Titans halfback AJ Brimson concedes the Gold Coast looked like “boys against men” in the first half against the Broncos on Saturday, and the playing group has vowed to make amends against the Roosters this weekend in Sydney.
The Titans enjoyed an impressive, high-intensity week at training leading into the local derby, but fell over at the starting gate against the Broncos, with the visitors roaring out to a 28-6 lead at halftime.
It was a bitter disappointment for a Titans side looking to salvage as much pride as possible from the final rounds of the premiership, and a horrendous crash back to earth after spanking the Broncos 26-18 at Suncorp Stadium just six weeks before.
But Brimson said the Titans’ fragile confidence levels were destroyed in the first 13 minutes of the game, with the Gold Coast applying good pressure and on the attack inside the Broncos’ 20-metre zone.
But instead of scoring in the right corner themselves, the Titans had to watch in horror as Brisbane winger Corey Oates snaffled an intercept and raced 90 metres to score for the visitors
“We were grinding for a bit and then they got over us and we never recovered from that,” Brimson said.
“I think if we had scored that first try when they got that intercept, we would have been up 6-0, and it can be a completely different game.
“Mentally that really hurt us and we just never recovered from that.
“We came out there with the right mindset and intent, but it was boys facing men out there in that first half, and that is the way it felt.
“Defence is about attitude, and it just showed the mindset that we were in for that game. It showed with the missed tackles.”
