NRL news: Gold Coast Titans star Tino Fa’asuamaleaui a perfect target for Dolphins
The Titans face a fight to keep Tino Fa’asuamaleaui after the star forward confirmed he will test his value on the open market — and he already has a link to the Dolphins.
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The Gold Coast Titans face a fight to retain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, with the Queensland Origin star to test his value on the open market and consider a move to the Dolphins.
Fa’asuamaleaui will field interest from rival clubs from November 1 after his manager revealed a move to the NRL’s Redcliffe-based expansion franchise from 2023 was appealing.
Fa’asuamaleaui, 21, has an option in his favour to remain at the Titans in 2023, but he is set to become one of the NRL’s hottest free agents.
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At the top of the list of clubs eyeing off Fa’asuamaleaui is the Dolphins.
Fa’asuamaleaui hails from Gympie, a two-hour drive from Redcliffe, and would be an excellent acquisition for the NRL’s 17th club.
The hard-hitting forward thrived under incoming Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett in the 2020 State of Origin series.
Fa’asuamaleaui was scheduled to meet with his manager Simon Mammino on Wednesday, who said his client had a big decision to make.
“I will catch up with Tino to sit down and talk about his future,” Mammino said.
“It’s a difficult decision. It would be hard for Tino to leave the Titans as they have the nucleus of a good squad and Tino is a very loyal bloke.
“The Titans are keen to sit down and talk about extending him but we haven’t done that formally at this stage.
“Where it leads to we don’t know. He does like the Titans and working with Justin (Holbrook, coach), so it would be hard for him to leave.
“If he was to move he would look at a second Brisbane club because he is from Gympie and has family close to Redcliffe.
“Wayne Bennett being there is a big factor, he loved being coached by Wayne in Origin, they developed a great relationship.”
Fa’asuamaleaui made a name for himself in Melbourne’s 2020 premiership season before moving to the Titans and helping the Gold Coast to their first finals appearance since 2016 while claiming the club’s player-of-the-year award.
A clean skin, hard trainer and dedicated player, Fa’asuamaleaui would be the ideal signing for an expansion team. Fa’asuamaleaui admitted he enjoyed playing under Bennett but he hadn’t given his future much thought.
“It was good, Wayne gave me the confidence to go out and play lock and play for Queensland,” he said.
“I did all right and we got the job done. It was good working with him. I haven’t thought too far ahead to be honest. I’ve just been enjoying my off-season and relaxing.
“It’s good that Redcliffe have come into the game. It’s exciting for that area of Queensland so more players can come through.
“It is closer (to home) but I haven’t thought much about it.”
With co-captain Jamal Fogarty released to Canberra, Fa’asuamaleaui is in the mix to take on a formal leadership role at the Titans next season.
Titans CEO Steve Mitchell said it was up to the club to create an environment that Fa’asuamaleaui didn’t want to leave.
“There is an appealing coach (Bennett) at the helm (of the Dolphins) and you can’t understate that,” he said. “The ability to be able to keep your player group is about the environment that you build and culture.
“You’ve got to have them in a position where they believe they can achieve all they can in that environment and the relationship with the coaching staff is vital.
“With Justin Holbrook at the helm, he is a coach that clearly builds relationships with his players. He will circumvent us losing a lot of players moving north.
“Ultimately it’s about us getting work and controlling what we can. It’s about the quality of program and how we deliver it. We’ve got to make sure our programs are the best and Tino has an opportunity to become everything he can as a player.
“We need to put him in an environment where he’s supported. He comes from a wonderful family and we need to make sure they’re supported. (His brother) Iszac is in the office and works with us.
“These guys are elite athletes that want to win premierships and be the best they can be. In this game that’s winning premierships so we’ve got to give them an environment to do that.”
Pressure on Eels as roster raiders close in
—Brent Read
Parramatta’s fight to retain Reed Mahoney has dramatically escalated after it emerged the Brisbane Broncos were weighing up whether to turn the battle for his signature into a south east Queensland bunfight.
Mahoney is off contract at the end of 2022 and it is understood initial talks have taken place between his camp and the Broncos over a return to Queensland.
Mahoney has also been linked with the Dolphins as his management explore his options at the NRL’s newest franchise, which is due to enter the premiership from 2023.
It is unclear whether Mahoney’s camp have also held talks with the Gold Coast, although the Titans’ search for a hooker has been no secret given they have also flagged an interest in Melbourne rake Brandon Smith.
Sources confirmed to News Corp that the Broncos had been approached over Mahoney and discussions had taken place, although they were very much in the embryonic stage.
It is understood Brisbane are yet to formalise their plans for the 2023 season, although hooker Jake Turpin is off contract at the end of next season and like Mahoney, is up for grabs from November 1.
The Broncos have been steadily rebuilding their roster – they have signed South Sydney captain Adam Reynolds and Penrith premiership winner Kurt Capewell for next season – and their interest in Mahoney is likely to hinge on what direction they decide to take with Turpin, who captained Brisbane on occasions this season.
