NRL 2022: Tom Weaver gets chance for Titans in trial clash v Broncos
Toby Sexton is Gold Coast’s great halfback hope, but the Titans have just as lofty expectations for another young gun who makes his senior debut tonight.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Titans will unveil what they hope will be the next decade of NRL playmaking talent for the Gold Coast when schoolboys sensation Tom Weaver makes his senior debut.
Weaver has been a late addition to the Titans’ squad for Saturday night’s trial against the Brisbane Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium.
While Toby Sexton is the Gold Coast’s great white halfback hope, the Titans have just as lofty expectations for Weaver, also a graduate of famed league nursery Palm Beach Currumbin High School.
Sexton, 20, will start at halfback for the Titans this season and Weaver is expected to be nipping at his heels in years to come.
Fresh out of high school, the 18-year-old Weaver was set to sit out the Broncos trial until utility Will Smith failed to recover from a head knock suffered in last week’s All Stars.
That has opened the door for Weaver, who was selected in last year’s Australian Schoolboys side after captaining PBC to Queensland glory, to pull on a Titans jersey for the first time against the star-studded Broncos.
“He is a very level-headed kid, which I love in a halfback,” Titans coach Justin Holbrook said.
“He’s not the same as Toby but Toby has that level-head about him. A lot of young halves come up and overplay and get it wrong a bit. Tommy doesn’t.
“He’s done really well in our opposed sessions and he’s brave in defence. He’s defended well against our main side. He’s got a great kicking game and is fast.
“He is only young so he’s got to develop this year. He can start in the under-21s, A-grade and then Q-Cup. There’s no rush, he’s only just out of high school.
“He has slotted in great for a young guy. His work ethic and everything he does during the day is what we want in a young kid.”
Also an Australian Schoolboys halfback, Sexton made his NRL debut last year and played four games on his way to being the Gold Coast’s first-choice halfback in 2022.
Weaver is on a development contract for the next three years at the Titans and Holbrook hopes he can mature into a long-term NRL playmaking talent at the club.
He will confront the likes of Origin props Payne Haas and Tom Flegler on Saturday night, but Holbrook said Weaver wouldn’t be overawed.
“I wasn’t going to play Tommy. I was going to let the year develop for him,” he said.
“I asked him if he wanted to have a run and he said ‘I want to play’. That’s what I like about him.
“It’s a great opportunity for him when we aren’t too worried about the score. It’s a good chance to give guys a game and see where we’re at.
“We want to promote from within as often as we can. We’ve got some great young halves coming through at the club which is terrific.
“I’m excited about this year and the future of our club.”
Band of brothers: Titans blood Haas and Tino 2.0
Their brothers are State of Origin enemies but Gold Coast young guns Klese Haas and Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui have banded together to take the Titans into a new era.
The younger brothers of Broncos star Payne Haas and Gold Coast captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui will pull on Titans jerseys for the first time in Saturday night’s trial against the Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium.
The Haas brothers were set to come up against each other before Payne was ruled out of the match with soreness.
Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free now.
Iszac won’t get the chance to play alongside Tino, who has been rested, but they could not be far off becoming a potent forward force for the Gold Coast in years to come.
Iszac, 20, said he always looked up to his older brother and he hoped to get his career back on track following three injury-plagued years.
“Nothing has changed (now Tino is captain), he’s still my brother, I just have to listen to him more now,” he said. “He has always led me while we were growing up. Now he gets to do it for the whole team, it’s a proud moment for our family.
“I haven’t played much football over the last three years. I’m trying to get fitter and stronger in the gym. It’s been good training with the boys.
“I’ll put my best foot forward and see how I go. It’ll be a good learning curve and experience. I just want to enjoy it rather than being nervous and thinking about it.”
A middle forward like his brother, Iszac went to school and played junior footy in the Gympie region before following Tino to Melbourne as he kicked off his NRL career with the Storm.
Tino has previously rated Iszac a better talent than himself and said he hoped his brother could crack the top grade following years of injury struggles.
“He has been one of our top trainers. I’ve been really happy seeing how he is going, he is knocking on the door,” Tino said. “He’s still got to do his time in (Queensland) Cup and hopefully be a consistent player against men.
“We’ve got a lot of depth in our props. He’s got to keep chipping away and working hard.
“Hopefully he plays NRL soon. If not this year, then next year.”
