Hasler wary of Dolphins ambush in bid for three straight
Titans coach Des Hasler is wary the luckless Dolphins will be eager to ambush his side for their first win of the season ahead of Gold Coast's first XXXX Queensland derby of the season.
The bookies' favourites to notch up three wins in a row and celebrate their best start since 2016 in the clash at Cbus Super Stadium, the experienced mentor is cautious their M1 rivals will have a point to prove coming to Robina without any competition points thus far - Hasler having been in a very similar situation only 12 months ago.
"I’ve been there," he quipped, referencing his own winless start with the Titans in 2024.
"We’ll expect a side that wants to play. It just gets to that point where they have to find a win and it’s that mentality, so we’ll have to play well regardless.
"That’s how tight the competition is.
"[They're hard workers] but they've also got that flash of brilliance too.
[Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow] has been under the pump a little bit and you know how he’s going to respond. They’ve got two very capable halves (Kodi Nikorima and Isaiya Katoa) that challenge you and take you on, and we rate (Jeremy) Marshall-King very highly.
"They’ll be challenging."
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'We'll need to play well': Hasler
Coming away with gritty wins against the Knights and Roosters in recent weeks and having looked to turn a corner, this week's showdown will be a real test for the Titans who will be without Jojo Fifita (thigh) and Sam Verrills (hip) due to injury.
Knowing consistency is key to success in the NRL - and what has been an Achilles Heel for Titans teams of old - Hasler has been pleased that mentality has also ingrained amongst his playing squad.
"We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves... it wasn’t a pretty game (last week against the Roosters)," he said.
"I think both sides have a lot of improvement in them and they’ll need to improve a lot, but it was only Round 4.
"[Consistently playing well] is really important and the players are aware of that.
"They’re fully tuned in on that and that’s what we want to do. They feel that’s it’s the next step and that’s what we’re going to aim to do on Saturday afternoon."
Match: Titans v Dolphins
Round 5 -
home Team
Titans
8th Position
away Team
Dolphins
14th Position
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
The clash will give the opportunity for rugby league journeyman Sean Mullany to achieve his NRL dream when he makes his debut from the Titans bench.
Having been previously with the Warriors and Cowboys before joining the Titans on a train-and-trial at the start of the 2025 pre-season, he'll lean on five years of Hostplus Cup experience when he gets his chance to come on.
"Sean has done a fair apprenticeship," Hasler said.
"He has that utility value about him. He's very adept out of dummy half and he can also hold his own in defence.
"He’s got a lot of football experience, so it’s another opportunity and he's another player who achieves that NRL dream through a debut.
"He’ll acquit himself really well."
