Need for a win to drive tough tussle
KONRAD Hurrell says the Titans can’t underestimate an under-siege Cowboys outfit, as the Gold Coast prepare to crack down on their mistakes ahead of the Queensland derby.
The Titans suffered their third loss of the season on Sunday after an error-riddled performance and a number of injuries saw them fall 35-12 to the Panthers.
They conceded 13 penalties and made 10 errors, as well as 33 missed tackles.
But as they turn their attention to their Townsville clash on Saturday, Hurrell – who made two errors and gave away one penalty – says the team have to crack down on their mistakes and defensive attitude.
“It’s a massive cause of the (loss),” he said.
“We just had a few one-onone missed tackles and that’s what kept the roll on for them ... and they won too many penalties.
“That’s what cost us the game.
“We need to regroup on that and see what were our mistakes and why we gave a lot of penalties away.”
Before the loss, the Titans were Queensland’s highestplaced team in the NRL, but they have now slipped behind the Broncos.
A win on Saturday is also important because the Titans have not beaten the Cowboys since 2014, with North Queensland winning their past five meetings.
The Cowboys, however, have had a shocking start to their season – winning just one game from the opening six rounds – but Hurrell said the Titans had to be sure not to take them for granted this weekend.
Given their head-to-head results and the class of the North Queensland playing roster, Hurrell is expecting a fightback from the Cowboys this week.
“It’s going to be a tough one,” he said of the derby showdown.
“They need to win because they’ve been losing. After (Sunday’s) game we need to win as well.
“Both teams will be fighting hard for the two points. We know they’re a team that won’t back down even though they’ve lost a few games. They’ll go until they get a win.
“We can’t underestimate what the Cowboys will do. We have to bring our A-game.”
The Titans are also expected to find out today how long Nathan Peats (rib) and Dale Copley (hamstring) could be sidelined for, after the pair went for scans yesterday.
Jai Arrow (back) and Morgan Boyle (concussion) are expected to be fit for Saturday.