Titans CEO Steve Mitchell refuses to confirm appointment of Justin Holbrook
Gold Coast CEO Steve Mitchell trod lightly at a media conference on Tuesday, not confirming that Justin Holbrook is the Titans new coach but revealing his admiration for the St Helens target.
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Gold Coast CEO Steve Mitchell says Justin Holbrook would bring a lot to the struggling Titans but has refused to confirm whether he will be the next head coach at the club.
An announcement is likely to be made “in the coming days” on the appointment of the new mentor with Holbrook the likely candidate after being advised by Gold Coast hierarchy on Monday night he would be Garth Brennan’s successor.
The St Helens head coach was still in the UK as the final details of a multi-year deal were being ironed out but is expected to take the reins of the Gold Coast in the upcoming NRL pre-season.
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Holbrook is understood to have had internal support to preside over Gold Coast’s rebuilding mission from 2020 after he was last week interviewed by Titans head of performance and culture Mal Meninga.
Mitchell said the process to appoint the head coach took in industry, player and peer-wide feedback as they begin the journey to “start winning premierships”.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Mitchell did not confirm Holbrook would be the next in charge but did credit him for his winning attitude.
“Holbrook brings a lot,” Mitchell said.
“He brings a lot out of what he’s done and where he’s come from and what he’s done with St Helens but so do all the other parties (who applied for the job).
“We’ve had some wonderful candidates come through.
“We’re getting close (to an announcement) and we’ll have an answer in the next couple of days.
“We’ve been delighted with the number of applications, here and globally.”
Mitchell said the club wanted a coach who could instil a “leadership culture” within the club.
“Bringing the players in and getting them to play at their best,” he said of what was expected of the coach.
“Everything we want to look for in an elite program.
“This region deserves to play in finals consistently and deserves to win a premiership.
“We need someone who can grab our player cohort over a long period of time, get the very best out of them and take the Gold Coast onto the national platform.”
Despite speculation Kevin Walters was to take the helm at the Titans, the Maroons mentor was never formally approached and was never the primary target for Meninga.
Mitchell said the club would not be rushed on the decision.
“Because of the nature of this decision and how critical it is for the club, we can’t be rushed on this,” he said.
“It would be great to have that candidate here for the pre-season. It would be great to have them start afresh and new but we need to work within the complexities of the situation.”
Gold Coast forward Kevin Proctor said the club needed to change the culture around training.
“We just need to change our culture,” Proctor said.
“We’ve got a lot of inexperience in key positions but that’s no excuse. Our quality and standards (at training) haven’t been up to scratch as of late.”
Originally published as Titans CEO Steve Mitchell refuses to confirm appointment of Justin Holbrook
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