Squad Breakdown: Titans SC roster analysis

Cheers Anton! Yeah the idea seems fine, but when you lay it out it’s not that convincing a case. Could be very wrong, of course 😂

Nice one Tim. You&#8217;re talked me out of Fermor I think. Maybe&#8230;

Boasting one of the more exciting rosters in the competition, Gold Coast will be out to cement their place in finals footy in back-to-back seasons.



They’re developing quite an attack based philosophy to their footy, and while their defence has had issues in recent seasons, these two combined make for plenty of SuperCoach points.



They have a friendly draw early on, with games against the Eels (A), Warriors (H), Raiders (A), Tigers (H) and Eels (H).



With our predicted teams, for SuperCoach purposes we’ve included any players returning from injury/suspension in the first three rounds in the starting line-up.



This combines both the likely starting teams and best 17s, as initial price changes occur after Round 3.



Let’s take a look at the Titans’ SuperCoach prospects to begin the new season.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">PREDICTED TEAMS</h2>



1. Jayden Campbell 2. Phillip Sami 3. Brian Kelly 4. Patrick Herbert 5. Corey Thompson 6. AJ Brimson 7. Toby Sexton 8. Isaac Liu 9. Erin Clark 10. Moeaki Fotuaika 11. Beau Fermor 12. David Fifita 13. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui



Bench: 14. Will Smith 15. Jarrod Wallace 16. Sam Lisone 17. Kevin Proctor



Injuries/suspensions:&nbsp;Joe Vuna (knee, mid-season)



Analysis:&nbsp;This side fairly well picks itself for mine.



The likes of Greg Marzhew and to a lesser degree Esan Marsters will push for backline spots, but it looks fairly set to start the year.



The bench looks pretty straight forward too, with Will Smith’s versatility likely to cover many potential injuries that may arise mid-game.



However, there’s the option to play Tanah Boyd at 14 too, but aside from Fermor that leaves very slim backline replacements.



Fermor looks to have pipped Kevin Proctor for a starting back-row role.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">GUNS</h2>



David Fifita // $745,200 // 2RF // 2021 Ave: 85.0



I can’t bring myself to be sitting there each round watching this rampaging beast flick players off like it’s U12s and not own him.



That being said, he’s far from a must-have.



There’s a really good crop of back-rowers with upside for $100-200k less that are viable alternatives.



He also very well may be carrying a niggling injury as evidenced by the early exit from the All Star clash.



Negatives aside, he’s a SuperCoach star, despite averaging 66 minutes last season he still averaged 85 points.



I’d expect the experiment that saw him play 55 minutes off the bench to come to an end and return to an 80 minute role.



He based just 38 last year which is well below the elite back-rowers, but his upside is unmatched by every forward in the game.



He had four tonnes in the first six games last season, then delivered a 134 point haul further down the track.



That sort of ceiling on a regular basis for a forward is just so enticing.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">MID-RANGERS</h2>



Tino Fa’asuamaleaui // $493,500 // 2RF-FRF // 2021 Ave: 59.7



I’m not overly keen on Tino, but named as skipper this season he could be an improver.



He’s yet to hit his peak in the NRL and the potential to be a SuperCoach star is ever present, whether he reaches it is another story.



He averaged 60 minutes last year, so there’s every chance he can up that to 65-70 with a bit of luck which would help his credentials immensely.



I feel as though there’s a belief around him that he’s a little attack reliant in scoring, but he’s quite the opposite, with 49 points per game coming in base stats.



That’s what encourages me as I firmly believe there’s some greater attacking stats in store.



He’s a monitor for me to see what he can produce early, along with his minutes.



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Brian Kelly // $513,100 // CTW // 2021 Ave: 58.5 and Corey Thompson // $507,500 // CTW // 2021 Ave: 57.9



Two players I think are largely flying under the radar for anyone that rates the Titans.



Thompson in particular was a star last season in the early stages before suffering a lengthy injury layoff.



In the first seven rounds last year he loomed as a must-have with scores of 68, 59, 73, 67, 104, 52 and 110.



He was basing early 30s in this period, and broke a whopping 48 tackles! That’s exactly what we want to see in an outside back’s scoring.



He was never quite the same on return, but back to full fitness there’s no reason why he can’t return to relevance.



I still want to see what the Titans throw up early on, but there’s certainly temptation.



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Beau Fermor // $379,300 // CTW-2RF // 2021 Ave: 46.4



Fermor has attracted interest with talk of having won the starting edge back-row role that has belonged to Kevin Proctor for a number of years.



I don’t mind him, but I’m a long way from convinced.



The days of back-rowers plugging away with solid base while available at CTW is over, we want to chase high ceilings in that position.



Does Fermor have that ceiling? No.



Playing almost solely in the back-row last season he averaged 64 minutes, so even if he gets 80, which is very much unconfirmed, the upside isn’t really there.



If you want a bloke that may plug away averaging 55 and earn you $120k as a slow burn, all good, go for it, but I want more.



If he does come out in a 60 minute role, or worse yet drop back to the bench a few rounds in, you’re stuck with a plodder at an awkward price.



For the record, I quite like Fermor as an actual footballer, I’m just not convinced on his SuperCoach credentials.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BARGAIN BUYS</h2>



Erin Clark // $300,000 // HOK // 2021 Ave: 34.2



At this stage there’s not a lot in the way of cheapies at the Titans.



Will Smith will likely get named on the bench would suggest he deputises at hooker, so how many minutes will Clark get?



I’d suggest 60 at a guess, which is only a slight increase on his 44 last season.



The way I see it, if he comes out and plays 80 and kills it, he’s only a $60k upgrade from Chris Randall.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">AVOIDS</h2>



Toby Sexton // $434,900 // HFB // 2021 Ave: 62 and AJ Brimson // $533,800 // 2021 Ave: 60.9



Brimson is a gun, but I can’t trust his body which keeps failing him.



I’d love nothing more than to see him play every game this year because he’s a serious talent and can take the Titans a long way.



Sexton has come up in plenty of pre-season discussions, but I’m not convinced, again, it’s nothing on his actual ability, the kid can play!



While his price is reduced compared to his average due to only playing four games last season, I think the numbers are pretty misleading.



In his four games he scored 83, 67, 66 and 32.



Those games were against the Dragons (32-10 win), Bulldogs (34-6 win), Cowboys (36-14 win) and Rabbitohs (36-6 loss).



That concerns me up against stronger sides.



One factor in his favour is that the Titans do have a soft draw, so if can fire in the first five or so weeks you can upgrade before the draw becomes tougher.

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