson: 7.0 Had a good first half.
7. Kieran Foran: 4.0 Poor performance by his standards
8. Moeaki Fotuaika: 2.0 Bad first hit out with errors and penalties putting the team under defensive pressure.
9. Sam Verrills: 5.0 His service wasn't as crisp as it could be especially in the limited opportunities in attacking zone
10. Jaimin Jolliffe: 5.5 Tried his best to slow down the roll on that Brisbane had in the first half
11. David Fifita: 5.5 Needs to bring more impact for the payroll and ability he has
12. Beau Fermor: 5.0 Solid bringing the ball out of trouble but some bad missed tackles
13. Chris Randall: 4.5 Unusually sloppy in the defense today
14. Tom Weaver: 6.5 Hasn't let the jersey down with every chance he has had. Got isolated and caught out in defense in the second half
15. Klese Haas: 4.0 Butter Fingers and the ruck opened up for the opposition when he came on
16. Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui: 6.5 A lot to handle with the ball in hand
17. Josiah Pahulu: 7.0 All effort and brought leg speed to the game
18. Zane Harrison: 6.0 Good hit out against men physically looks more mature than his age would suggest
19. Arama Hau: 6.0 Quiet first half but had some nice moments in the second
20. Tukimihia Simpkins: 6.5 Solid in effort areas with some nice offloads
21. Ken Maumalo: 4.0
22. Ryan Foran: 5.0 Only got on the field in the last 10 minutes did nothing wrong in a short stint
23. Brock Gray: 5.0 Solid effort
24. Sam Stephenson: 5.0 Not what he would have wanted to put on film
25. Josh Patston: 6.0 Solid in defense
26. Sunny Kama: 5.0 Some bad misses in defense
27. Cooper Bai: 7.0 Brought some impact off the bench
28. Kieran Hayman: 6.0 Solid getting through his work


What do I Know??? I still think Block play is putting the triangle block in the triangle hole
 
Welcome RnT

Changing positions doesn’t solve anything if they don’t improve their effort. Jojo plays on the right and Difita on the left. I’m trying not to read too much into that shimozzal but gee we need a 9 urgently. Randall miles ahead of Verrills today.
 
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Yes it was a trial but what clearly showed out today was how much Maguire has transformed the Broncos in 4 months compared to Des in 16 months. The Broncos attacking structure was considerably superior, sharper and executed their plays with pace whilst their defence and defensive structure were rock solid.

I am not sure what Des does in the off season but we looked slower and sluggish, attack more disjointed and our defence has not shown any improvement since last year.

It also shows our fringe players are along way off NRL.

Des will be under pressure this year and so he should be if he cannot improve the club
 
I’m not usually tooooo fussed about what we do (or don’t do) with the ball in a trial, although today we did really look like we had zero idea what we were even trying to do on attack.

But i’m pretty appalled by the defensive effort and lack of discipline. Particularly of our middles. I know we’re missing Tino and RCG but Mo, Joliffe and Randall got absolutely steamed/offloaded on at will. Josiah and Iszac were also poor. We’re a small team and need good field position + front foot ball to play footy. We’re not gonna do much if our middles can’t put us in a good position on both sides of the ball

I know it’s a trial and the result doesn’t mean anything. But some of the observations today are cause for concern
 
I know the scoreline wasn’t great but we all need to relax a bit. I remember our last trial a couple years ago and we flogged the dolphins at Redcliffe and the next week they come out and beat the roosters in round 1. We all need to remember it’s just a fitness drill and I’m sure we will be ready for round 2
 
Very poor game.
Just a side note that broncos team did play last week as well.

Foran only playing like 25 mins??

Not taking too much out of it. Players were swapping positions.

I like Fitzgibbon, fast, aggressive. Hope he gets a cracked ran hard too. But very poor in the middle of the field tbh.
 
Whats Doing said:
Yes it was a trial but what clearly showed out today was how much Maguire has transformed the Broncos in 4 months compared to Des in 16 months. The Broncos attacking structure was considerably superior, sharper and executed their plays with pace whilst their defence and defensive structure were rock solid.

I am not sure what Des does in the off season but we looked slower and sluggish, attack more disjointed and our defence has not shown any improvement since last year.

It also shows our fringe players are along way off NRL.

Des will be under pressure this year and so he should be if he cannot improve the club
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Agree the Broncos looked impressive. It didn’t matter who was 9,6 or 7 they put on block plays and dummy half trick plays.
Maybe it was under instructions but we played a very simple game in attack.
Hopefully we see some variety next week.
 
