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Friday, April 3, 2009

Titans score a perfect four

The Jetstar Gold Coast Titans created history at the weekend, with the club winning in all four grades for the first time.

In a landmark weekend for the club after the introduction of a Gold Coast side into the Harold Matthews competition earlier this year, the Jetstar Titans were victorious in all age groups from under-16s through to NRL level.

The perfect round came after:

The Jetstar Titans scored a gritty 20-12 win over the Bulldogs without the services of inspirational halfback Scott Prince;

The Titans’ NYC side kept its three-game unbeaten run in tact with a convincing 36-8 win over the Bulldogs. The win put the club in equal first on the competition ladder alongside Manly;

The Titans’ new Harold Matthews (under-16s) side kept its six-week unbeaten streak going and consolidated fourth position on the ladder with a 44-16 win over Ilawarra at Betty Diamond Oval, Tugun;

The Titans’ SG Ball (under-18s) side came back from 10-6 down at halftime to score a dominant 32-10 win over Illawarra.

In a further boost for the club, the Jetstar Titans are outright leaders on the NRL’s Club Championship – which takes into account the performances of both the NRL and NYC sides.



Fittingly, Titans chairman Paul Broughton was an advocate for the Club Championship to return this year now that all 16 clubs are represented uniformly in the NRL and NYC competitions

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Included below are match reports from the Titans’ junior representative games.

Teen Titans maintain unbeaten run in Harold Matthews

The Titans’ Harold Matthews team consolidated fourth spot position on the competition ladder with a convincing 44-16 win over the Illawarra Steelers at Betty Diamond Oval on Saturday.

The win means the boys remain unbeaten in their last six outings and are well placed as they head into the final two games of the regular season.

Coach Aaron Zimmerle was particularly happy with his side’s completion rate which in effect denied Illawarra the opportunity to mount a challenge.

“Last week against the Roosters we made back-to-back errors which nearly cost us the game. At training this week we focussed on minimising our mistakes and not compounding them and this clinical attitude really shut Illawarra out of the game,’’ said Zimmerle.

He was also happy that some of his younger players stood up and gained some valuable experience for future campaigns.

“Corey McGrady was exceptional as were some of the younger guys. Justin Proud was safe at fullback, Tom Rowles worked hard as did Andrew Vella. Some of these guys are just 15 so there are good signs for the future”

Zimmerle can now look forward to two away games, the first being a trip to the Central Coast to play the Storm at Morrie Breen oval on Saturday before the final game of the regular season against the Western Sydney Academy on Saturday, April 11 at St Mary’s Leagues.

Steelers no match for Titans in SG Ball

After two straight losses it was a happy coach Jamie O’Connor who praised his teams work ethic after Saturday’s solid 32-10 win over the Illawarra Steelers at Tugun.

“The boys really dug deep today. They rolled up their sleeves, got stuck in and showed great discipline. We were down 10-6 at halftime but won the second half 20-0 and that shows a commitment to the team,’’ he said.

A second half try scoring blitz coupled with some solid defence around the ruck, set up the victory and sealed the Steelers fate.

The win sees the Titans move up to seventh position on the ladder.

“It’s a tight competition and we are in a healthy position with a couple of games left in the rounds before we head into the finals and if we can build on this win then we should give a good account of ourselves.” He added.

The Titans face the 17th placed Central Coast Storm at Morrie Breen Oval this coming Saturday, April 4.

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