We delved into enemy territory this week to bring you the tactics and strategy out of the Gold Coast Titans camp ahead of their Round 11 clash against the nib Newcastle Knights at Cbus Stadium on Saturday.
The determination of playing on home turf, the opportunity to crush a five-game losing slide, and a return from injury for a number of key players at Titans headquarters could just be the key for the struggling team.
Although the Knights have lost their last two games, if the travelling team can reduce the patchy gameplay out of the halves, they may prove to be a handful for the Gold Coast.
Titans lock Jai Arrow is wary of the impact the Knights off-season purchases have made on the team so far this season, explaining that historically the Knights have always showed grit, and an improved playing roster makes them a real threat.
"They were always a team that has had a go (regardless)," stated Arrow on the Titans website.
"It is definitely something they have built on and they have brought in some class players like Mitchell Pearce and Kalyn Ponga who have toned the side up a bit.
"They have also got some forwards from the Broncos that have been doing a great job and the guys like Ponga can play off the back of that.
"We will definitely have our work cut out, they are no slump of a team.
"Realistically, if we don't win this week, it is going to be hard for us to make the finals."
Teammate AJ Brimson, who made his debut for Titans in their loss against the Melbourne Storm last week, agreed that the impact of Ponga is a focus for the Titans, but insisted the team is appropriately prepared for the entire Knights squad.
"We had a bit of focus on Ponga, but we need to focus on the whole 17," Brimson said on the Titans website.
"We will do vision to understand their strike players but we will cover the whole 17 before we worry about a single player."