Hail Sezer said:
Nah mate…they’re playing in an NRL trial when they’re MM eligible. This is Sunny’s first game against men. Stevo’s 2nd. Not exaggerating. Let alone cup lol.

Most guys their age/experience would get towelled at this level. They just don’t generally get exposed to it until 12 months down the track
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Mate. I know they are MM guys but broncos also rolled out players eligible for MM this year and a couple just out of MM.

Cooper was solid when he went out there. Feel for Sunny but it looks like he’s grown a few inches taller.
 
Really disappointing weekend of rugby for Titans players (expect Kini as per usual).

Campbell, Lofi and BK were completely wasted in the All Stars. Campbell being stuck on the right side only then sub’d early while a reserve grade half that stifled all attack was given 80min. Lofi not touching the ball for the first 30min and BK being chopped and changed from left to right was frustrating. I know it’s only an exhibition game but a total waste of a first hit out for them. Kini was Kini.

Not sure how much Des has been flogging the players but they started as if they had a fitness training session before the match. No urgency and completely uninterested.

AJ was completely AWOL for the first 35min. Fafita looks like he has gone backwards. Mo looked like a reserve grader. The list could go on.

Frustrating to see Des still changing Fermor and Fifita around. Just pick a side and them them there. Surely Maumolo retires after that performance.
 
Agree with the post about Mo, Joliffe and Randall being awful today. Sure, almost the entire team was, but we got rolled through the middle. The outside backs were very bad too and we can't even blame Brian Kelly defensively today

I hope Jojo reaches his potential soon, he's 22, should be entering his prime this year or next. Easy to forget how young he is. Immensely frustrating how poor Fifita and Fermor look at times compared to their ceilings.

I'm on the verge of a wholesale cleanout. If we re-sign Pahulu cool but other than him and Jojo no one i'd be sad to lose off contract this season and Pahulu may be gone depending if he's forgiven our ridiculous penny pinching or not.

JC has one season to show us he's a useful first grader and not a backup fullback and backup half. I hope so badly that i'm wrong and he becomes the player he could be and not the player he has been so far as a Titan. He is 25, this is his prime now, he is not a 20 year old prospect anymore. I think we have to play hardball there despoite the family ties and he is playing for his career this season, if he doesn't deliver at 7 he just doesn't have a role at the club, he is our third best fullback and third best five-eighth (second when Foran retires, but presumably Harrison or CG or both will surpass him as halves prospects soon).

I think JC has to make the 7 his for good this season or we just have to move on unless he wants to be a career backup on a barely over min deal. I hope that it just all clicks for him this year in the 7 the way it did for Jahrome Hughes.

I'm a huge Fermor fan but he needs to fix his defence this season for us to pay him the money his ceiling is worth and extend him

Fifita has to have a good season or take a pay cut to stay too. He's gone from overrated to underrated, but he still needs to get back to his best for us to prioritise him on anything close to the money he's on.

I would love to move Mo and Joliffe on at this point if we can find a club who will take them and give us something we need (Mozer, an elite centre, another middle who is more defensively solid)

CG I guess we'll have to see how he does I am so excited to see him in a Titans jersey

Kelly we have to assume isn't getting extended at this point barring some enormous improvement he hasn't showed at the Titans

Kini we obviously have to extend obviously and if we lose him it's a disaster

I'd love for us to find a way to get rid of Klese Haas. The Broncos are light on second rowers? He has potential but he has butter fingers and i'm just not sure he's even better than Alick as a backup second rower let alone is a legit first grader. Feels like if he had a different surname he just wouldn't be in first grade.

Lofi is obviously amazing in attack but has to work on his defence, although it'll help not having Brian Kelly inside him hopefully

Sami is another one who is playing for his Titans future this season, has to show improvement or we have to let him go

Verrills too, he's just been disappointing. Throw everything at signing Blake Mozer and let him walk if we land him. Even if not, we're light on options at hooker but he has been an absolute failure at the Titans just all of our previous hookers were even worse.

Just horrible stuff from the first graders today a lot of whom are off contract at the end of 2026 and are not going to be on their current money if they're even offered extensions unless they show improvement

I know it's just a trial but I was hoping for a lot more out of the side today. The kids looked bad but they're young so they get a pass. The first graders, that was inexcusable even for a trial to be down 24-0 against a side that was resting a lot more players than we were.
 
