Justin Holbrook spoke to the media this morning before tomorrow’s clash with the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. Here are the five big issues Holbrook touched on in the countdown to kick-off.
1. What he wants to see from the Titans this weekend against the Broncos
“Just a better performance than last week,” Holbrook said. “I was disappointed (with the game against the Dragons), but I thought we hung in there well.
“When you lose three outside backs, it’s hard.
“When you’re watching it live, you are wanting a lot more from your players. Then when you look at the game back (on replay), you go: ‘You know what? We lost three outside backs – it’s hard to do much when that happens’.
“But still, we weren’t good enough, and we were too poor early in the game again. We have to be better.”
2. The need for better fifth-tackle options against Brisbane.
“That was (a problem) the first half last week (against the Dragons), but we hadn’t been poor in that area prior to that,” he said.
“So it seems like we are fixing parts of our game and forgetting other parts. It is about putting it all together. That is the key to getting a win.”
3. Playing his first local derby against the Broncos
“I think any local derby is always a bit more special,” he said. “It is good for the game, it is good for the players, and everyone involved, all the fans.
“It is going to be a good game… I’m looking forward to it. The derby games are great. They do mean more than others.”
4. Speculation linking David Fifita to the Titans
“There is plenty of talk around that area , and it is just that at the moment – there is plenty of talk going on,” Holbrook said.
“I mentioned back in pre-season that when you have a player of (Fifita’s) calibre off-contract, you’re going to have every side interested. We’re not different to that. We will see what happens.
“He is a great player, and there is going to be a lot of talk about him until he decides what he is going to do next year.
“The recruitment process is ongoing all the time. It is never going to end. It is just a part of the process at every club.
“You want to make your squad better every year, and that is what we plan on doing.”
5. Speculation about Shannon Boyd and Jarrod Wallace leaving the Titans
“There is always going to be interest from clubs (about Jarrod), particularly (at the Dragons) with James Graham going home,” Holbrook said. “(Jarrod) was always going to be a (recruitment) target I guess.
“He is playing this week. Obviously I left him out a couple of weeks ago, but he has been battling a back issue that he is over with now. So I expect him to be raring to go tomorrow.
“I am not sure with Boydy. I’ll see where he gets to. He has been battling injury for a long time.
“He is a big boy as we know, and the game is getting really quick. It is up to Boydy. He is having a bit of a think about that at the moment.
“He is keen, he has done all the right things to get himself back to be right to play.”
