They may have won the game and done so well, but for Titans coach John Cartwright, he believes that in order for his side to be a competition heavyweight, they still need improvement to challenge the top sides in the competition.
With three wins on the trot, the team seemingly on a high and the solid performances being spread out among their players, Cartwright says that the plan is to now go for 4 wins on the trot next week.
“There’s a couple of standout sides and the rest are really trying to chase them and catch them and stick with them,” Cartwright said.
“To win three in a row, I’m really happy for the boys. Three in a row in this competition, not many sides are going to do it.
“We’ve got three, we’ll look for four now.”
It was the Titans resolute defence and never-say-die attitude that deserves plaudits, evidenced by several last-ditch efforts by co-captain Greg Bird to deny the Panthers tries on two occasions.
“Not many players can go through the thought process to do that in the heat of the moment,” Cartwright said of Bird.
“It was a deliberate play, things like that turn the game.”
Bird did not put it down to anything but luck.
“I just got lucky.
“He was over the line ready to put it down so that was about all I had.”
With the Titans realising their potential in 2013 so far and the need for urgency in their games a key factor stressed before games, Bird believes that the Titans are finally living up to the expectations.
“I guess we probably haven’t been living up to our potential the last couple of years, we’ve had good packs on paper and haven’t been able to put it together,” Bird said.
“That’s something that we’re trying to do now and it starts with the defence.”
There was yet another obstruction controversy, however, with the Panthers on the receiving end of it, when Tom Humble burst through the line to score, only for the video ref to deny it after Sika Manu took out a Titans defender.
The decision left Panthers coach Ivan Cleary rather confused.
“It’s been an issue is so many games,” Cleary said.
“We’ve got people up in the box, ex-players who have supposedly got more feel for the game, but they’re not being given the opportunity to have that feel for the game.”
3. Greg Bird
2. Kevin Gordon
1. Jamal Idris