NRL 2022: Gold Coast Titans declare Justin Holbrook’s future is safe
Justin Holbrook has been labelled a dead-man walking at the Titans. Finally, Gold Coast hierarchy have broken their silence on the Holbrook saga in the wake of their latest loss to the Broncos.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Titans boss Steve Mitchell has declared Justin Holbrook will not be sacked immediately as pressure builds on the besieged coach to avoid a wooden-spoon collapse this season.
Gold Coast hierarchy have broken their silence on Holbrook’s future with Mitchell telling News Corp he wants the former St Helens premiership winner on deck next season to preside over the Titans’ revival.
But Holbrook faces a perform-or-perish scenario with the next month to be a critical barometer of whether the Titans can be resurrected on his watch — starting on Sunday against the Bulldogs at CommBank Stadium.
A series of heavy defeats will put Holbrook under extreme pressure.
After the Titans’ woeful loss to Newcastle two weeks ago, Holbrook was buffeted by speculation he could be sacked before their next game against Brisbane, but the 46-year-old was still in charge for the Queensland derby.
Speaking for the first time about the coaching saga, Mitchell says the Titans’ gutsy 16-12 loss to the Broncos is evidence there is no dressing-room revolt against Holbrook.
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.
Asked if Holbrook will be Titans coach in 2023, the Gold Coast chief executive was unequivocal.
“Absolutely, we are completely supportive of Justin,” Mitchell said.
“I think Justin needs time and patience.
“It’s the mark of a good organisation that is under pressure to actually have the patience to allow the environment to evolve and improve and not to be reactive.
“We are supporting Justin through this process. It’s a tough time. We are under pressure as a club and deservedly so. We will wear the criticism, but it’s important we fight out of this period together and I believe Justin can turn this around.”
Holbrook is contracted until the end of 2024, but the Titans have the protection of clauses which would minimise an expensive payout should they sever ties with the coach.
While Holbrook took the Titans to the finals last season, his overall success rate as Gold Coast coach has plummeted to 35.4 per cent. Their derby loss to the Broncos was Holbrook’s 40th defeat from 62 games at the Titans.
Only Garth Brennan (30pc) has an inferior record as Titans mentor, but Mitchell says Holbrook is not solely to blame for Gold Coast’s dramatic freefall to second last this season.
“Justin is a great coach and a great human being,” he said. “He has so many good qualities and he has a fantastic relationship with the playing group and they showed that in their performance the other night against the Broncos, it was a big improvement on the Newcastle game.
“I’m not surprised about the talk (about Holbrook being sacked) given the environment that we live in. That is the reality of elite sport and particularly the NRL, it comes with the territory.
“They (the critics) have put us on notice and it’s fair enough. We need to be better.
“Justin is the first to admit that he needs to get better and get results.
“Justin took us to the finals last year. You can’t question his coaching ability, but there are areas we need to address and be better in. We are looking at areas where we are deficient and we are going to work on improving our weaknesses.
“We need to be accountable collectively and we are doing that at the moment.”
Asked if he had held talks with Holbrook about his future, Mitchell said: “We have discussions every day, we talk about football all the time, there’s not one specific chat. We have daily conversations about our football program.
“It’s important to give that program the time to improve and important to us as a business and organisation to give Justin the opportunity to get better.
“The journey of the club over the past three years has been a really positive one, we have hit some head wind this season, so we need to address that and we are taking it on right now.”
Where have all the quality NRL coaches gone?
Justin Holbrook’s perilous plight at the Gold Coast Titans has spotlighted the fact that rugby league’s greatest nightmare is not axing a coach. It’s finding another one.
With just three wins for the season, Holbrook’s future is under searing scrutiny.
It’s an issue that has exposed the fact that the depth of suitable coaches is as shallow as a baby’s bath pool.
This is why the Coast would need to sense the well-liked Holbrook, horrible season and all, is categorically “done’’ before they made a move.
If Holbrook goes, Paul Green is waiting in the wings. But after disappointing exits from the Cowboys and Queensland his appointment is not routine.
The Walker brothers are the exotic and exciting option but, like most Titans head coaches, Gold Coast would be their first NRL gig and the club may be jittery for this reason. The same goes for Kristian Woolf.
And then there’s … who?
What happened to all those coaches born in the last quarter of the last century who are somewhere between 30 and 50 and bristling with energy and ambition?
