Gold Coast CEO Graham Annesley tears into Tyrone Peachey over claims the Titans don’t support their players
THE Tyrone Peachey affair turned into a full-blown fiasco, with the Penrith utility delivering mixed messages about his plans to abort his Gold Coast move and Titans boss Graham Annesley tearing into his concerns as ‘diversionary tactics’.
Titans
Don't miss out on the headlines from Titans. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE Tyrone Peachey saga has exploded, with Titans boss Graham Annesley blasting suggestions the club has welfare problems and warning the Coast won’t be “held to ransom” by the NSW Origin star.
As Peachey prepares for Friday night’s Penrith-Cronulla semi-final, a furious Annesley lashed the Panthers ace, accusing him of using family issues as a “diversionary tactic” to extract more money from the Titans.
WARNING: ‘Play for faces years on the sidelines’
The Peachey affair turned into a full-blown fiasco on Wednesday when the Penrith utility delivered public mixed messages over his commitment to joining the Titans in 2019.
Peachey initially told several reporters he wanted to stay at Penrith, only to backflip hours later, telling Channel 7: “I’ve got a contract on the Goldy and I’m heading up there.”
Two key issues are fuelling Peachey’s confusion over his Titans move.
One relates to welfare, with Peachey allegedly receiving information that the Titans don’t adequately cater for the off-field needs of partners and families of Gold Coast players.
The second concerns a $50,000 representative-football bonus clause which featured in Peachey’s Penrith deal for 2019.
When the Panthers agreed to release Peachey to the Titans in March, the rep-bonus clause was not written into his Gold Coast contract for next year.
Two months after inking the Titans deal, Peachey clinched his State of Origin debut for NSW.
Peachey recently admitted his wife had concerns about moving to the Gold Coast as they make plans for a second child, but Annesley scoffed at claims the Titans fail to provide support networks.
“Any suggestion that this is a welfare issue is an insult to our welfare staff who are recognised by the NRL as amongst the best in the game,” Annesley said.
“It’s also implausible that any genuine welfare issue would be raised publicly on the eve of one of the biggest games of Tyrone’s career.
“The reality is it’s nothing but a tactic to divert attention from the primary issue his manager has consistently raised with us over recent months, which is a demand for more money and a longer-term than he originally negotiated.
“How can anyone on one hand genuinely express concerns about coming, at the same time as demanding an extended term?
“My job is to protect the interests of the Titans.
“We will not be held to ransom just because someone now doesn’t like the terms they willingly agreed to six months ago.
“If we had simply rolled over and agreed to pay Tyrone more money, this issue would never have seen the light of day.”
LISTEN! Nick Campton and Tim Williams preview each of the finals match-ups for this weekend and review the hell out of a couple more teams.
You can download the League Central podcast on iTunes.
Peachey’s manager Sam Ayoub hit back at the Titans on Thursday.
“I raised a number of issues with the club six weeks ago and I’ve still not heard from Graham Annesley,” he said.
“This is not purely about money. We have some welfare issues to work through and I’ve made that clear to the Titans.”
Titans coach Garth Brennan, however, was confident a resolution will be reached.
“I have no concerns about Peachey not coming,” Brennan said.
“If I was really concerned, I would ring ‘Peach’ myself, but I expect him to be with us next year.”
Get ready for cricket like never before. FREE Sport HD + Entertainment until the first 4K cricket ball as part of 3 months free on a 12 month plan. SIGN UP TODAY. T & Cs apply.
Originally published as Gold Coast CEO Graham Annesley tears into Tyrone Peachey over claims the Titans don’t support their players