A tale of two cities
Are the Titans are on track to enjoy a better season than the Suns?
SHEER numbers aren’t everything.
Yes, the Suns’ 3-3 record is slightly less mediocre than the Titans’ 3-5 record.
Let’s break it down a little more. The Suns have edged three teams everyone knows are not going to challenge for the flag – two of whom are still winless. They even let Brisbane come within a goal of beating them in the QClash, just a week after they scored a grand total of 17 points. Bravo.
When the Suns have faced stiffer challenges, they have been blown off the park, barely able to compete. This is where the Titans have it over their cross-code rivals.
While Garth Brennan’s team have had a couple of shockers of their own, there is no question they are far more capable of mixing it with the competition’s top teams.
They beat the Broncos on home turf. No easy feat. They pushed Penrith for a long time, too.
They probably should have beaten the Sharks on Saturday but at the very least they were in the battle throughout and were positioned to pounce. You can’t do that if you’ve been blown away.
They’re a long way from the finished product but the Titans have the roster and the ticker to beat any team on their day. Unfortunately, I don’t feel I can honestly say the same about the Suns.
Make of sheer numbers what you will, but it’s clear the opening rounds of the season have proven the Titans will enjoy more successes than the Suns in 2018. THAT’S laughable.
I’m not saying the Suns have had the greatest start to the season, but considering their history they are going more than fine.
We only need to look no further than the Gold Coast Titans position on the NRL ladder to see why their AFL counterparts are sitting pretty. The Titans sit 12th with three wins and five losses.
They have played two more games than the Suns but yet hold as many wins.
Two games in hand and as many wins would have any rival confident of their position in any sport.
Gold Coast are yet to claim a big scalp but they have beaten a side in the top eight,
North Melbourne. The Gold Coast Titans have beaten Canberra, Manly and the Brisbane Broncos.
None are in the top eight and despite Brisbane’s dominant history, they are struggling in 2018.
The Gold Coast Titans have had two games at their home of Cbus Super Stadium and another up the road at Suncorp.
The Suns have equalled their success despite not playing a single game at Metricon Stadium while being forced to travel as far as Perth and spend 10 days there.
The Titans have missed 273 tackles already this season, the third worst in the NRL. In contrast, the Suns average the most tackles in the AFL (72.5). The Suns also average the fourth highest contested possessions (153.2) so far this season and are staying in games longer than they have in recent years.