Shaking off the after-effects of the flu, Lauren Brown bounced back into top form after an indifferent showing last week to guide the Titans to a much-needed win over the Roosters.
Brown was in everything for the Titans as they outclassed the visitors 26-6, scoring two tries and setting up two others to help steer her side to the victory to keep within reach of the top four.
After starting the season with a bang and posting back-to-back wins, the Titans then fell away in their next two Queensland derby outings, going down 44-4 to the Broncos in Round 3 before struggling to find any fluency in attack in Round 4. Brown said it was good to see her side turn things around at home against the Roosters and play their style of footy again.
“The last two weeks haven't been the Titans, but it's not what we're about and I think today was a really good opportunity to get back to how we normally play footy,” Brown said.
“I think we took a step in the right direction today and played with that junkyard dog mentality and really brought our defence.
Brown continues to dominate
“I think the last two weeks, the big thing we've done is we've compounded our errors, so we've had an error, then a penalty or vice versa, and we'd just piggyback the teams into our defensive half and we're just inviting them down into attack.
“The biggest thing we wanted to do (against the Roosters) was kick into corners, compress them, and then attack with our defence and just play footy in the good area, which is where we're attacking our line.”
The game was played in difficult and hot conditions which did see tempers flare from a frustrated Roosters side, but Brown said as the home side, they had adapted to the heat and enjoyed testing themselves in the game.
"We love the hot weather, we thrive in it,” Brown said.
“We're in Queensland, and I think it was It was a beautiful day to play footy.
“We knew that it was a hot day, but the other team was feeling it, too.
"We've had a really good pre-season under our belts. We're a few games in, so we know we're a fit team, so we just had to stick to our processes and trust in the game plan.”
The win puts the Titans back on track to reach their goal of playing their way into another decider and attempt to make amends for the grand final loss last year.
They remain outside the top four however and face a tough challenge for their next game, taking on the undefeated Cronulla Sharks.
“Really looking forward to that, the Sharks have been the team of the of the competition so far, they've been playing some really good footy,” Brown said.
“I think just like today, it's a really good opportunity for us to get back to how we used to play and we've really got nothing to lose.
“They’re five and zero … we'll come out firing for that game.”
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