Mal Meninga’s blunt message to Titans: ‘Failure not an option’

Titans performance boss Mal Meninga personally addressed Gold Coast players and warned them there are “no excuses” and they must make the finals this season to ensure the club’s long-term survival.

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Titans performance boss Mal Meninga has warned Gold Coast players there are “no excuses” and says they must make the finals this season to ensure the club’s long-term survival.

The Sunday Mail can reveal Meninga has personally addressed the entire Titans squad to declare he will not accept failure ahead of Sunday’s season-opener against Canberra at Cbus Super Stadium.

Appointed in November as the Titans’ performance and culture chief, Meninga launches his Gold Coast era determined to drive new standards of excellence, ironically against his former Canberra club. The Titans run out against the Raiders under mounting pressure to rectify almost a decade of abject underachievement.

Mal Meninga says 2019 is now or never for the Titans. Picture: Adam Head

The Gold Coast have made the playoffs just once since 2010. They have finished in the bottom four five times in the past eight seasons, sinking to an embarrassing nadir in 2011 when they won just six games to finish with the wooden spoon.

A fortnight ago, Meninga summoned the Titans squad for a meeting at a team camp at Kingscliff. The league Immortal made it clear – it’s time to perform and make the finals or risk the Titans perishing.

“If we don’t make the playoffs this season, we are kidding ourselves,” Titans skipper Ryan James said.

Ryan James says the Titans have been rebuilding long enough and it is finals or bust in 2019. Picture: Getty Images

“Mal has spoken to the group. There’s no two ways about it – finals is the expectation this season, 100 per cent.

“We had a camp at Kingscliff a few weeks ago and Mal spoke to the team at length about respect and what the Titans mean to the region.

“He said there’s no excuses. We have to do something for the Gold Coast this year. Mal has such an aura that it really hit home with the players.

“He said we have to respect the past to ensure the club’s future. He told us what we have to play for and the success we need to keep this club alive on the Gold Coast.”

The Titans begin their 2019 campaigh against the Raiders in the final match of round one. Picture: Nigel Hallett

The Titans finished 14th last season but enter the 2019 premiership armed with the playing depth to be a serious contender for the top eight.

Origin and Test star Tyrone Peachey, an off-season recruit from Penrith, adds class in the centres.

The clever Tyrone Roberts returns from England to partner $1 million man Ash Taylor in the halves and 126kg monster Shannon Boyd will make his Titans debut today against his former Raiders club.

Test coach Meninga believes the Titans have the talent, smarts and toughness to be a finals force, but says they must develop a harder mental edge to realise their potential.

“We need to build the players’ physical and mental strength to consistently win tight games,” Meninga said.