Rapana back to haunt Titans
BRENKO Lee and Ryan Simpkins will be on the sidelines for Round 1 but have offered teammates support in their mission to stop the man who ran riot 11 months ago at Cbus Super Stadium.
Gold Coast’s first challenge under coach Garth Brennan is a home match against Canberra, the team that dished out a 42-16 walloping at Robina in Round 6 last year.
That result was set up by freakish winger Jordan Rapana’s first-half hat-trick.
Lee backed the new crop of Titans to shut down Rapana while Simpkins – who played in that loss – said it was important to crowd his former Palm Beach Currumbin schoolmate.
“He’s one of those guys that doesn’t look overly quick or overly strong but he seems to break tackles and be hard to handle, just the way he moves,” Simpkins said, while at a Titans clinic at Picnic Creek State School in Coomera.
“You have got to try to get numbers around him and hopefully try to get the first guy in the tackle to stick.”
Simpkins, who won’t return until at least Round 2 due to a knee cleanout, is resigned to having to start back in the Intrust Super Cup via Tweed Heads and Lee may need to do the same through Burleigh.
The centre was injured a couple of minutes into his first opportunity in a Titans jersey during their trial loss to Brisbane.
When his knee swelled up, he feared it may have been a season-ending ACL rupture.
“I’m looking to be back around Round 3 or Round 4 so it’s not a big chunk of the season,” said a relieved Lee.
The Logan product was keen to do his part in the clinic, having remembered the impact it had on him when former Australia winger Michael Hancock visited his school at Woodridge North.
AUSTRALIAN Rugby League Commission chairman Peter Beattie’s meeting with the Gold Coast this week has not swayed the Titans’ view on the game’s hotly debated constitutional reforms.
Last week a decision was made to defer a vote on the reforms until March 12 after it became clear that at least two clubs – all that is needed to block the motion – would not be in favour at the time.
Those clubs were later identified as Melbourne, Canterbury and the Titans. Beattie subsequently set about visiting those clubs in an attempt to allay any fears they may hold over the proposed changes.
However, his hopes have already been dented, with the Titans believed to be unmoved on the matter despite what was described as a “very frank and very respectful” discussion.