Myles fearing spoon
Skipper’s call to the troops Kelly books in first grade rise as a Titan
TITANS skipper Nate Myles has lashed his own performance and challenged the Gold Coast’s senior squad to save the battling NRL club’s season.
The Titans could slip to last on the ladder if they lose to the Knights in Newcastle today.
A month ago, the Titans cracked the top eight with a Round 14 win over Canterbury.
But they have lost their past three matches – including Monday night’s 38-6 defeat to Manly – and are within grasp of the wooden spoon.
The Titans face a tough finish to the season with five of their final eight matches being on the road.
They will feature their strongest forward pack of the season with the return of Greg Bird today and Myles said it was time the club’s experienced heads stood up.
“A lot of our senior guys, including myself, are probably not showing the way,” he said.
“Our senior guys didn’t stand up last week.
“We can’t be relying on the fact ‘Birdy’ comes back and it’s all going to be fixed.
‘‘We need to make sure our efforts are higher. Consistency is the thing we’ve lost all year.
‘‘If we keep things consistent we’ll be a lot better.
“It’s pretty tight through the middle of the competition. Any time a team is a fraction off how they can perform it seems to bite them in the butt.”
The Titans are one win off the bottom of the ladder but two wins from cracking the top eight.
Rookie halfback Kane Elgey will be another welcome addition against the Knights and Myles said the Titans would learn a lot about themselves at Hunter Stadium.
“It’s a test of our character,” he said.
“It’s been easy to say our effort’s been fantastic all year but it wasn’t last week which was a first for us. We need to really improve.”
With five-eighth Aidan Sezer (hamstring) and hooker Kierran Moseley (knee) nearing full fitness again, winger Anthony Don said no one could take their position in the team for granted.
“There’s a lot of good players on the sidelines who are close to coming back,’’ he said.
Forward Lachlan Burr travelled to Newcastle yesterday as part of a 19-man squad with coach Neil ‘‘King’’ Henry to finalise his Round 19 team today given Josh Hoffman is battling an ankle complaint. HE created under-20s State of Origin history with a four-try performance and now Brian Kelly has set his sights on fighting for an NRL debut with the Gold Coast Titans.
Kelly is being hunted by several clubs, including South Sydney, after his representative debut for NSW in last week’s State of Origin curtainraiser at Suncorp Stadium.
The 19-year-old Ballina product does not want to leave the Gold Coast but the Titans are yet to lock him up beyond this season. “I’d love to stay,” Kelly said. “I’m just focusing every week on the Titans.
“I’d love to play for the Titans. They’re the team I went for (as a kid).”
The 95kg winger injured his knee when he crashed into the Leichhardt Oval fencing in Sydney last month and missed three matches before the under-20s Origin feature.
But Kelly is rated so highly in NSW circles they selected him without any lead-up matches.
“It was the first time I’d ever been to an Origin,” he said.
‘‘I was just happy to be there watching the first grade let alone playing in the curtainraiser.
“I told mum and dad I’d get one try for them. Then the second one came and the third.
“I was thinking ‘What’s going on?’. ‘‘Then I scored a fourth. “Three of them took a bit of effort and the last was a simple one.
“I was pinching myself after the second try. ‘‘It didn’t seem real.’’ Kelly this week returned to Mudgeeraba Creek State School where he works as a groundsman and part-time teacher’s aide in the Titans Learning Centre.
He is eligible to play in the under-20s Holden Cup next year but would like to step up to an open-age competition to further his development.
Kelly has scored 20 tries in 32 matches for the Titans in the past two seasons.
He has floated between wing and fullback but grew up playing centre, which could be his long-term position given his imposing size.
Just where he will get to ply his trade is the question but his manager, Tas Bartlett, said Kelly’s priority was to stay put.
“First and foremost he wants to remain a Titan,” he said.