Klese, 19, and Iszac are part of the Titans’ junior pathways system and are pushing their claims for full-time development contracts.
Klese came through the famed Keebra Park High School system like Payne but unlike his front row-playing brother, Klese is an edge back-rower with crafty footwork and ability to find the tryline.
Klese said he was trying to avoid the hype of playing against Payne and he had enjoyed his first pre-season with the Titans’ top squad.
“It’s been really tough but great learning off all the boys like Tino, David (Fifita) and Kevvie (Proctor),” he said.
“I’m not thinking about too much, it’s just a game of footy and he’s another player out there. Nothing has changed.
“We’ve been speaking about it being a game of footy. We are not going out there as just me and him. It’s Gold Coast versus Brisbane.
“I just want to see where I’m at with the NRL boys.”
While Tino and Payne famously went toe-to-toe during the 2020 State of Origin series, their younger brothers have struck up a close bond at the Titans.
Coach Justin Holbrook has been impressed with what he’s seen and said Iszac carried a lot of his brother’s traits.
“He is an unbelievable trainer – exactly like Tino,” he said.
“He hasn’t played a lot of rugby league. He’s only played about 10 games over three or four years now. It’s going to be a slow development phase for him.
“I don’t want anyone to expect to see another Tino running around tomorrow night. He’s got to have a big development year. It’s good to get him a game and out on the field.”
An Origin and Test star, Payne Haas has developed into one of the NRL’s premier props with his insane fitness and work ethic.
Holbrook said Klese was more of an explosive threat on the edge and he was looking forward to seeing him in Titans colours.
“He has got a great work ethic and is really excited to get a run,” he said.
“Klese is different to Payne, who plays in the middle and can play 80 minutes. Klese is an edge back-rower who could possibly play centre. He is not the same style of player as Payne.
“He’s got footwork and skill which is great. He’s worked really hard and gets an opportunity to play for us.”
Holbrook tunes out noise from critics
Titans coach Justin Holbrook has allayed fears over his inexperienced spine and insisted the Gold Coast’s youthful shot-callers can deliver the club back-to-back finals appearances.
The Titans will play their first trial of the year on Saturday night against the Brisbane Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium.
But they will be without a host of their top players after Holbrook opted to rest the majority of his best 17.
The likes of Round one certainties Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, David Fifita, Moeaki Fotuaika, Isaac Liu, Brian Kelly, Patrick Herbert, Corey Thompson, Kevin Proctor and Phil Sami will be watching from the sidelines as the Titans have their first hitout of the year.
Holbrook has also opted to rest five-eighth AJ Brimson and hooker Erin Clark, while he will give fullback Jayden Campbell and halfback Toby Sexton about 40 minutes on the field.
Holbrook has this season taken what could be viewed as a risk by opting for a relatively inexperienced spine in Sexton (four NRL games), Brimson (63 games), Campbell (seven games) and Clark (30 games).
But the third-year coach is so confident in how his team is tracking that he hasn’t felt the need to give Brimson any game time this week as he shifts from fullback to five-eighth.
“I’ve been really impressed with everything from him,” Holbrook said.
“I asked him if he wanted to play and he said he was happy with just one hitout and so am I.
“I don’t feel the need for him to play both weeks. I’m comfortable with how he’s going.
“For the established guys one hitout is enough.”
While the Titans will field a second-string team against the Broncos, Holbrook is planning to play his best 17 on Saturday week against the Warriors at Redcliffe.
That will be the final hitout for the Titans before they open their 2022 NRL premiership campaign with a tough game against Parramatta at Commbank Stadium on March 13.
While all eyes will be on how the Titans’ young spine performs after the club played finals in 2021, Holbrook said he had few concerns given their pre-season efforts.
“They are always around each other and discussing things, during and after training in particular which I’ve really liked as a coach,” he said.
“It’s good to observe them get together on their own and have a chat. They’ve been really good at communicating with each other.
“I’m really happy with us going down that path with those guys in those key positions. They have combined really well at training.
“I understand we’re going to get judged once we start the season in round one but I’m really comfortable and happy with the way we’ve chosen them.”
Holbrook will field a host of fringe Titans players in the Broncos trial, but there are some interesting young guns coming through the grades.
Fifita’s cousin Jojo Fifita will make his senior Titans debut while the younger brothers of Broncos star Payne Haas (Klese) and Titans captain Fa’asuamaleaui (Iszac) will turn out for the Gold Coast.
