THE Broncos have hatched plans to bring David Fifita back to Brisbane as Immortal Mal Meninga revealed the Titans’ vision to make the Gold Coast Queensland’s new NRL powerhouse.

Fifita will make one of his final appearances in a Broncos jersey in Saturday’s derby against the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium before joining the Gold Coast for the next three years.

In the second part of a series investigating Fifita’s $3.5 million defection to the Titans, News Corp can reveal the Broncos have not given up hope of luring the Queensland Origin star back to Red Hill.

Fifita, 20, will pocket $1.25 million in his first season at the Titans next year, but the Broncos hope he will finish his NRL career where it started in Brisbane.

“When you have an offer like that, you always think he could go because of the sheer size of the offer,” said Broncos board member and recruitment committee member Darren Lockyer.

“We never wanted to lose Ben Hunt but he got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from the Dragons ($6 million deal) and the same has happened to Dave with the Titans.

“Ideally, we would have loved to keep Dave, but his decision has been made.

“Dave came through our system and we just want him to finish the year on a good note with the Broncos. I wish him well down there at the Titans. There’s no hard feelings with me.

“It’s up to us as a club to build the club to a point where players are willing to come back to the club and stay at the Broncos for less money than they could get elsewhere.

“He wanted to look after his family and his mother (Gwen) and we were a million dollars away with our offer.

“Dave is still a Bronco for now and we hope to try and get him back one day. He came through our system, we think really highly of Dave and one day we would love to see him come back to the Broncos.”

DOLLARS AND SENSE

FIFITA will join Queensland Origin captain Daly Cherry-Evans as the NRL’s highest-paid player next year when he receives a $1.25 million package.

The front-ended deal, which drops to around $1.1 million-a-season over the following two years, was designed to lure Fifita to the Gold Coast and help accommodate his move from Brisbane.

With salary cap constraints and a reluctance to splash $1 million-a-year on an edge backrower, the Broncos would not offer Fifita more than $800,000-a-season over three years.

Fifita lost faith in the Broncos following the leaking of contract negotiations and coach Anthony Seibold’s methods as the team plummeted down the NRL ladder, prompting him to commit to the Titans in July.

But Broncos chairman Karl Morris is adamant money was the decisive factor in Fifita’s switch to the Titans.

“Look, it was very disappointing for David to go,” Morris said.

“I don’t think (it was because of Seibold), because at the end of the day it was a financial decision.

“It was a million dollars more than we could offer over three years, I don’t think it really would have mattered what we offered, what else could we offer other than more money?

“I’m not aware of Dave having an issue with the club, we had more than 20 meetings with the club and the only issue I kept hearing was that we were a long way shy of what the Titans and other clubs were prepared to pay.”

HIGH PRESSURE STAKES

FIFITA will arrive on the Gold Coast next season under immense pressure to live up to the Titans’ huge investment.

With only 42 NRL appearances under his belt, he is still in the infancy of his career but will now be among the highest earners in the game’s history.

The mental toll of being a $1 million-a-season player can be taxing, as evidenced by the struggles of Titans halfback Ash Taylor.

But Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook believes Fifita has the character to overcome the scrutiny and flourish.

“He will be fine, one thing I have said to him is not to worry about that,” Holbrook said.

“He is coming to play back row in our team and that’s it.

“There is a bit of expectation there but I just want him to come and play footy.

“I am excited to be coaching him. He is so young and raw. There is a lot of upside to that.

“He is not a goal-kicking halfback. He doesn’t have a big expectation as a team member.

“He is one of our players. He just has to come and play. That will take a lot of pressure off him.”

TRANSFORMING THE TITANS

THE Titans will miss the finals for the fourth straight season this year and have only featured in the play-offs once (2016) since their preliminary finals appearance in 2010.

The club has claimed two wooden spoons (2011 and 2019) in that period and Holbrook is the fourth coach to lead the Gold Coast following the sackings of John Cartwright (2014), Neil Henry (2017) and Garth Brennan (2019).

