NRL 2022: Blunders that ruined Justin Holbrook, what next Gold Coast Titans must bring

Since joining the competition, all Titans’ coaches have had one undesired feature in common. Whoever they chose next must bring some success, writes Michael Carayannis.

The decision to sign David Fifita on $1.2m has been farcical, writes David Riccio.

The Titans is not a job for a rookie coach. They’ve tried that before and failed. What they have never had is a premiership winning coach take charge of the side. Never in their history.

Think Justin Holbrook and Garth Brennan. Holbrook’s stint has lasted one more season than his predecessor Brennan’s ill-fated two years in control at the club which ended during the 2019 season.

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Before them veteran mentor Neil Henry had a crack and looked on the verge of success before Jarryd Hayne’s arrival in 2016 brought down some of the good work which was happening. Henry was gone a year later.

The club’s inaugural coach John Cartwright enjoyed a purple patch early but he too lacked what has followed him and that is a coach who has won an NRL premiership.

The Titans have picked rookie coaches before and failed. They need an premiership winner like Shane Flanagan, writes Michael Carayannis. Picture: Getty Images.

The Titans have little option but to appoint either Shane Flanagan or Paul Green to the job. The duo – along with Michael Maguire – are the premiership winning coaches on the market. Flanagan should be the main man although the appeal of appointing a Queenslander could sway the Titans management in his favour.

Maguire and the club flirted once before – in 2018 – before Brennan’s appointment.

This time around though the club should land on Flanagan’s feet. He knows what it is like to build a club up. He took over the Sharks when the club was on its knees and turned them into a premiership force. He has something no other coaching candidate has – an ability to attract decorated senior players. Think Luke Lewis, James Maloney and Michael Ennis while identifying a crop of untapped talent such as Andrew Fifita, Wade Graham, Matt Prior and Sam Tagataese and helping turn them into premiership winning representative players.

The Titans have some question marks over Paul Green after his exit from the Cowboys, but he is a premiership winner. Picture: Getty Images.

The Titans need to be blown up and start again. Again. Green’s exit from the Cowboys leaves some at the Titans questioning if he is the right fit for where the club needs it head.

For Flanagan though – who seems unlikely to nab a Tigers or Bulldogs role – this seems the perfect fit. A club at the bottom of the ladder struggling to find its place NRL. A lifestyle that’s similar to the Sutherland Shire and a district calling out to help unearth some of its untapped junior talent. Areas which are Flanagan’s strengths. You talk to those inside St George Illawarra who say Flanagan is a wizard at salary cap management. The same cannot be said for whoever has run the books at the Titans.

REVEALED: THE TITANIC BLUNDERS THAT LET HOLBROOK DOWN

—David Riccio

Justin Holbrook has been let down by the Titans’ shambolic roster management.

Any situation that leads a room full of decision-makers to pay a backrower $1.2 million is farcical.

Holbrook’s ability to field a well-balanced side each week has been hamstrung by the salary of David Fifita.

Fifita has averaged just under 12 runs per-game in 2022.

You do the maths on how much value the Titans are getting out of Fifita and more importantly, their salary cap.

The decision to sign David Fifita on $1.2m has been farcical, writes David Riccio.

Instead of pouring at least half of that $1.2m into an elite-level hooker, they’ve been running around with great respect, the simply solid $120,000 Erin Clark.

The decision to let the steady-hand of Jamal Fogarty go to the Raiders at the end of last season, only for the Titans management to then realise that they indeed miss an experienced head in the halves, that they then sign Kieran Foran, who will be 33 halfway next year, is astonishing.

And the decision to release their most experienced half in Jamal Fogarty has been a disaster. Picture: Getty Images.

Front-rower Isaac Liu is a strong player. But is he worth upwards of $550,000 in the final years of his career?

Jarrod Wallace has been a terrible buy.

He ran around on Friday night in Newcastle like a player that couldn’t care less about his coach or his club.

He ran three times for 26-metres and was sent-off.

Instead of structuring a salary cap focused on their matchwinners in the spine, the Titans have invested the majority of their cash in their pack with the likes of Tino Fa‘asuamaleaui, Moeaki Fotuaika, Wallace and Fifita.

Jarrod Wallace was another dud signing, making just three runs against Newcastle before being sent-off. Picture: Getty Images.

Because of this flawed cap structure, the Titans went into 2022 banking on AJ Brimson transitioning from fullback to half.

That move was seemingly aborted in round eight, when he was shifted back to the fullback spot.

Will Smith, Paul Turner and Toby Sexton have all been tried as combinations in the halves.

When your halves are on such high rotation, what does that tell the Titans management?

Sacking Holbrook is an easier solution for the Titans.

But it’s their recruitment model that needs to be ripped apart.

Originally published as NRL 2022: Blunders that ruined Justin Holbrook, what next Gold Coast Titans must bring