TITANS’ ORIGIN PROP SET TO JOIN DOLPHINS
By Peter Badel and Travis Meyn
Former Queensland Origin prop Jarrod Wallace is set to depart the Gold Coast Titans at season’s end and could become a foundation player at the Dolphins.
The Courier-Mail can reveal Wallace is a near certainty to finish up at the Titans in 2022 following six years at the club and is in negotiations with the Dolphins.
Wallace, 30, is entering the final year of his contract and the Titans cannot afford to offer him an extension worth anywhere near the current $600,000-a-season he is pocketing.
That has opened the door for Wallace to become the next big-name recruit to be snared by Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett for the Redcliffe club’s inaugural NRL season in 2023.
Wallace joined the Titans in 2017 from the Broncos and went on to make his State of Origin debut for the Maroons that year, playing six games across the 2017-19 series.
He has played 177 NRL games since debuting in 2012 and become an integral part of the Gold Coast’s forward pack.
But Wallace is now set to head back up the M1 to join the NRL expansion club’s prop rotation alongside the likes of Jesse Bromwich (Storm) and Mark Nicholls (Rabbitohs).
While Wallace will play an important role at the Titans this year, the club has invested in its emerging brigade of middle forwards.
The Titans have locked up Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (2026), Moeaki Fotuaika (2024), Isaac Liu (2024), Jaimin Jolliffe (2024) and Sam Lisone (2024) long-term, which is set to squeeze Wallace out.
Titans coach Justin Holbrook said Wallace would have a huge role to play in 2022 as the Gold Coast chase back-to-back finals appearances.
“I’m happy with how he’s going. Particularly after Christmas, he’s really ramped it up,” he said. “He will be a big part of our side this year. As for the future, he will have to weigh up his options.”
While they have opted for young spine players like halfback Toby Sexton and fullback Jayden Campbell, the Titans have invested heavily in their middle forwards over the coming years.
They still have two spots to fill in their 30-man squad for the 2022 season, but Holbrook said he was not in a rush to add to his roster.
“I’m really happy with every position,” he said.
“We’ll leave it open and look to promote from within as the season goes on. I haven’t got any short-term plans for those spots.
“I’m really happy with everyone we’ve got and want to give them their opportunity to cement those spots. We will reassess as the year goes on.
“Everyone is chasing those top five or six sides and our aim is to get up to speed with them. It’s up to us to try and catch them.
“If we can do that with what we’ve got, I’m happy. If not, we’ll have to have a look (at the market).”
Titans to unleash former Wallabies target
The Titans are ready to unveil one of the NRL’s hottest young prospects, with sprint and schoolboys rugby sensation Jojo Fifita to make his Gold Coast senior debut.
Sosefo “Jojo” Fifita will pull on a Titans jersey for the first time in Saturday night’s trial against the Brisbane Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium.
A cousin of Gold Coast NRL superstar David Fifita, Jojo was one of the country’s most sought after schoolboys rugby talents before being snapped up by the Titans without having ever played a minute of rugby league.
A graduate of The Southport School (TSS), Fifita was being watched by Wallabies coach Dave Rennie in 2020 when the Titans snuck under the guard of every Australian Super Rugby franchise.
Fifita, 19, battled shoulder injuries last year, but Titans fans will finally get a glimpse of one of the club’s best ever young talents when he starts at centre against the Broncos.
“I will start him and he will play plenty of minutes,” Titans coach Justin Holbrook said.
“He’s been going really well. I’ve been really impressed.
“He was coming off a shoulder injury last year and then hurt his shoulder in his second game.
“At least he’s had a pre-season under his belt now and is ready to start the year. It will be good to watch him play.
“He just needs to play rugby league and get some games under his belt. He will get plenty of minutes.
“He has adapted well to playing rugby league. He is a good learner and it will be good to get him playing some games.”
The Titans have high hopes for Fifita.
Powerfully built at 183cm and 91kg, Fifita was a schoolboys sprint star, clocking a sizzling 10.85 seconds for the 100m sprint at the age of 16.
He excelled on the rugby field with his speed, power and footwork, and was part of the Queensland Reds Academy as a career in the 15-man code beckoned.
But the Titans convinced Fifita to chase an NRL career on the Gold Coast and he will get his first taste of the top grade when he faces the Broncos.
