Inside Mail finals edition: Home of the hottest NRL news and gossip

WHY a Titans big gun is out to impress Wayne Bennett in tonight’s do-or-die final and more in this week’s Inside Mail – home of the hottest NRL news and gossip.

The Courier-Mail’s rugby league team.

IT’s official — Chris McQueen is swearing his allegiance to England.

Inside Mail can reveal Broncos and England coach Wayne Bennett has made contact with McQueen as the Titans forward begins the process of becoming a fully-fledged Pom.

McQueen is filling out paperwork with the Rugby League International Federation to ensure he is eligible for England for next month’s Four Nations tournament.

The Titans backrower played six Origin games for the Maroons, but with Queensland coach Kevin Walters looking to the future, McQueen is keen to honour the heritage of his grandparents.

Bennett and McQueen have had preliminary talks and the 29-year-old gets the perfect chance to impress the British coach in tonight’s Broncos-Titans finals blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium.

Chris McQueen has been in great form for the Gold Coast.

BRONCOS UNIQUE BONDING SESSION

BEN Hunt provided his teammates with a new type of bonding session, holding a “Baby Q” with pregnant partner Bridget Hagan ahead of this week’s finals campaign.

The Broncos and all their families spent last weekend at the all-inclusive baby shower.

From social media snaps, it seems the Broncos players used the occasion to kick back and relax, with the group converging around a fire.

Broncos halfback Ben Hunt and partner Bridget Hagan.

FAMILY FIRST FOR FRIENDY

RETIRING Titans co-captain Nathan Friend only found out the Gold Coast had qualified for the NRL finals after everyone else.

The Titans had to wait for Canberra to beat Wests Tigers last Sunday to ensure they remained in the top eight.

It was Father’s Day and Friend only returned home from Townsville about 2pm.

He had the Tigers-Raiders game on TV but his two sons wanted to play in the backyard, so he had to keep pausing the game.

Friend ended up watching it on a 10-minute delay. He put his phone on silent so the surprise wasn’t ruined.

The Raiders thumped the Tigers and it turned out to be the perfect Father’s Day.

Retiring Titans co-captain Nathan Friend with wife Kelly and boys Axel, 8, and Oliver, 6. Picture: Luke Marsden.

TITANS BIG WIGS PUT FANS FIRST

GOLD Coast Titans big wigs have turned their back on lavish treatment at Friday night’s blockbuster final against the Broncos.

The Gold Coast’s eight-person board has brushed the corporate boxes and will instead sit with Titans fans at Suncorp Stadium.

Led by chairwoman Rebecca Frizelle and former co-owner Darryl Kelly, the decision-makers will experience footy like it is meant to be experienced.

Trish Hogan, Tony Hickey, Ned Pankhurst, Lynne Anderson, Fraser Perrin, Paul Donovan, Kelly and Frizelle will catch buses to Suncorp Stadium with Titans members and fans.

And they have knocked back invites for corporate boxes to instead sit closer to the action for the club’s first finals game since 2010.

The Titans have done a great job of reconnecting with the community this season.

A lot of it has to do with the gritty performances the team has put in but there has also been a lot of work done off the field.

The volunteer board also makes plenty of sacrifices. They pay for their own memberships and Frizelle shouts sandwiches at each meeting.

Titans chief executive Graham Annesley and chairwoman Rebecca Frizelle have put in a lot of hard work to restore the Gold Coast as a finals force. Picture: Regi Varghese

GOLD COAST BOSS’ TITANIC EFFORT

NO-ONE can ever question the commitment of one of the game’s most capable and respected club chief executives, Graham Annesley.

The Titans boss has embarked on a remarkable 14,000km round trip to be present for tonight’s sudden-death finals showdown with the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.

When the Gold Coast qualified for the finals, Annesley had a major conundrum.

His wife’s son was getting married in London in the week of the Titans’ first finals game in six years.

Eager to attend tonight’s clash, Annesley was a late scratching for the wedding, but earned brownie points by travelling with his wife to Hong Kong before she headed for London. Annesley touched down in Brisbane yesterday a bit worse for wear, but it’s nothing compared to the two years of stress he endured trying to keep the Titans alive.

EGGCEPTIONAL COWBOY’S HIDDEN TALENT

COWBOYS young gun Kalyn Ponga may be regarded as the next Johnathan Thurston but he once dreamt of becoming the next Tiger Woods.

Kalyn Ponga.

