Blindside: The Gold Coast Titans will not relocate to Brisbane
Contrary to reports, the battling Gold Coast Titans are not in danger of relocating and becoming Brisbane’s second NRL team with club officials reaffirming the club’s commitment to their home.
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Titans powerbrokers have moved to quash speculation the Gold Coast are set for a stunning takeover bid that would see the club move north to become Brisbane’s second team.
Club bosses have been rocked by claims the Gold Coast could be re-named the southeast Queensland Titans with Broncos great Chris Johns and former Broncos CEO John Ribot to play a key role in establishing a Brisbane foothold.
There were suggestions Johns and Ribot have approached co-owner Rebecca Frizelle to discuss playing eight of 12 Titans games a year at Suncorp Stadium.
Blindside understands the figure is closer to two home games, with the Titans exploring ways to make money, similar to Sydney clubs moving their home games to Darwin and New Zealand for a tidy profit.
Either way, Titans chairman Dennis Watt insists the club is not up for sale, will not be re-named and will not be moved from the Gold Coast.
“For the benefit of Titans members, fans and sponsors, here are the facts: We are the Gold Coast Titans, and that is how we will stay,” Watt said.
“We are not moving anywhere, nor are we changing our name or ownership.
“We are regularly approached by good people who want to help the Titans reach their full and successful potential, and we appreciate their support of the club.
“But while we never stop listening to interesting proposals, and will always keep an open mind about possibilities to grow and strengthen the Titans, the possibility of restructuring, relocating and rebranding the club has not been contemplated.”
Johns and Frizelle have business ties through the Hoppy’s Car Wash franchise and insists he isn’t trying to buy into the Titans.
“I know Rebecca well and I have spoken to her about ways the Titans can do things a bit better,” he said.
“I agree with what Brad Fittler (NSW coach) has said – the Titans have to look at ways to get more reach and more dollars into the club.
“But I’m not looking to buy into the club. There’s a lot of speculation flying around, I meet with Bec once a month to discuss our other business ventures and people are joining too many dots.
“There’s been no talk about re-naming the club.
“There is talk about Brisbane having a second team but in my eyes the Titans already are the second team. We just have to work out how to make the Titans a successful operation to complement the Broncos.”
HODGES THE HEIR APPARENT IF WALTERS WALKS
Broncos legend Justin Hodges has emerged as a frontline candidate to coach the Maroons should Kevin Walters be lost to the Titans.
Blindside can reveal Hodges is ready to an answer an SOS from the Queensland Rugby League and take charge of the Maroons for the 2020 campaign if Walters is poached by the Titans following the sacking of Garth Brennan.
Walters is contracted to the QRL until the end of 2020 and is keen to remain with the Maroons for a fifth campaign. The only way he would walk away in the coming months is if Titans powerbrokers made the first move and guaranteed him the Gold Coast job.
Walters has no interest in being part of a Titans interview process given his current employment as Queensland Origin coach, so the Gold Coast would have to embark on a headhunting exercise to snare the 51-year-old.
Hodges is a Plan B contingency for the Maroons. The former Broncos skipper is currently part of Walters’ team of assistants in the Queensland set-up and has received rave reviews from Maroons players with his knowledge of the game.
History shows the best Origin coaches have played in the game’s toughest arena and Hodges ticks that box, having played 24 matches for the Maroons between 2002-15.
Queensland’s coaching cupboard to eventually replace Walters is largely empty. Paul Green is a standout option but he is contracted to the Cowboys, while Walters’ former Maroons assistant Anthony Seibold has a five-year deal with the Broncos.
Former Broncos and Penrith coach Anthony Griffin is a Queenslander, while Wayne Bennett has offered to return to help the Maroons if they need a short-term solution to replace Walters.
Hodges represents the future. The 37-year-old has ambitions to coach in the NRL one day and began his apprenticeship last year, becoming the first Queensland coach to beat NSW in the under-20s Origin format.
“I’d love to follow ‘Artie’ Beetson and be an indigenous NRL coach one day,” Hodges recently told Blindside. “I’m still young and learning and I’m loving my role with the Queensland team. Hopefully when I ready to take that next step there is an opportunity for me. The work I did with the Queensland under-20s boys was a great experience.”
MAL MENINGA TO TAKE CHARGE
Mal Meninga will take charge of the hiring of the Titans’ next coach with the Gold Coast culture boss to head-up a panel to appoint Garth Brennan’s successor.
Blindside can reveal Meninga will spearhead a sub-committee that will include executive chairman Dennis Watt, co-owner Darryl Kelly and board member Geoff Jones, a heavy-hitter in the Australian business world.
Meninga is one of the most street-smart operators in rugby league and will not allow the Titans to go through the process that led to Brennan’s appointment two years ago.
In 2017, following the sacking of Neil Henry, former Titans CEO Graham Annesley, now the NRL’s football-operations chief, presided over a panel that interviewed six candidates.
The group interviewed were Brennan, current Titans assistant Craig Hodges, former NSW Origin coach Laurie Daley, now Wests Tigers mentor Michael Maguire, Ipswich duo Ben and Shane Walker and J ason Demetriou, Wayne Bennett’s right-hand man at Souths.
Jones and Annesley went through detailed interviews with each of the group. The standout performers were Hodges and the Walkers, the latter of whom blew Annesley and Jones away with the level of detail in their job pitch.
The committee were leaning towards rubber-stamping the Walkers as Henry’s replacement when Brennan came from the clouds to clinch the job at the eleventh hour.
The move to appoint Brennan turned out to be a disaster. This time, the Titans can’t afford a similar mistake and rest assured Meninga won’t accept any appointment without thorough due diligence.