Nothing really insightful to say other than... damn, this will be my 17th year (the vast majority of my life too) supporting the Titans, and all to show for it was some long gone distant memories of late 2010's finals pushes, and everything since has just been disappointment, humiliation, or at best a 51% passing grade, yesterday's trial has largely sunk a somewhat burgeoning excitement heading into the season, with my expectations now being very much the same as most of all the other 17 seasons I have sat through and watched this team.

Was hoping it would be different this year, was hoping for some competitive spirit for once 🤷‍♂️
 
SwoopAE said:
Agree with the post about Mo, Joliffe and Randall being awful today. Sure, almost the entire team was, but we got rolled through the middle. The outside backs were very bad too and we can't even blame Brian Kelly defensively today

I hope Jojo reaches his potential soon, he's 22, should be entering his prime this year or next. Easy to forget how young he is. Immensely frustrating how poor Fifita and Fermor look at times compared to their ceilings.

I'm on the verge of a wholesale cleanout. If we re-sign Pahulu cool but other than him and Jojo no one i'd be sad to lose off contract this season and Pahulu may be gone depending if he's forgiven our ridiculous penny pinching or not.

JC has one season to show us he's a useful first grader and not a backup fullback and backup half. I hope so badly that i'm wrong and he becomes the player he could be and not the player he has been so far as a Titan. He is 25, this is his prime now, he is not a 20 year old prospect anymore. I think we have to play hardball there despoite the family ties and he is playing for his career this season, if he doesn't deliver at 7 he just doesn't have a role at the club, he is our third best fullback and third best five-eighth (second when Foran retires, but presumably Harrison or CG or both will surpass him as halves prospects soon).

I think JC has to make the 7 his for good this season or we just have to move on unless he wants to be a career backup on a barely over min deal. I hope that it just all clicks for him this year in the 7 the way it did for Jahrome Hughes.

I'm a huge Fermor fan but he needs to fix his defence this season for us to pay him the money his ceiling is worth and extend him

Fifita has to have a good season or take a pay cut to stay too. He's gone from overrated to underrated, but he still needs to get back to his best for us to prioritise him on anything close to the money he's on.

I would love to move Mo and Joliffe on at this point if we can find a club who will take them and give us something we need (Mozer, an elite centre, another middle who is more defensively solid)

CG I guess we'll have to see how he does I am so excited to see him in a Titans jersey

Kelly we have to assume isn't getting extended at this point barring some enormous improvement he hasn't showed at the Titans

Kini we obviously have to extend obviously and if we lose him it's a disaster

I'd love for us to find a way to get rid of Klese Haas. The Broncos are light on second rowers? He has potential but he has butter fingers and i'm just not sure he's even better than Alick as a backup second rower let alone is a legit first grader. Feels like if he had a different surname he just wouldn't be in first grade.

Lofi is obviously amazing in attack but has to work on his defence, although it'll help not having Brian Kelly inside him hopefully

Sami is another one who is playing for his Titans future this season, has to show improvement or we have to let him go

Verrills too, he's just been disappointing. Throw everything at signing Blake Mozer and let him walk if we land him. Even if not, we're light on options at hooker but he has been an absolute failure at the Titans just all of our previous hookers were even worse.

Just horrible stuff from the first graders today a lot of whom are off contract at the end of 2026 and are not going to be on their current money if they're even offered extensions unless they show improvement

I know it's just a trial but I was hoping for a lot more out of the side today. The kids looked bad but they're young so they get a pass. The first graders, that was inexcusable even for a trial to be down 24-0 against a side that was resting a lot more players than we were.
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Some really good points. I Joliffe fan and thought he went ok, atleast he puts his shoulder into defence and works ok laterally from marker for a big guy.
Wasn’t sure what to make of the pre season talk of Foran at 14, after yesterday it’s must not happen. Not quick enough for a dummy half.
Just on dummy half what happens if Verrills and or Randall get long term injuries?
 
Yep. I'm pounding the under pretty hard on the rest of David's career, his genetic makeup is basically wired to now start to pack on density, body fat and essentially slow down the recruitment of fast-twitch fibres. Take a look at his Broncos debut year highlights as an example, massively different body type and explosiveness, his frame has shifted now with age and time, it is seriously unlikely he'll get to THAT level of explosiveness again, infact probably impossible. This type of issue only gets worse btw, and it's not a "well he needs to keep on top of his nutrition" solution either, sure, it can slow down the process, but even then he'll be ice-skating uphill.

I like Dave, for the record, been one of our most exciting players and loved his signing, but I do think his best days are likely behind him. Up now to the coaching staff to identify this, and then create a gameplan to accommodate his changing physique.
 
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