Mahoney has quickly become one of the most coveted players on the open market and the rising interest in him is set to heap more pressure on Parramatta as they attempt to retain a roster that went within a whisker of the preliminary final this season.
Mahoney aside, the Eels are locked in a fight to retain the likes of Clint Gutherson, Isaiah Papali’i, Junior Paulo, Marate Niukore and Maika Sivo, all of whom are free to sign deals with rival clubs from November 1.
Niukore has already spoken to St George Illawarra and the Warriors, and the Eels are facing an intense battle to hold onto the New Zealand back rower.
Prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard has also indicated he will head to market on November 1 as he pursues a deal for the 2023 season, potentially at the Dolphins.
The last thing the Eels need is a scrap for Mahoney, yet that is exactly what they are facing as he contemplates a return to Queensland.
The good news for Parramatta is that if Mahoney decides to return home, there are hooking options off contract at the end of next season.
The Eels are expected to fortify their depth in the position by singing former Gold Coast rake Mitch Rein as backup to Mahoney this season. At the end of 2022, Smith and Penrith hooker Api Koroisau are among the quality hookers up for grabs.
Wade Egan and Blake Brailey are also off contract while the Tigers may have a surplus of No. 9s if Josh Hodgson completes his move to the club. That said, the Eels would be loath to lose Mahoney given the way he has elevated his game over the past 12 months.
Mahoney was on the verge of State of Origin selection this year when he was named as part of the extended squad for the Maroons, but a shoulder problem cost him any chance of making his Queensland debut.
His season was then brought to a premature end when his shoulder gave way for good only a matter of weeks before the finals.
The Eels soldiered on without Mahoney and they may have to get used to his absence as he opens talks with teams in south east Queensland about a potential homecoming – he was born on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and played his junior rugby league at Kawana and Beerwah before moving to Sydney to play SG Ball for the Bulldogs.
Broncos’ desperate fight to retain Cobbo
— Peter Badel
The Broncos will begin contract extension talks with boom utility back Selwyn Cobbo in a bid to keep their version of Latrell Mitchell away from the clutches of new Brisbane NRL rivals, the Dolphins.
News Corp can reveal Dolphins coach-in-waiting Wayne Bennett is a huge fan of Cobbo and sees striking similarities between the Broncos rookie and Mitchell, whom he mentored at Souths over the past two seasons.
But the Broncos are moving swiftly to scupper an expansion poaching raid, with Brisbane recruitment chiefs to meet with Cobbo’s management in the next fortnight to kick-off talks on a lucrative upgrade.
The Broncos signed Cobbo to a two-year deal in May, securing him until the end of 2023, but Brisbane are taking no chances and want to keep the freakish 19-year-old at Red Hill for the long haul.
The Indigenous ace made his Broncos debut this year and underlined his special talent with a fine display for feeder-club Wynnum Manly in their Intrust Super Cup grand-final loss to Norths Devils last Sunday.
Cobbo’s management confirmed they will hold preliminary talks with the Broncos on an extended deal that would close the door on a potential poaching raid from the Dolphins.
“The Broncos are very keen to extend Selwyn,” said Tas Bartlett of PSM.
“I will be sitting down with Brisbane over the next fortnight to see their position long term.
“Hopefully a long-term deal can be worked out.
“It makes sense as Selwyn is a once-in-a-generation player and he has massive upside.”
Asked if joining Brisbane’s new second franchise has appeal, Bartlett said: “Being a local team, the Dolphins will be an option for sure.
“Cobbo just wants to be the best player he can be in the best environment.
“The Broncos have a proven track record which is hard to compete with.”
At 190cm and 99kg, Cobbo is a superbly-built athlete who has been likened to a young Mitchell or Greg Inglis with his speed, power and graceful running style.
The Cherbourg product spent time in the Dolphins’ catchment area, having played for the Sunshine Coast Falcons before being snapped up by Broncos scouts.
Cobbo caught the eye this season, scoring two tries in seven NRL games, and Broncos football boss Ben Ikin is determined to keep the future Queensland Origin star at Red Hill.
“Selwyn is absolutely one of those players that we hope chooses us,” Ikin said.
“We’d like to think we can keep all our players and that’s the job of myself, Dave Donaghy and Kevvie (Walters, coach) ... to build a footy program that players and staff want to be part of.
“Cobbo will end up playing very similar football to Greg Inglis and Latrell Mitchell.
“I can see representative football ahead for him and he could be versatile in the way that Latrell Mitchell is a fullback at club level and a centre in the Origin arena.
“Selwyn is capable of handling both centre and fullback.
“He is a great young talent. He has so much natural ability and is very young in his career. He hasn’t done a full NRL pre-season yet, but the young man I know at the moment is very calm, composed and level headed.
“He was the first Indigenous school captain at Murgon State High in their 87-year history, so clearly Selwyn has some leadership qualities as well.”
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