It’s been an eventful week for Ponga. He is currently one of five Cowboys embroiled in the egg-throwing saga, just days after being named in the NRL’s under-20s team of the year.

Ponga has been in sizzling form in the under-20s and is expected to make his top-grade debut next season, but the 18-year-old never dreamt of being an NRL star.

“As a kid, I played a lot of touch football and a bit of soccer, but I actually wanted to be a pro golfer,” he says.

“My dad had a big influence on me with golf and I played from the age of six. I was heavily into golf, I was down at the golf course every weekend and when I moved to Australia with my family I was loving it.

“My dream was to play golf professional and I loved watching Tiger Woods in his prime. Even now, I still play. When I was 12, my handicap was around nine but I’m busier with league these days so I’ve slowed down. I’ve never hit a hole in one but I’ve gone close.”

WALKER ON THE WILD RIDE

CODY Walker’s star continues to rise. The former Courier-Mail Medal winner in 2013 is now a frontline contender for the RLPA’s rookie of the year award.

After failed stints at Penrith and the Titans, Walker’s NRL dream appeared to have been shattered after he tore his hamstring on the eve of his planned top-grade debut at Melbourne two years ago.

Cody Walker with his Courier Mail Medal in 2013.

Now with Souths, Cody Walker is a favourite to win RLPA rookie of the year.

But Walker refused to give up and made his NRL debut at age 26 this season for the Rabbitohs. He has since become a key member at Redfern, playing 20 games this season and signing a new $600,000 deal.

A rookie-of-the-year gong would be the icing on the cake and is further evidence of the quality of the Intrust Super Cup competition in producing the next wave of NRL stars.

FORMER TITAN IN STRIFE

FORMER NRL wonderboy Albert Kelly is in trouble again.

Kelly is on his last legs at Hull KR in the Super League after returning late from a trip home.

Kelly was granted compassionate leave during the season to visit family in NSW after repeatedly asking the club.

The Robins claim Kelly returned to England later than he had agreed and suspended him for a crucial game recently.

That wasn’t Kelly’s only indiscretion though. A Hull KR official took to Facebook to make it clear there had been a number of disciplinary issues.

Kelly had a controversial NRL career, being sacked by Cronulla for disciplinary issues.

He was released by Titans coach Neil Henry after the 2014 season and ended up at Hull KR.

Former Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens will coach Hull KR next season and it is unsure where Kelly will stand when he arrives.

Former Titans Albert Kelly has found himself in strife with Super League club Hull KR.

NONA HEADED TO COAST?

THE Burleigh Bears have made a play to bring Intrust Super Cup premiership-winning playmaker Shaun Nona back to Queensland.

The Bears will lose their quality halves duo Cameron Cullen (Manly) and Jamal Fogarty (Parramatta) to NRL clubs next season.

Nona has been playing for Illawarra in the NSW Intrust Super Premiership. He is a quality player that has had stints with Northern Pride, Melbourne Storm and Easts Tigers.

Nona is ideally looking for an NRL club to pick him up on a second-tier contract that would see him play reserve grade.

At the moment, it is unlikely the Titans will come to the party, but they could be on the hunt for a back-up playmaker if Tyrone Roberts decides to leave.

Roberts has had a great year for the Titans but there will be plenty of competition in the playmaking department with Ashley Taylor and Kane Elgey in the mix next season.

The Bears have also delivered prop Paterika Vaivai to the Titans. He has signed a second-tier contract with the NRL club for 2017.

Shaun Nona playing for NSW Residents against QLD Residents at Langlands Park this year. Picture: Peter Wallis

INTRUST TEAMS BREAK BREAD

IT sounds like the Intrust Super Cup finals contenders are keeping things pretty friendly this year.

In the ultimate show of being good losers, the Easts Tigers last week went out to dinner with Townsville despite getting knocked out of the finals race by the Blackhawks hours earlier.

Our sources from up north revealed that after the 46-4 thrashing, the two sides met up for a nice night out on the town.

OFF-SEASON IN FULL SWING FOR SOME

WHILE all three Queensland teams still have finals footy on their mind, it seems some of their southern counterparts are well and truly into the off-season.

Young Queenslander and former Bronco Jayden Nikorima is taking in all the sights of Paris now the Roosters’ year is over, seen in the pic below checking out the Eiffel Tower

Rabbitohs star Greg Inglis meanwhile is expected to return to his home state soon now that his season is done, with his second child due early next month.