KANE ELGEY: WE’LL SHOW THEM
Driven Titans pair ready to prove the doubters wrong
GOLD Coast Titans fiveeighth Kane Elgey says he and playmaking partner Ash Taylor are ready to “prove everyone wrong”.
The Titans will kick off a new era under coach Garth Brennan in the NRL season opener against the Canberra Raiders at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday.
Brennan yesterday named Elgey and Taylor as the Gold Coast’s starting halves, and backed the young duo to fire despite their struggles last season.
In the 19 games they played together in 2017, Elgey and Taylor only guided the Titans to victory three times as the Gold Coast slumped to 15th on the ladder.
Elgey, 24, said the slate had been wiped clean since Brennan took over from Neil Henry and he was ready to launch into a new season.
“It was like a new start,” he said.
“I’ve been here since I was 15 but it was like going to a new club, you had to prove yourself.
“We’re excited. It’s been a good pre-season.
“We want to get out there and prove everyone wrong.”
Taylor, 22, is the more experienced of the duo, having played 47 NRL matches since making his debut for the Broncos in 2015.
With Elgey’s 35 matches, the halves have a combined tally of 82 NRL games between them, proving they are still in the infancy of their partnership.
“Like anybody else, you grow with experience,” Taylor said. “We’ll keep working hard on our combination.
“We’ve had some time now to work together and I think it’s coming along nicely.”
Brennan wants the young shot-callers to take control and assert their authority on a side needing direction.
While the combination struggled last season, Brennan said he was ready to remain solid.
“I’ve got no reason why the two of them can’t work well together,” he said. “They are determined to improve.
“I’ve asked Ash to be a leader of the team and he’s embraced it and accepted every challenge I’ve thrown at him.”
Brennan named former Roosters fullback Michael Gordon in the No.1 jersey for the Raiders clash while Broncos recruit Jai Arrow will start in the front-row, allowing captain Ryan James to stay on the left edge.
THE No.8 jersey is Jai Arrow’s to lose, with Gold Coast coach Garth Brennan springing a surprise in revealing Maroons enforcer Jarrod Wallace is no certainty to walk back into the starting side.
Wallace had a standout 2017 in his first season at the Titans, consistently leading the forward pack and earning the chance to step up into the State of Origin arena.
However, a lingering suspension for a shoulder charge on Bulldogs half Moses Mbye in Round 25 last August means that Wallace will have to wait until Round 3 for his first piece of game time this year.
That, plus Jack Stockwell’s injury and Ryan James’ shift to second-row, has opened the door for Arrow to surge into the starting 13.
Arrow, 22, was signed when Brennan’s predecessor Neil Henry was at the helm and it shaped as the Keebra product’s big break, with the lock role all to himself.
Bryce Cartwright’s arrival last month threw a spanner in the works and it appeared Arrow would be relegated to the bench once more, having started 21 of his 24 games for the Broncos on the pine.
But an excellent pre-season has propelled Arrow into the engine room alongside fellow recruit Leilani Latu to confront Canberra’s monster pack.
“Not really. I think it is his to hang onto,” Brennan said when asked if Arrow needed to capitalise on his chance before Wallace returns.
“Where Jarrod comes into the team will depend on how the players go over the next few weeks when Jarrod is suspended.”
The Titans boast some flexibility in their ranks with James and interchange forward Will Matthews able to cover the prop duties.
Brennan strongly hinted neither Cartwright nor Nathan Peats will play the full 80 minutes, the latter likely to share the hooking duties with Mitch Rein rather than switch between dummy-half and lock.
“Peatsy is a competitive little thing, so it might be hard to drag him off but obviously he has come back from a shoulder reconstruction,” he said.
“To throw him in and expect him to play 80 minutes against the Canberra side that is going to run out there on Sunday would be a massive ask.”
Brennan did not rule out elevating Joe Greenwood from No.18 into the top squad but he otherwise may be bound for Sunshine Coast Stadium to make a case at Intrust Super Cup level for the Burleigh Bears.