The Titans have long played second fiddle to the Broncos in the battle of south east Queensland - but the pendulum is slowly swinging.

The Titans (13th) are on track to finish this season as the NRL’s highest-ranked Queensland team ahead of the Cowboys (14th) and Broncos (15th).

Holbrook has made such an impact on the club that he has been locked up as head coach until at least 2024.

The Fifita signing is the most significant recruitment blow the Titans have landed on Brisbane in the 14-year rivalry and they have also secured a huge coup in Melbourne Storm star Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.

When Meninga joined the Titans as their head of performance and culture nearly two years ago, he was intent on helping the Gold Coast become a genuine NRL premiership contender.

The Titans have made a conscious decision to strengthen their junior development base, target local products to recruit and improve their off-field operations.

Meninga said it was a collective effort in transforming the Titans and the future was looking bright for the Gold Coast.

“I don’t want to dwell on the past but we’ve made some really smart decisions around people,” he said.

“You build clubs around good people with the right skillsets who are committed and passionate. That’s what we want in our players. That’s the cultural piece.

“It’s been a whole of club effort to do what we’re doing at the moment.

“We never spoke to David about being a marquee player who could bring everyone here. We targeted David in the hope we could get him, but we also believe Tino and Herman (Ese’ese) will add value to our club.

“We’re also retaining players like AJ Brimson, Moeaki Fotuaika and Phil Sami, our bright and up-and-coming kids in our system.

“It’s not just about David, but the confidence he had in us to come here is going to have a ripple effect and is a really important message we’re sending to everyone.

Holbrook said his recruitment philosophy was as much about the person as it was the player.

“For Mal, Ezra (Howe, recruitment manager), myself and everyone involved in the recruitment, it’s important we get the right people at the club,” Holbrook said.

“The big one with David is the fact he’s played with Tanah (Boyd), Moe (Fotuaika), AJ and has a connection with us by going to school down here (Keebra Park).

“It was the right fit from our end and the fact how talented a player he is adds to that.”

STATUE OF DAVID

THE Titans have had their fair share of NRL stars over the years.

The club kicked off its debut season in 2007 with the likes of Preston Campbell, Scott Prince, Mat Rogers and Luke Bailey leading the way.

Their last big-name signing in NFL code-hopper Jarryd Hayne in 2016 ended in disaster a year later when Henry was sacked and Hayne left the club.

But there is a feeling Fifita can be a genuine game-changer for the Titans over the next three years and help propel the club back into premiership contention.

Titans ambassador Gorden Tallis, a former Broncos captain and representative legend, believes Fifita could go down as one of the club’s greatest ever players because of his dedication and talent.

“It’s huge, he could become the first Titans player to have a statue,” Tallis said.

“There was an article written about him catching a 4.57am train to training when he was in school. You don’t hear those stories anymore.

“He made sacrifices and promised his mother (to look after her through his NRL career). You can promise things to a lot of people but there are some people you will never let down and that’s what he did.

“We all see the talent he’s got, but the reason he plays is to make his mum proud and deliver on the promise he made her.”

While the Titans are ecstatic to have signed Fifita, they know he cannot carry the entire team on his shoulders.

The team notched back-to-back wins for the first time last weekend and a win against the Broncos on Saturday would be the first time the club has ever beaten Brisbane twice in a season.

Meninga is confident the pieces of the puzzle are coming together on the Gold Coast and it is crucial the Titans make the most of this opportunity.

“The team has made leaps and bounds in the short period Justin has had them,” he said.

“The systems, behaviours and standards becoming of a Titans player is starting to pay dividends and everyone is starting to buy into it.

“The proof is in the pudding. We’ve got to start performing on the footy field.

“We’ve got players playing to their potential and all of a sudden we’re starting to get success.”

PART ONE: How the Titans pulled off one of the greatest NRL heists