Games changer for Titans and Suns
THE Commonwealth Games has gifted the city one great disruption. This is not about the traffic. It’s what will happen to the Gold Coast Titans and Suns during the next few months.
The Titans will not return to Cbus Super Stadium at Robina until the end of April when they play the Sharks due to the rugby sevens being staged for the Games.
The Suns will not get Carrara Stadium back until round 11 on June 2 when they play the Geelong Cats. Their run home will include hosting some top teams.
What the Games offers some residents is their first opportunity to visit these great venues and use the free public transport. This is the event’s real sporting game changer for our city.
Your columnist is a regular at Robina, enjoys a few games at Carrara. The train and bus service cannot be faulted. What can be questioned is the commitment of supporters.
Ask a work colleague about the Suns’ chances this season, and he replies: “Bloody hopeless”. Another AFL mate will only bet on the Titans scraping into the eight, knowing it's a long shot.
At Robina last Sunday night, a father who sidestepped his sports training session to be with his son, arrives just on kick-off.
In the western grandstand, in front of the coach’s box, in 12 minutes they watch a powerhouse Canberra forward pack pile on 18 points.
The 11-year-old turns to his father. “Sorry about you missing training, Dad. If it gets to 30 by half time we can go,” the young fella says.
They can see new coach Garth Brennan at his first game in the NRL. “He was glaring into the distance with a 1000-year stare,” the father says. “His eyes were like lasers. He was filthy.”
Then they turn and see Konrad Hurrell run over the top of Canberra’s tough Jarrod Croker who looks like he has been hit by a ute.
“The Titans trainer comes out (to see him) and then he (Hurrell) is running back to Croker and says ‘are you all right mate?’,” the father says.
“It’s good for kids to see that a bloke is going as hard as he can every time he touches the ball. Yes, he makes mistakes. But he tries … and then he turns around to help the bloke on the ground.”
On TV we get only the close-ups of the Hurrellcane. We can only guess at the sense of spirit which builds around a stadium when a badly beaten team suddenly decides to stand its ground.
Looking back, the Titans were at their best before the Hayne Plane flew in, a bunch of battlers in a place which already has too much glitz and glamour for its own good.
The reality is most fans will not expect either the Titans or Suns to make the eight. Just have a dig, show grit – it’s a most unlikely brand for a city renowned for its sand and surf.
Win a few games on the road, bond together and, like long-lost brothers, we will welcome them back, filling more seats than ever before.