NRL Round 18 Gold Coast Titans v NZ Warriors Preview

Super "reduced" Saturday finishes with a clash up at Skilled Park between the Titans and the Warriors. Both teams are aiming to make the semi finals and will look to this game to start their run home. If you look at the table though, both teams have an uphill battle. They are outside the Top 8 (Warriors 2 points and the Tians 4 points) and both play a minimum of 4 Top 8 teams in their remaining rounds. If the Titans lose, they can start planning their holidays for September while the Warriors will have to rely on a few other teams losing consecutive games, and thats a situation you never want to get involved in. Throughout the season, both teams have failed to play with consistency. They do have a decent roster to call upon with representative players throughout, as well as a host of young players coming through to the NRL and making a mark. But for some reason, they have failed to fire when it matters most. The Titans will be hoping that their SOO stars will back up in this game to combat the massive Warriors pack. If not, it could be a tough one for them. Looking at the Warriors bench from last week, they are one of the strongest in the competition. So again, you look at their consistency and you begin to understand why these teams are outside the Top 8. Desperate football by desperate footballers should make this game great viewing.

Gold Coast Titans

The good news for the Titans is that prop Luke Bailey returns to the team and they also welcome back centre Beau Champion. The bad news is endless for the Titans. Both Greg Bird and Nate Myles were named to play but unfortunately they are ruled out of this clash. The Titans didn't name an extended bench so there will be a host of changes to their team before kick off. Stay tuned to different media outlets and my twitter feed for team changes and other information. The Titans will be looking to their halfback Scott Prince to lead the way in attack and he may find this task difficult without the regular "go forward" from his forwards. Hooker Matt Srama has been a fantastic asset for the Titans this season and he will again be great out of dummy half. If the Titans are to win this clash, they are going to have to find a strength within their team and play to that.


NZ Warriors
The semi-final door is quickly closing on the Warriors and they have to be faultless in each game to ensure that their semi final hopes survive until the following week. Michael Luck and Manu Vatuvei are both out of this clash with injuries. Vatuvai has now been out for a number of weeks and the Warriors have tried a whole host of replacements for the beast. In this clash, the spot on the wing is taken by Omar Slaimankhel who played there last week against the Cowboys. He is a very capable player at NRL after excelling in the Toyota Cup in previous seasons. The Warriors also have one of the best benches in the competition to call upon. Coach Brian McClennan does like to play around with the starting team right before kick off and one of his trademarks is starting players who have been named on the bench. Again, make sure you pay attention before placing a bet on individual players (especially forwards). The Warriors have also named an extended bench so one player will drop off and that is likely to be Peta Godinet.

Recent History

Overall = Titans 6 - Warriors 5
Last 5 games = Titans 2 - Warriors 3
At Skilled Park = Titans 4 - Warriors 1


Odds

TAB Sportsbet = Titans $2.75 Warriors $1.47
Centrebet = Titans $2.80 Warriors $1.46
Sportsbet = Titans $2.85 Warriors $1.45


Verdict
The Titans have an uphill battle in this clash. While they are at home, they will face a very tough and massive Warriors pack of forwards that have one of the best benches in the competition. With that in mind, the Titans forwards do not have everyone on deck to combat the Warriors. If they did, it could've been a different story. So this brings us to the Warriors. They have to go out there and ensure they do nothing else other than play consistent football. The will need the regular direction from their halves and have to play like they are at home. Its almost a "do or die" stage for them and if the players want it, they'll have to stand up!

Suggested Bet
Warriors -5.5 @ $1.80


Margin = Warriors 13+ @ $2.75 - The Warriors will look to dominate the weakened Titans team and perhaps this one could get ugly if they get rolling. The Warriors have a fantastic ability to score a lot of points very quickly.


First Try Scorer = Shaun Johnson @ $15 - The Warriors definitely have a strength with Johnson playing at halfback for them. He can spring a try from anywhere on the field and isn't afraid to take the ball to the line.


Good luck!
Scooby
@scoobystips