By Nick Wright
Three years spent wallowing in the NRL doldrums must come to an end, or risk the Titans’ direction being completely overhauled.
But, according to club chief executive Steve Mitchell, Gold Coast have laid the foundations to ensure 2025 and 2026 become seasons that are remembered for the right reasons.
Not since the days Scott Prince, Mat Rogers and Preston Campbell marshalled the side’s attack has the Glitter Strip delivered any sort of success.
Titans centre Brian Kelly cuts a dejected figure.Credit: Getty
Back-to-back top four berths were followed by just two eighth-place finishes in the past 14 years.
Since sneaking into their last finals series in 2021, the Titans have been planted in the competition’s bottom four.
Now, premiership-winning coach Des Hasler has a campaign at the helm under his belt, while skipper Tino Fa’ausuamaleaui will return from injury alongside recruits Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Carter Gordon.
The roster boasts 38 State of Origin and 75 Test caps, three premierships and an additional grand final appearance. Gordon also jumps from rugby union after eight Wallabies games, while Beau Fermor, Alofiana Khan-Pereira and Jayden Campbell loom as future Origin prospects.
But as Mitchell was asked what he would consider a pass mark, as he accepted Queensland’s XXXX Derby Trophy, he simply replied: “Win more games than we lose.”
“We’re at a point where we’ve had a player group that’s been maturing and now has some genuine leadership through it, and an apex level coach who knows how to win,” Mitchell said.
“We’ve had him in now for 12 months, the playing group knows the expectation and understands what his frameworks are. Our player group – if we can keep healthy – is starting to mature to a really genuine group of elite level rugby league players.
“2025-2026 for us is a really important period.”
The reality is the club have run out of excuses not to thrive come 2025, with the unveiling of the season’s draw putting them in prime position to strike.
Aside from the disappointment of an opening round bye, and their round 19 home clash with the Broncos kicking off at 6.15pm on a Sunday night, the Titans face just two reigning top four sides in the first 21 weeks of the campaign.
They will take on the Raiders, Knights and Bulldogs twice each by the end of round 11.
While Mitchell was adamant a clean slate would ensue for all clubs, he conceded the side were still searching for consistency in their performances – emphatic wins over local rivals the Broncos and Dolphins offset by several instances of horror fade-outs.
“It goes back to mindset, leadership and what the expectations are. We played a really gritty, tough style of footy for a good part of 60 per cent of the year in the middle there, and probably lost games by four points we should have won,” Mitchell said.
“Even though we finished 14th, the way we played ... is materially different to the way we had in years gone by. We need to improve that outcome.”