“If it bleeds, we can kill it” was the famous line uttered by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie “Predator” when his character was trying to take down an unstoppable alien.
Now the Titans are hoping to use a variation on the same theme by using Canberra’s epic win over the Storm in Melbourne last weekend as the inspiration for their own assignment against the premiership favourites at AAMI Park on Sunday.
The Raiders did what few have managed in recent years by taking down the Storm on their own turf, and they had to do it the hard way after fighting back from 18-0 down and spending 20 minutes in the first half with 12 men after two Canberra players were sin-binned.
MATCH PREVIEW: Storm vs Titans
Ultimately Canberra prevailed 22-18, and while the Titans are duly wary of the bounce-back factor from a Storm team looking to avenge the loss to the Raiders, Titans forward Jai Arrow said the effort and resilience the green machine produced to derail the Melbourne freight train had given the Gold Coast a blueprint to work from.
“I guess it shows they are beatable,” Arrow said. “On any day, anyone can beat anyone in the NRL. It is the toughest competition in the world.
“We are here to always stand up and do a job. It is our job.
“We fly down to Melbourne on Saturday so we will have to be mentally prepared and physically prepared for a big forward pack there, and some fast outside backs as well.
We will have to be on our toes and ready to go.
“They are coming off a big loss at home. I am sure Craig and the boys down there would be filthy on that.
“They will be wanting to come out and try to roll us from the start. But we have got to stand in front of them, stand should to shoulder and make sure that we are up for the challenge.”
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While the Titans are still struggling to drag themselves back into the winner’s circle after a horror season, Arrow said the green shoots of positivity in their first-half showing against Parramatta last week proved they had the artillery to match it with Melbourne.
“I am sure everyone is not giving us any chance in the world. But I am giving us every chance in the world,” he said. “Canberra showed last week that Melbourne are beatable in Melbourne, so I can’t see any reason why we can’t do it.
“I feel like last week against Parramatta we showed what we can do with the ball and in defence in the first half. Obviously we just have to do that for 80 minutes, and not for 40.”