Has the game frightened them off? There is no school for first grade coaches. No diploma. It’s a jungle out there. Most newbies meet with grizzly endings though some last forever.
Tim Sheens is back as a head coach of the Tigers at 71 and Wayne Bennett, 73 next January, will lead the Dolphins after all three franchises bidding for the licence were told by the NRL if Bennett was not their preferred choice to think again and put his name down.
Decorated though Bennett is, it was a sign of how bare the cupboard is that not one other name was even contemplated.
Before retiring from his media commitments last year, the great Peter Sterling was asked whether he regretted never coaching at first grade level and quipped “no, I didn’t need a divorce … the pressure is just overwhelming.’’
It was a small but telling insight into the pressures of a job which has crushed the self-esteem of many a good man.
Unless your one of the top men like Bennett, Craig Bellamy, Des Hasler, Ricky Stuart or Ivan Cleary, hiring coaches becomes a guessing game.
There’s no formula and many myths and unproven theories.
Kevin Walters did not land a senior coaching job until he was 52 despite his six premiership pedigree as a player.
One theory said he would be too emotional in handling the ups and downs, yet in the coach’s box during games he is one of the NRL’s most composed figures.
Then there was the question of how an old style player who played in an era of brutal feedback would handle more sensitive modern players.
Only the players and Walters would know the dynamics here but this much is clear – they are playing for each other and the club and, quite possibly the coach.
Successful coaches seem to be a bit old-school and new school teaching some players who didn’t enjoy school at all.
It’s a tricky journey. Only the brave would try it.
Does a Broncos stampede spell curtains for Holbrook?
Justin Holbrook has appealed for calm on the Gold Coast as D-Day arrives for the under-pressure Titans coach.
Holbrook will lead the Titans into Saturday night’s Broncos derby fighting for his future as Gold Coast figures weigh up making mass changes at the struggling club.
The Titans are sitting 15th on the NRL ladder, above only the terrible Wests Tigers on differential, with just three wins in 17 rounds.
Holbrook’s winning percentage has slipped to 36.1, putting him below previous Titans coaches Neil Henry (37.3) and John Cartwright (45.3) and on the path to predecessor Garth Brennan’s shocking 30 per cent record.
Holbrook’s position is becoming increasingly shaky and a heavy loss to the Broncos could signal the end of his three-year tenure on the Gold Coast.
But Holbrook has made a last-ditch plea for Titans hierarchy to show faith in him, insisting the future is bright for the Gold Coast despite the club’s dramatic crash this year.
“We are having a poor season and we get that,” he said.
“We made a decision as a club to go with a young spine and unfortunately we haven’t been able to keep them on the field to start with.
“If we get an experienced half and nine, we’ve got the nucleus of a good side. We’ve worked hard to keep key guys here like Tino (Fa’asuamaleaui), AJ (Brimson), Moe (Fotuaika) and Beau Fermor. We’re just missing a couple of pieces.
“There’s a number of things that have affected us but it’s not major where we have to flip the club upside down. We’ve got to make a couple of staff and player changes and we’ll be OK.
“We’re in a great position. We’ve got a lot of great young players coming through.
“The future’s great, we’ve just got to get our current side firing.”
With their finals hopes extinguished, Holbrook will hand teen sensation Jojo Fifita his NRL debut at Cbus Super Stadium and former Storm hooker Aaron Booth his first Titans jersey.
The Titans have severed ties with fitness chief Klint Hoare and senior assistant Jim Dymock in the past fortnight and Holbrook said it was time to start planning for the future.
“It hasn’t worked out with where we sit on the table,” he said.
“We’re definitely not giving up but we can’t continue the way we’re going because we’re not getting the results.
“We could have waited until the end of the year but with where we’re sitting we thought we’d get a start on next year.
“We know we need to go in a bit of a different direction to improve. Every club makes changes, it’s just more amplified by where we sit on the table.
“We’ve got Kieran Foran (Manly five-eighth) coming who’s going to have a massive impact for us. We need to strengthen one or two other areas, which we’re working on, but that’s all we need.
“We’ve got the nucleus here, we just need a couple of staff and player changes and we’ll fight our way back up.
“That’s our plan. We’ve started it a bit earlier than the end of the year which creates a bit of controversy, but that’s the best plan for us.”
