Our Gold Training under-20s outfit had a large reality check on Saturday due to an error-riddled second-half against the strong Brisbane Broncos side at Davies Park in Brisbane.
Ben Woolf’s side - down four key players – were behind only 16-6 at half-time but were outplayed in the second session to lose 46-6.
The one major positive outcome from the match, however, was the successful conversion to the back row of last year’s centre Jed Cartwright, who has benefitted from training with the NRL squad.
The 19-year-old (pictured playing last year) scored the Titans’ only try and hit the ball up strongly and is likely to play there at the start of the season.
Another who caught the eye was prop Simione Fatefahi who played the first 40 minutes and ran strongly.
“We just made too many errors in the hot, humid conditions which gave them too much possession,” said Woolf.
“It was certainly a reality check but sometimes you also have one of those ones where you have no possession and you’re opponents get a roll on, and that was the case especially in the second half.
“Ill-discipline in the heat caused us to have to do a heap of defence and we got fatigued.”
Woolf should have, for the season opener against the Knights, the services of Brian Kelly and Tyronne Robert-Davis, who played in the NRL trial against South Sydney, plus Greg Leleisiuao and Shane Wright who missed the match because of injury.
