sport, rugby-league

Gold Coast have been tasked with not only stopping an in-form South Sydney outfit this weekend, but doing so amid the worst offensive start to an NRL season in almost two decades. The Titans have scored just one converted try in their two matches this year, backing up a 21-0 loss to Canberra with a 20-6 defeat to Cronulla. Their tally of six points is the fewest from a team's opening two rounds of an NRL season since Canterbury in 2000, who scored just two points. The Titans will face the Rabbitohs with Tyrone Roberts (Achilles) and Ashley Taylor (quad) still absent through injury, leaving youngster AJ Brimson and recruit Ryley Jacks to continue in the halves. Centre Tyrone Peachey had to shift into the halves during the Raiders match after Roberts departed in the first 15 minutes of that defeat. Taylor was a late scratching from the season opener, and Peachey admitted losing their starting halves had played a part in the Titans' slow 2019 start. "It's always going to be hard with the halves that were starting during the whole of pre-season getting injured a week before round one. It's always going to throw a spanner in the works," Peachey told AAP. "We're not using that as an excuse. We've got good enough talent in this team, we've got a rep forward pack and a lot of good players out wide. "We should be winning games and we're just not playing to our full potential." Captain Ryan James said the Titans needed to cut out the errors which have prevented them building pressure on the opposition. Gold Coast dominated possession against the Sharks, but have made 32 errors across their first two games - a tally James admitted was killing his team's ability to turn possession into points. "Momentum's a massive thing in rugby league ... we just need to complete when we're down there," James told AAP. "Create pressure and work off the back of that. We haven't been creating pressure. "The first week we barely forced any dropouts. Last week was a bit better, AJ and Ryley kicking in behind, but we just need to work on that." Australian Associated Press

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