How the Gold Coast Titans finally took the hint from Mal Meninga
MAL Meninga has been dropping hints for quite some time that he wanted to come to the Titans - this is the story of how those hints finally hit home.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
MAL Meninga had been dropping hints for quite some time that he wanted to come to the Titans, but it was only when Dennis Watt took notice that the wheels began to turn.
The Gold Coast revealed on Wednesday that they had pulled off a major coup in securing Meninga as their head of performance and culture for the next three years.
But it was actually an idea the Australian coach floated himself last October, before Watt had even joined the club as executive chairman.
As the Titans hunted for a replacement for outgoing coach Neil Henry, Meninga raised the prospect of taking on a mentoring role in media interviews.
HERE TO HELP: Mal Meninga not planning a Titans take over
Watt, who had just announced he was leaving his role as chairman of the Broncos, took note of one article in The Courier-Mail.
Two months later the former general manager of rugby league for News Corp joined the Titans with Meninga’s comments lingering in the back of his mind.
“I saw a story around about the time the club appointed Garth as coach,” Watt said.
“I wasn’t here then, but I remember seeing it. (Meninga) said he would be interested in a sort of head of football role at the Titans.
“I thought there might have been some interest and over a couple of months I spoke to a few people who also thought he would have some interest.
“It then just emerged over a period of time. It went from initial talks and stepped up in the last few weeks. We had to get (last month’s) Test series out of the way before it was all finalised.”
Meninga remembers dropping the hints and said he was “glad” to finally receive a call from Watt and the Gold Coast’s co-owners Darryl and Joanne Kelly and Rebecca and Brett Frizelle.
He flew to the Gold Coast midway through September for an interview and the minute he met the five of them, he knew it was the right place to be.
“In the back of my mind, I’ve always thought about the Gold Coast,” Meninga said.
“It’s such a rugby league heartland and so much talent has come out of this region. I thought I could do a lot up here.
“Meeting them for the first time reinforced my thinking around being here and doing something at clubland where I think I can be a real asset.
“Hearing them speak about their love of the game and their love of the community and the Gold Coast region, how they want to be here for the long term, I think that’s really important.
“The Gold Coast has never really had security or a safety net around the team itself and I think it’s imperative that the Gold Coast have their own rugby league team.
“Walking away from that meeting, I felt really comfortable. I really built a rapport with them. I said, ‘I want to be here, I want to be part of it all’.”
The last tick of approval that was needed was from the NRL, given Meninga’s role as the Australian coach.
Once that came, the Titans knew they had secured their man.
For Watt, it’s his biggest accomplishment in 11 months with the Titans.
The Titans finished 14th in 2018 and neither him nor the owners of the club want that to be a standard anyone is happy with.
Signing Meninga is the next big step in ensuring the Gold Coast become a real NRL force.
“It says that we’re serious, it says that we’re about winning, it says that we’re about quality and character,” Watt said of Meninga’s arrival.
“Mal is legendary. He will just drive that whole belief around the club.
“You could see last year we didn’t win a lot of games. We were in the fight against the top sides but couldn’t quite get there.
“With a bit more belief and focus on those pressure situations, we can convert those narrow losses into wins.”
Every Test, ODI & T20I live, ad-break free during play and in 4K. Only on Foxtel. SIGN UP TODAY!
Originally published as How the Gold Coast Titans finally took the hint from Mal Meninga
‘Grow up’: Broncos boss reacts to car crash
Brisbane Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy has broken his silence on the car crash involving star player Ezra Mam amid conjecture over his future.
Read more
‘World needs you’: Pioneer urges gay players to come out
Former football champion Ian Roberts was the first openly gay male athletes in the country. He believes the next Australian sports star to come out as gay will be lauded as a superstar and an icon.
Read more