New Titans coach Garth Brennan tells players to stand up or face the sack

ROOKIE Gold Coast coach Garth Brennan has put his entire Titans squad on notice, telling players to help him build a winning culture — or face the sack.

Gold Coast Titan's coach Garth Brennan.

ROOKIE Gold Coast coach Garth Brennan has put his entire Titans squad on notice, telling players to help him build a winning culture — or face the sack.

In a candid interview with The Sunday Mail on the eve of the Easter Sunday derby against the Broncos, Brennan says he will not tolerate slack attitudes in his quest to bring a harder edge to the Titans.

The Titans are under pressure to hit back against the Broncos following last Sunday’s 54-8 debacle against the Dragons and Brennan revealed any player not prepared to back his vision for success will be shown the door.

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Titans coach Garth Brennan has warned his players to step up or get out.

“There’s no bullshit with me,” Brennan said as he prepares for his Broncos derby debut.

“I want to get the best out of the players but if they don’t come to the levels I want them to be at, then there will be some changes, simple as that.

“The club comes first as far as I’m concerned.

“If guys don’t want to buy in to where I want to take this club and do the hard yards for success, if they don’t want that never-give-up attitude, then you are not welcome at the Gold Coast Titans.

“I’ve already said that to the group. There are guys who have contracts at this club but if they don’t want to buy into my culture, then come and speak to me and I will organise a release.

“Any player who doesn’t want to work hard for me, and for the future of the Titans, is free to leave.”

The Titans have 13 players off-contract this season, including former Broncos centre Dale Copley, winger Anthony Don and five-eighth Kane Elgey, who is currently mired in a worrying form slump.

Kane Elgey is off-contract.

Brennan inherited the Titans’ roster from former coach Neil Henry and while he has injected fresh blood, adding the likes of Bryce Cartwright, Leilani Latu and Mitch Rein, the composition of his ideal squad remains a work in progress.

Just three games into his first-grade career, Brennan has experienced the rollercoaster ride of NRL coaching. He enjoyed a remarkable 30-28 comeback win in his debut against Canberra but came crashing back to earth with last week’s horror show in Toowoomba.

Many believe Brennan has the toughest job in the NRL but the 46-year-old says his tenure as a former police detective has steeled him to make the brave calls needed to turn the Titans into a force.

“It’s not the roster I put together, so I’m working with it,” he said.

“The thing with me is I’m a straight shooter. I lead with my chin in the media sometimes and some people may want to have a crack at me for that but that’s fine, because I tell the truth.

“I’m not a coach who plays games. I’m not going to be a spin-doctor with the fans. It might come back to bite me in the arse, but if does, at least I can say I was honest with people and did it my way.

“I wouldn’t take the job on if I didn’t think I could turn this club around.

New Titans coach Garth Brennan looks on during a training session.

“I went to Penrith in 2012 and the Titans are in nowhere near as bad a state as the Panthers were. They were wooden spooners and financially Penrith were a mess with debts of $100 million.

“It will take us time to turn things around here but I hope people are patient. I would love to start debuting kids like AJ Brimson but I don’t want to throw them in the deep end at this stage.”

Brennan believes the Titans need to be mentally stronger, admitting he was concerned with the “panic” his troops showed when the Dragons went on the attack in Toowoomba.

The Titans have a horrendous record against the Broncos. They have won just two of their past 17 clashes and have lost 11 consecutive derbies at Suncorp Stadium.

“The performance against the Dragons was a long way from where we need to be,” Brennan said.

“If it happens again, I will be making some changes.

“You can excuse the guys for a week but that sort of performance on the weekend can’t be accepted too many times.

“We don’t deal with adversity well at the moment when things go against us. The boys get a bit shell-shocked and they get a little bit nervous. They get spooked a little bit. Sometimes guys are looking at the scoreboard and we are starting to panic and getting away from our processes.

“The club went through a lot of turmoil last year and there is a little bit of that left over within the club.

“I’m determined to fix that up and get the Titans where we need to be.”

Originally published as New Titans coach Garth Brennan tells players to stand up or face the sack