2017 NRL Season Preview - Gold Coast Titans

Gold Coast Titans 2017 Season Preview
 
2016 Review -The Titans were the big surprise packets of 2016, finishing in 8th spot after being the pre-season favourites for the wooden spoon. The side managed 11 victories and 1 draw from 24 games, and were unlucky in an elimination final against Brisbane with a number of refereeing decisions going against them in a 44-28 defeat. Neil Henry has to be given enormous credit for the competitiveness of his side, with the Titans being in just about every game, suffering just 3 losses by more than 13 points in the whole season. While the low point of the season was a 5-match losing streak between Round 6 and Round 10, many of those losses were by less than a try, and the team soon bounced back to go on a great run to make the finals. 
 
2017 Gains - The Titans picked up three outstanding mid-year signings last season in Jarryd Hayne, Konrad Hurrell and Nathan Peats.  Nathan Peats was excellent and will be in contention for the NSW Origin hooker’s positions this season if he can continue his fine form from 2016. This off-season, the Titans picked up a marquee signing in Storm back rower Kevin Proctor. Proctor is a really strong runner of the football with his big, rangy frame, and will be capable of producing some dangerous second phase play on the edges for the Titans. Daniel Vidot is back from a season in the Super League and he will need to become a more consistent footballer if he is to lock down a wing spot. Finally, the Titans recruited Englishman Daniel Sarginson from Wigan. Sarginson has played 125 Super League games and can cover fullback, wing and centre. English outside backs have often struggled in the NRL so it will be interesting to see whether Sarginson can get a start.
 
2017 Losses - The big losses for the Titans have come in the outside backs with David Mead, Josh Hoffman and Nene MacDonald all departing to make way for the salary of Jarryd Hayne. I think this is a bit of a concern for the Titans, as these three players provided excellent reliability and speed on the flanks over the past couple of seasons. With Nathan Friend and Matt Sharma having retired, the Titans will need hooker Nathan Peats to stay fit throughout the season. Greg Bird was controversially moved on to the Catalans in the Super League. Bird had been a great servant of the Titans and really gave them great mongrel and leadership of their pack. However, I think it was the right time to move Bird on as he had some errors in his game and might just be starting to fade in terms of being a force in the NRL. 
 
2017 Fixture Strength (Very friendly draw)  - The Titans have been handed a really good draw in 2017 as they attempt to get back into the finals for a second straight season. Highlights for the Gold Coast are a reasonably soft start with winnable games against the likes of the Knights, Warriors and Eels in the first five rounds. Overall the Titans play the bottom 8 sides from last year 14 times, which gives them an outstanding chance of making the Top 4 this season in my opinion. The Titans have a tough final month with 3 of their final 4 games in Sydney, so ideally they would want to lock up a final’s spot before that tough final month. 
 
2017 player the Watch - Jarryd Hayne - Hayne was a long way below his best in his 6-game cameo at the back end of last season. I thought his running game was well below his best and he only managed one line break. However, with a full pre-season behind him, I expect him to be a much more dangerous proposition at fullback in 2017. With the Titans having lost some strike power in the outside backs, they will need Hayne to start to deliver on the hype and the salary he is on, and get back to Origin level form. 
 
2017 Forecast - 6th (13-14 wins) 

I think this is potentially a really good side with the return of Kane Elgey to partner Ash Taylor in the halves. I really like the look of their forward pack, as I think it was a great mix of aggression and off-loading ability. The likes of Ryan James and Chris McQueen are really hard nosed footballers who won't be afraid to mix it up against opponents. While last season Ignatius Passi, Zeb Taia and young Pulu created 74 offloads between them, and if the Titans get some second phase play, the halves and Hayne could have a field day.

I originally had them pencilled in as a Top 4 side, however I am worried about the loss of some strike power in the outside backs. I think the weakness of this side could be a centre and wing spot, with the likes of Daniel Vidot and Sarginson coming back from the Super League to the greater pace and power of the NRL. Overall, I think this side can win 13-14 games this season and go a step better than last season by finishing 6th on the NRL ladder.