The Titans were woeful in their last game, a 38-12 loss to lowly Newcastle a fortnight ago which thrust the spotlight on Holbrook’s future.
They choked emphatically against Brisbane in round 12, surrendering a 20-point lead to suffer a 35-24 loss at Suncorp Stadium.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters backed Holbrook to salvage his job on the Gold Coast but the Titans won’t be receiving any help from a Brisbane team fighting for the top four.
“I certainly feel for Justin,” Walters said.
“It’s not my space, but coaching in this industry is very tough. Justin is a very tough person and I believe he is a good coach.
“I expect the Titans to get that right. This time last year we were sitting where they were, so I know how that feels and they will be doing everything they can to get it right.
“It’s up to us to make sure they don’t get it right.”
Holbrook fights for survival as second coaching domino falls
Titans coach Justin Holbrook is fighting for survival after his right-hand man Jim Dymock became the second domino to fall at the Gold Coast Titans.
News Corp understands chief assistant coach Dymock has left the Gold Coast immediately after being told his contract would not be renewed beyond this season as pressure intensifies on Holbrook.
Titans hierarchy have discussed Holbrook’s future following last week’s shocking loss to Newcastle, but the head coach will be spared the axe ahead of Saturday’s crucial derby against the Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium.
However, another poor effort against the Broncos will turn up the heat on Holbrook, who is under mounting pressure to revive the 15th-placed Titans.
Dymock, 50, has been Holbrook’s senior assistant since he took over the head coaching reins at the Titans from Garth Brennan ahead of the 2020 NRL season.
A hard-hitting forward during his playing days which saw him become a Kangaroos and NSW Origin representative, Dymock was tasked with overseeing the Gold Coast’s defence.
But with the Titans sitting second-last on the NRL ladder after 17 rounds, and boasting the second worst defence (conceded 418 points) in the competition, Dymock has been axed.
Dymock, who is expected to return to Sydney, has been Holbrook’s most experienced assistant, with Intrust Super Cup premiership-winner Jim Lenihan and former Titans halfback Brad Davis also on his support staff.
The Titans last month severed ties with performance chief Klint Hoare after deciding the team’s fitness was not up to scratch.
Now Holbrook has lost another key member of his coaching staff, intensifying speculation he is fighting for his job at Parkwood.
While Holbrook has enjoyed strong support from influential figures at the Titans, club hierarchy is not pleased with the Gold Coast’s plight following a drought-breaking finals appearance last year.
The Titans have only won three games this season and are equal last with the dreadful Wests Tigers, only a superior points differential (-172 v -196) keeping them off the bottom of the ladder.
After an embarrassing 38-12 loss to Newcastle in round 16, speculation surfaced that Holbrook was on the verge of being sacked.
He has so far survived and is set to lead the Titans into the second south east Queensland derby of the season after the Gold Coast blew a huge lead against Brisbane earlier this year.
A poor performance against the Broncos at home will only brighten the spotlight on Holbrook’s future, however the third-year coach has no plans of quitting.
“I haven’t heard a thing from anyone at the club — I am confident I will be coaching the Titans next year,” Holbrook said after the Newcastle loss.
“I would like to think with the history I’ve had here, I’ve done enough to keep coaching.
“I honestly don’t know where the rumours (about him being sacked) are coming from.
“The owners (Darryl Kelly and Rebecca Frizelle) have said to me several times they are here to support me and I don’t feel that has changed.
“I am pissed at how we are going. I’m not happy with this at all. I am bitterly disappointed.
“I believe I will be there next year. Collectively as a club, we can see where things have gone wrong and what needs to be done to fix it.
“I am working harder than ever and I believe I am the man to get us back up there.”
More Coverage
Originally published as NRL 2022: Gold Coast Titans declare Justin Holbrook’s future is safe
Join the conversation
Addo-Carr sweats on NRL future after two-hour grilling
Josh Addo-Carr’s future at the Bulldogs is now at the crossroads, after he was subjected to a marathon two-hour grilling as he faced up to the NRL integrity unit at League Central.
Read more
Sport Con: Allianz flood disaster that threatened finals double header
Allianz Stadium resembled a swamp last month, but the comeback from a flooding disaster is complete ahead of this weekend’s finals double header. See the full SPORT CONFIDENTIAL.
Read more