NRL 2024: Gold Coast Titans coach Des Hasler responds to rumours he wants to axe halfback Tanah Boyd, Titans’ best 17
Speculation is growing that new Titans coach Des Hasler wants to axe one of his most important players. Now he has responded to the rumours. Plus, who makes the Titans’ best side in 2024?
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Des Hasler has responded to speculation he is looking to offload halfback Tanah Boyd as the Titans playmaker prepares to fight for Gold Coast’s No. 7 jersey.
Boyd is on the comeback from surgery after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction in the latter stages of the 2023 NRL season.
The gutsy shot-caller played with an injured shoulder for most of the year, delaying surgery in a desperate bid to guide the Titans to the finals.
When it became apparent the Titans were going to miss the playoffs for the second straight season, eventually finishing 14th, Boyd went under the knife to begin his 2024 preparations.
That coincided with the Titans being linked to disgruntled Dragons star Ben Hunt while young gun Tom Weaver wore Gold Coast’s No. 7 jersey in the final rounds of the season.
Speculation has been rife that Boyd could be headed for the exits at Parkwood, however new Titans coach Hasler said that wasn’t the case.
“I’ll let them talk,” he said when asked about rumours around Boyd’s future.
“He will figure in what we are trying to achieve here, for sure.
“He’s coming back from a shoulder injury but will be back on the field before Christmas.”
However Hasler was noncommittal to Boyd retaining the halfback duties alongside veteran five-eighth Kieran Foran.
Boyd, 23, will be on restricted duties during the opening weeks of pre-season training, giving Weaver a head start in the race for the No. 7 jersey.
“I guess Tanah being the incumbent, and Tommy in the (three) games he played, we have good depth around that,” Hasler said when asked who his halfback would be.
“It’ll be a watch and wait.”
Boyd is reaching a critical juncture in his NRL career after Hasler approved a contract extension for the halfback with the Titans until the end of 2025.
With 60 games next to his name since his 2019 debut, Boyd is no longer a newcomer in the top grade.
The Gold Coast product has been training throughout the off-season to ensure he can hit the ground running when he is given medical clearance to join the squad.
“Tanah is ripping into his rehab,” said Boyd’s manager Tas Bartlett.
“He is the ultimate professional and has trained all the way through the eight-week break, doing a lot of bike work. He is raring to go and is looking forward to working under Des.
“He played the last 15 rounds with the injury. When you put it in context, he was busted and getting needles for the last three months. He had acute pain in his shoulder and couldn’t pass properly.
“He is the best halfback at the club at the moment and he wants to be at the Titans long-term. He is hoping he’s the halfback here for the next 10 years.
“He’s backed himself with a one-year extension. The club wanted to put him on a two-year extension so they see some value in him.
“I’ve been given no indication from Des or Ezra (Howe, recruitment manager) that he’s not their long-term halfback.”
The Titans’ younger players reported for pre-season training on Monday with the bulk of the squad due back next week.
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Originally published as NRL 2024: Gold Coast Titans coach Des Hasler responds to rumours he wants to axe halfback Tanah Boyd, Titans’ best 17
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