Titans 2021 draw snapshot

Here is all you need to know about the Gold Coast Titans' 2021 Telstra Premiership draw.

The Lowdown

Teams they play twice

Broncos, Bulldogs, Cowboys, Knights, Rabbitohs, Raiders, Sea Eagles, Storm, Warriors

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• The 2021 Telstra Premiership draw
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Teams they play once

Dragons, Eels, Panthers, Roosters, Sharks, Wests Tigers

Day-by-day breakdown

Thursday – 2, Friday – 4, Saturday – 10, Sunday – 8

Turnarounds

5 days – 1, 6 days – 6, 7+ days – 16

Kick-off

Head all the way over to Auckland for round one but don't leave Queensland again until round six, with derbies in rounds two and three against the Broncos at home and the Cowboys in Townsville followed by two more home games against the Raiders and Knights.

Should be confident of winning at least three or four of those games after the way they finished 2020.

Five key match-ups

Broncos (Round 2 at Cbus Super Stadium; Round 8 at Suncorp Stadium): Little brothers no longer, the Titans dominated the Broncos in 2020, winning the two contests 30-12 and 18-6, and now boast victories in four of the past six meetings.

The lads from the coast will no doubt be up for this one, none more so than David Fifita, whose highly publicised shift down the M1 should be a huge boost for the region.

Cowboys (Round 3 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium; Round 21 at Cbus Super Stadium): The Titans were on the wrong end of the Cowboys' biggest win of 2020 back in round three before claiming revenge with a dominant 30-10 win of their own once they hit their straps.

As another Queensland derby, these are games the Titans will be desperate to win but unlike their recent contests with Brisbane, the Titans' last-start win over their northern neighbours was their first in 11 meetings.

Storm (Round 13 at AAMI Park; Round 23 at Cbus Super Stadium): If the Titans want to press for finals in 2021 then competing strongly with the premiers would be a good start. Big Tino Fa'asuamaleaui gets to face off against his former side, although he may have to wait until round 23 because both squads will be missing their Origin contingent in round 13.

The Titans are likely to have a few key players out but this is still a great chance for a win against what should be a very depleted Storm outfit.

Sea Eagles (Round 6, Glen Willow Oval, Mudgee; Round 15, Cbus Super Stadium): For whatever reason, the Titans have enjoyed playing the Sea Eagles in recent years, winning five of the past seven contests including their past three straight trips to Lottoland, scoring at least 36 points on each occasion.

They won't be playing there in 2020 though with the Manly home game headed to picturesque Mudgee – another reason to circle this one in the calendar.

Raiders (Round 4, Cbus Super Stadium; Round 16, GIO Stadium): As well as the Titans finished 2020, they won't forget their final loss of the season – a 36-16 defeat by Canberra in round 15, one of just two teams along with Cronulla to down the Titans twice in 2020.

The first meeting of 2021 is part of an all-Queensland Easter Saturday and represents a homecoming for much-loved former skipper and now Raider Ryan James.

Toughest stretch

The rep period will test out the Titans. With Fifita, Fa'asuamaleaui, Brimson and Moeaki Fotuaika all a strong chance of playing Origin, the Titans have a six-game stretch including five of last season's top eight plus Manly.

Those five clubs – the Sharks, Storm, Roosters, Raiders and Eels – inflicted seven losses with zero wins for the Gold Coast in 2020.

And another thing

That round 18 home game against Parramatta could be a homecoming for as many as three Titans, with the Eels picking up discarded back-rowers Bryce Cartwright and Keegan Hipgrave on low-end deals and tossing a lifeline to one-time Titan Jordan Rankin over the off-season after his return from the Super League.

Even if none end up making the team, it will still give the Titans a chance to atone for their biggest loss of 2020, a 46-6 collapse in round two.

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