League legend Billy Slater has offered Gold Coast some advice on how to get $1.25 million star David Fifita into the game.
The Titans have lost three on the trot – the latest a shocking 30-4 thrashing at the hands of North Queensland – and as happens during a form slump, the blowtorch is on the highest paid player.
Fifita was moved from backrow to centre against the Cowboys but it failed to ignite him or the team.
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The rampaging forward had scored just two tries from six games prior to coach Justin Holbrook’s decision to shift Fifita for the game against North Queensland.
Slater wants the Titans to take a leaf out of Cronulla’s book, in regards to forward-turned-centre Siosifa Talakai.
Talakai had two tries and three try assists against Manly in round seven, in what many people were calling the best game from a centre in recent memory.
“I look at Talakai at the Sharks, and he gets the ball in really good positions,” Slater told Wide World of Sports’ Billy’s Breakdown.
“He had an incredible game at the weekend, and it’s what is done inside him.
“It’s really hard for David (Fifita) if he just gets given the ball and (they say) ‘do your thing’ – he does it occasionally. But at the same time, he’s got to go and find the ball in these situations.
“So get the players to work for Dave, but Dave has got to show the effort to go and get it as well.”
Following Fifita’s stint in the centres, Holbrook conceded the club had no choice but to take the gamble given its disappointing start to 2022.
“We had to do it for injury, but I also wanted to test it out there, which is hard,” the Titans coach said after the loss to the Cowboys.
“We have got to try things. We are not winning games, so we tried it.
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“It was a limited preparation there so it was a bit of a mixed bag obviously.
“We are not winning games of footy so we have got to come up with what we think is right.
“We thought it was right tonight and it clearly wasn’t.
“Not just that move, we were blown away by a much better team.”
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