From the Titans camp.
AJ Brimson:
“I used to like the Broncos, yes, I was born in Brisbane and was a Broncos-Queensland fan. Will was in the under-20s system there and I got picked up by the Titans. We had different pathways. I’m obviously a diehard, through and through Titan now. I always love these battles. I respect the Broncos as a club and look forward to these local derbies. There is always that little bit in the back of your head because it’s that ‘big brother, little brother’ club and they’re up the highway."
“They feel the same way, too. We always have our little battles. It’s a little bit more special, especially for the fans, they always get behind it. It will be a good atmosphere. It’s obviously a big game every year, we’re definitely going to be up for it and I’m sure they will be too. I’m sure it’s going to be a pretty physical game.”
“We definitely didn’t go in there ahead of ourselves. We knew it was going to be a hard challenge and we spoke about that sort of stuff. It was round one frantics (sic) and unfortunately we had a bad game and underperformed. We didn’t play the way we trained all pre-season and that was frustrating. But I don’t think that was due to us thinking we were better than we are."
“It was similar to last year, the way we started the year. We’re a lot further than we were at this time last year but it was a similar narrative. We’ve got to start well. We’ve already addressed that and are looking forward now. We owe it to the fans and we’re grateful they will be supporting us here in numbers. Our plan is definitely to not let them down. We spoke about that as a club, that’s what we want to be a part of – making the Gold Coast community proud. We’re definitely going to be putting on a good performance for the fans. You can’t not get up for this game. We will show that on Friday night.”
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, who quit the Broncos after they signed NSW rival Payne Haas:
“Watching the Queensland derbies last year, they’re always fiery and the boys will be up for it. It will be very fiery and I can’t wait to get amongst it. The Broncos were my team growing up. I supported them. Since I was 11 or 12 I was in their development squads on the Sunshine Coast until I was 16 and I made my way down south. I thought it’d be a good opportunity to go down there and be under Craig and (Cameron Smith) and the older fellas down there. It was the best move I’ve made. I learnt a lot from them and am learning a lot here too.”
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“There’s a lot of things to work on and a lot of good things we can take out of our last game. We need to improve our discipline and little areas in defence. We will come out better this week and hopefully get the win. We all shied away from what we’re good at and didn’t really use that on the weekend. We know what we need to do and will hopefully use it this week. We don’t see it as too much pressure, that’s what everyone else is saying. It’s good pressure and motivation for us to show everyone what we’re made of and can do. We’ve got to get this week right and hopefully get the win.”
Fa’asuamaleaui’s manager, Simon Mammino:
“Tino was at the club before Payne Haas, but the Broncos brought him to the club and then eventually signed him to a six-year deal. Tino wasn’t initially offered a top-squad contract by the Broncos until the Storm came into the picture. The Broncos thought Tino could play, but they only showed real interest after Melbourne came along. The Storm tabled a very good offer which reflected their commitment to him and as part of it Tino went straight into the full-time squad. The Broncos also brought Payne Haas in over the top and those two factors convinced Tino to leave Brisbane. The best pathway to the NRL in Tino’s eyes was leaving the Broncos to get an education under Craig Bellamy. The Broncos had big plans for Payne Haas and he has gone on to be a very good player.”
McHunt
