The Titans have refused to make any excuses for their tough start to the season, instead turning to brutal honesty in a bid to turn things around and get back on track in 2024.
In preparation for this Sunday's Queensland derby against the Cowboys with the Gold Coast chasing their first win of the season after starting the year 0-3, Titans CEO Steve Mitchell spoke on the turbulent start to the season, throwing his positive support and trust towards coach Des Hasler and the playing group.
“It’s not the start to the season we were hoping for obviously, Des is a great coach and he’s done a ton of work over the last four months,” he told SENQ's Pat and Heals.
“There’s no doubt about Des. He’s a man of his work and trade, and he’s going to work with the playing group.
“What we’ve seen in the first three rounds is a fair way from what we would have envisioned for what we were hoping to see on the field.
“If we are going to be successful in this competition, we have to deliver on the fundamentals across the 80 minutes, and Des and his coaching staff are working hard at that."
Match: Cowboys v Titans
Round 5 -
home Team
Cowboys
2nd Position
away Team
Titans
16th Position
Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
With the playing group experiencing a rigorous debrief with Hasler post-game - as seen on Fox League on Saturday night - Mitchell feels the words of encouragement were delivered in a bid to motivate the team in which the head coach feels has a lot of potential.
"Des is a man of few words but when they’re delivered, you don’t miss them," he said.
"He has a high level of regard towards this playing group. They’ve done a lot of work together and I think he’s disappointed in what they’re delivering.
"I think you could tell that through what you could see on the cameras.. he believes in them, he knows what they can do, and he wants to see them take that to the paddock.
"He’s not just footy. You can think that Des is all just footy, but he is very cognisant of the community and the whole club in a holistic view. He is excellent in that space.”
Touching on the disappointment felt by Titans supporters so far in 2024, Mitchell made it clear that the playing group are riding the same wave of emotion in failing to get a result on the field for the members, fans and supporters of the club.
“We’re very grateful for the Coast and for the people that are invested in the organisation and believe in what we’re doing,” Mitchell said.
“We are very active with our sponsors because without them we aren’t here, and without our members and our fans we’re not here so it is really important.”
Press conference: Round 4
Hasler outlined in his post-match press conference the areas the playing group need to turn their focus towards, as the Titans prepare to travel north to Townsville and face the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.
"We’re not putting two halves together and we’re not executing well," Hasler said after the Dolphins clash.
"I can line up the excuses, but what’s the point? There’s enough there that we’re showing. We just have to get better at it.
"We are just not good enough yet, we’re still growing. I thought we had a bit better shape today, but it’s inexcusable where we are turning over possession.
"We have to get better at that... you can’t use it as an excuse.
"It’s something we’ve got to keep working at.
"There were some encouraging signs, but we’ve just got to get better."