Fifita will switch between centre and wing as Holbrook assesses his best position and while he isn’t expected to be part of the Gold Coast’s Round 1 team, an NRL debut in 2022 is likely.
“He is fast and strong,” Holbrook said.
“We have to be patient with him in terms of picking up the way to play rugby league and the principles, but he’s doing really well.
“He will start in the centres and play a bit of wing. I haven’t locked him into either position.
“He is fast and strong but has good skill. He’s got a great pass but equally as good on the wing with a good jump.”
Titans move to keep Fifita out of rivals’ reach
Mal Meninga has rubbished claims $3.5 million man David Fifita is unhappy at the Gold Coast and revealed the Titans are ready to launch contract negotiations to re-sign the NRL try-scoring sensation before he hits the open market.
A leaner and meaner Fifita made his first appearance of the year for the Indigenous All Stars on Saturday night in the lead-up to his second season at the Titans.
It was a whirlwind debut campaign at the Titans for Fifita in 2021, with the 21-year-old embroiled in an off-field incident during the pre-season which saw him fined $10,000 by the NRL before going on to score a club record 17 tries as the Gold Coast played finals for the first time since 2016.
Fifita’s sizzling early-season form faded later in the year as he battled a painful rib injury and was relegated to the bench, a move he was not entirely happy about.
He also moved back up the M1 to live in Brisbane, prompting suggestions he could look to return to the Broncos following his controversial exit from Red Hill in 2020.
Fifita is contracted to the Titans until the end of 2023, but rival clubs can poach him from November this year and he is expected to attract enormous interest if he hits the open market.
But Titans culture chief Mal Meninga is intent on not allowing that to happen.
The Titans have focused on locking up their top talent long-term before they can be tempted by rivals and Meninga said they would look to do the same with Fifita, insisting he was happy on the Gold Coast.
“Absolutely, we’ve got him until the end of 2023 but clubs can start talking to him sooner rather than later,” Meninga said when asked if the Titans would look to extend his contract.
“We’re really keen to keep him at the club. We know he’s very happy there and has mixed in really well. He is part of the club. We’re hoping with the right mentoring and relationships at the club that he will find it very hard to leave.”
At his barnstorming best, Fifita was near unstoppable last year, scoring two hat-tricks in what was an incredible season with the ball in hand.
But his defensive efforts have been questioned and Meninga said Fifita was working hard on improving his game ahead of a critical season for the Titans.
“Dave obviously wants to improve. That’s one of the reasons he came to the club, he wants to become a better player,” he said.
“There’s a few things Dave can work on, but not a lot of things.
“He’s worked on his fitness, which will certainly help his game. The fitter you are then the more mentally strong you are. That will help him get more touches of the footy and help defensively, which is crucial in any club’s preparation.
“There is no secret that defence wins comps. That’s certainly true and that’s a key area for Dave.”
The Titans have re-signed the nucleus of their squad for the upcoming years.
Captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (2026), AJ Brimson (2026), Moeaki Fotuaika (2024), Jayden Campbell (2024) and Toby Sexton (2024) have all committed to the club.
Fa’asuamaleaui knocked back a big-money bid from the Dolphins and said he hoped Fifita would stay with him after they left the Storm and Broncos respectively last year to join the Titans.
“He is my best mate and I want the best for him but I’d love for him to stay,” he said.
“He is a big part of this club and us growing together as a young group.
“When I think of him I think he is a Titan.
“I’m hoping he stays but I’ll be happy with whatever he does because he’s my best mate.”
Fifita is targeting a return to the Titans’ starting side in 2022 and while he remains close to the Broncos, said he was enjoying his time at the Gold Coast.
“I’m really enjoying my time here at the club,” he said.
“Brissy is only down the road so I’m not far away from my family. I’m still really close with the Broncos boys and staff there, but I’m glad I’m down here with the (Titans) boys.
“I’m here at the moment and enjoying it. I’ve still got a couple more years.
“I’m really training hard and getting my body right to put me on the best foot forward to get to where we want to be this year.”
Gus’ ‘doctored’ claim ignites NRL conspiracy
The NRL Grand Final’s controversial no try scandal has taken a wild turn despite the game releasing the angle the decision was based on.
Kangaroos selection shocks: NRL legends’ Test careers appear over
Mal Meninga has dropped a major selection bombshell by overlooking both James Tedesco and Kalyn Ponga for Kangaroos selection, with the list of surprise omissions and debutants not ending there. See the full squad.