MAROONS LOSE FIGHT FOR KEARY
Queensland say they have given up hope of ever luring Luke Keary back to the Maroons fold.
A report on Thursday suggested senior Queensland executives were attempting to have Keary reclassified as a Maroon, but QRL boss Rob Moore told Blindside there is no chance the Roosters playmaker could walk out on NSW.
Keary wrote a letter to former NRL CEO Dave Smith in 2014 asking to play for Queensland. Smith rejected the request. At the time, Keary also met with then head-of-football Todd Greenberg, now the NRL’s chief executive.
Keary was born in Queensland and lived in Ipswich until the age of 10 before moving with his family to NSW. Under the code’s representative eligibility rules, Keary’s answered four of five key questions in favour of NSW.
“I’ve seen his eligibility status, Luke Keary is with the NSW,” Moore said yesterday.
“There’s been no approach from us, the only way it can be changed is by the NRL CEO and Luke’s request was knocked on the head years ago.
“I’m not sure where the speculation has come from but I’ve had no discussions with Luke about playing for Queensland.”
OLIVE BRANCH EXTENDED
The Broncos Old Boys and coach Anthony Seibold took a step forward by holding a BBQ at Suncorp Stadium in the lead-up to Thursday night’s clash against the Bulldogs.
The Broncos held their captain’s run on Wednesday at Suncorp Stadium. After the session, a number of former Broncos arrived to mingle with the current playing group in a bid to harmonise the club following Gorden Tallis’ stinging attack on the club earlier this season.
Broncos Old Boys chief Chris Johns was also keen to improve relations after ex-players snubbed an invitation for a meet-and-greet with Brisbane players in April. This time, Johns was pleased with the turnout.
“The Old Boys BBQ went really well,” Johns said. “We got a few Old Boys to have lunch with the current guys it was a good experience.
“We had Colin Scott, Mark Hohn, Steve Renouf, Gavin Allen, Wally Lewis, Allan Langer and Andrew Gee show up. It was a good turnout and it’s nice to meet the young blokes and establish some ties between the old and the new.
“Next time we will aim to have a dozen blokes and we will keep building from there. It’s important for the current group to see the Old Boys are behind them.”
MARTIN’S COWBOYS PLEA
Cowboys playmaker Te Maire Martin has appealed for the club to re-sign him in the wake of the brain-bleed ordeal that has ended his 2019 season.
Martin is off-contract at season’s end and will not have the chance to press his claims in the coming months, but hopes he has shown enough promise in his 42-game Cowboys career to clinch a new deal.
“I want to be fully confident as well that I can play next year,” he said. “The way I’m feeling, I’ll be OK in my mind. I love it in Townsville. The people are friendly and the whole area reminds me of being back home in New Zealand, so I don’t want to leave the Cowboys.”
Cowboys medicos have placed Martin on a special diet to ensure his brain receives key nutrients.
“The Cowboys have me on a diet to help my brain cells so I’m eating a lot fish, salmon and tuna and that sort of stuff with the omega-3s,” he said.
“Funnily enough, I’ve put on two kilos during my time out. I thought I would lose heaps of weight but I’ve still been eating and doing some weights while being unable to run.”
PUNTERS SPLIT ON TITANS COACH
Who should be the next coach of the Titans? According to an online poll in The Courier-Mail, not even Queensland rugby league fans can make their mind up.
Of more than 4000 respondents, there is no standout choice, with Queensland coach Kevin Walters and Titans culture chief Mal Meninga leading the way, each claiming just 19 per cent of votes.
The winning contestant was “Other” with 31 per cent of votes, underlining the pressure on Titans management to make the right coaching choice.
There is no chance of Meninga wanting the job, with the former Maroons coach happy in his current role with the Kangaroos.
Sydney Roosters assistant Craig Fitzgibbon has received 11 per cent of votes, while St Helens’ Justin Holbrook and former Manly mentor Trent Barrett have claimed just nine per cent. Former Storm assistant coach Adam O’Brien received just two per cent of votes.
O’Brien has been linked with the Titans post but he won’t be applying for it. Trent Robinson’s right-hand man at the Roosters is happy in his current role and will bide his time.
BLINDSIDE RISING
PAYNE HAAS: The fittest big man in rugby league. Produced a remarkable trysaving tackle against the Warriors last Saturday night in extra-time to save the Broncos. It’s scary how good he is at 19.
CAMERON SMITH: Incredible feat to become the first player in the code’s 111-year history to play 400 games. He could chalk up more than 430 NRL games before he retires. Unbelievable.
WILL HOPOATE: The Bulldogs ace has been one of the form centres of the NRL in recent weeks. Tormented Newcastle in last week’s away upset, making a staggering 24 runs for 199 metres.
ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK: The reigning Dally M Medallist had a field day against the Broncos, running for an incredible 325 metres with seven tackle busts. Imagine the Warriors without him.
BLINDSIDE FALLING
GARTH BRENNAN: A sad end for the Titans coach who was sacked after just 12 wins from 40 games. He was seen packing his desk two days before being officially terminated.
THE ROOSTERS: Suffered a shock loss to the Cowboys last week and are now eight points adrift of ladder leaders Melbourne. The minor premiership seems beyond them.
JOHN MORRIS: Pressure is building on the Sharks coach after Cronulla’s flogging against the Storm. The rookie mentor needs to conjure something to get the Sharks back into the top eight.
JOSH REYNOLDS: Has been told by the Tigers he is free to find another club. Was hailed as a marquee recruit two years ago but has played just nine games and is now languishing in reserve grade.
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