Not Done Yet: Hope alive in luckless Titan Aaron Booth's comeback pursuit
The NRL dream is not over yet for Aaron Booth, with the luckless rake to be given the chance to earn a new full-time contract with the Gold Coast Titans. Find out his next move here >>
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The NRL dream is not over yet for Aaron Booth, with the luckless rake to be given the chance to earn a new full-time contract with the Gold Coast Titans.
The club has confirmed the 27-year-old has been locked in on a full season train and trial deal as plots his comeback from a horrific leg injury that left his career in limbo.
Booth sustained severe damage to multiple ligaments in his knee – including his ACL – while also having a small break inflicted to his tibia during last year’s Round 21 clash against the Storm.
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He played four consecutive games in the lead up to that moment – the most he had managed in a 10 game first-grade career across stints in the Gold Coast, Rabbitohs and Storm systems.
At the time, he was reportedly in the midst of contract negotiations beyond his 2022 full-time deal, and found himself without his future secured.
But the Titans have stood by the resilient hooker through his recovery, and now this deal could give Booth a chance to force his way back into the full-time squad in 2024, with the hope he can make an on-field comeback to the lower grades in the second half of this season.
Although he does not have a return date yet, Booth declared should he earn another shot he could form a dangerous rotation with recruit Sam Verrills.
“Definitely I’ll be putting in the hard yards as soon as possible and make that return date as early as possible, but I obviously want to be 100 per cent right,” Booth said.
“I won’t be pushing it and being silly trying to come back early. I’ll make sure it’s all healthy and ready to go when I do get back on the paddock, but hopefully it’s not too far away.
“With the new rules and the way the game is at the moment with how fast it is I suppose it’s pretty tough to play 80 minutes on the body each week as a hooker.
“I’ve seen first-hand in Melbourne when I was there Harry (Grant) and Brandon (Smith) had that combination at club land, and Ben (Hunt) and Harry are doing that now for Australia.
“If you have that spark out of nine and some fresh legs it can do some damage, so having the one-two punch as they are calling it in commentary your team is really dangerous and can do some damage.
"It’s pretty dangerous if you can get that right for a team, and if me and Sammy can do that I’d love to.”
Booth’s battle back into the Titans top 30 will still prove a mighty task.
Prior to the Palm Beach Currumbin product’s injury, Verrills was the only dedicated hooker locked onto the Gold Coast roster for 2023 and beyond.
Since then, former Newcastle Knight Chris Randall has been signed for the next two years, while youngster Oskar Bryant will have the 2023 season to impress on a train and trial deal of his own.
Kiwi lock Erin Clark has also been used in the number nine jumper, giving the club four dummy-half options. It highlights how quickly life as a professional athlete can change; one poorly timed setback can alter the entire trajectory of a career.
That reality has in part fuelled the Rugby League Players Association’s push for greater post-career funding and support in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement debates.
Sportspeople have historically had a challenging time transitioning away from an elite environment; the likes of former South Sydney skipper John Sutton revealing last year his own battle with depression in his search for a new purpose.
Booth has been given a host of working opportunities through the Titans while he completes his recovery; assisting in the club’s community and culture side of the business while also joining the coaching staff of the Burleigh Mal Meninga Cup squad.
And Bond University Associate Professor of Exercise and Sport Science Dr Justin Keogh stressed that across all levels of sport athletes needed to be prepared in a similar manner for that inevitable transition at an early age.
“If you look at the high profile retirement jobs, coaching and media, there’s obviously only a limited number of those positions available. And only a select number of players would even be interested or good at those careers,” Dr Keogh said.
“Most of the big sporting organisations have some level of career advice and support staff in the clubs to help the athletes I suppose plan and navigate for their retirement.
“But I suppose the big challenge is often as a young athlete you probably are not thinking that far ahead. For a player getting close to their 30s the body has obviously had a few injuries, and this can definitely be career ending at that point.
“Regardless of what we do injuries in high performance sport will always occur. Different national sporting organisations, and even lower level competitions, probably still have a duty of care to prepare these athletes to cope with injuries when they occur and prepare for life after their careers finish.”
‘MY HEAD WAS SPINNING': TURMOIL REVEALED IN FIGHT TO SAVE CAREER (November 12)
Just when he thought at last a fruitful NRL career lay in front of him, Aaron Booth was left clutching his knee in agony.
Stripped of the chance to don the Gold Coast Titans’ No.9 jumper for the remainder of the season, an all-too familiar journey back from the brink began for the 27-year-old.
Nevertheless, there is a determined resolve in the way Booth addresses his latest plight, and he is adamant he will still have plenty to offer in the NRL upon his comeback.
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After fighting through shoulder issues which plagued the start of his 2022 campaign, Booth finally earned his Titans debut in Round 18.
Barely a month later, his chance to take on his former Melbourne Storm teammates should have been an opportunity to savour.
It quickly turned to disaster.
As he attempted a tackle on Storm five-eighth Cooper Johns, Booth’s knee collapsed underneath him in sickening scenes.
In the process he suffered severe damage to multiple ligaments in his knee – crucially his ACL, an injury he also sustained in 2018 – as well as a slight break in his tibia.
It is a pain Booth clearly recalls. So too the image of his leg contorted sideways.
“I remember it clearly to be honest. I was the only one around who understood what happened,” Booth said.
“I saw it go sort of sideways. I can remember it all pretty clearly apart from the next week, it was a bit of a blur from pain and things like that in surgery.
“The night I did it … some of the boys that I played with the year before (in Melbourne) didn’t even watch the game because it happened pretty early, so they were in the sheds making sure I was all right which I was thankful for.
“My head was spinning a little bit. To have everyone around giving me comfort and giving me that hand on the shoulder meant a lot and helped me get through the night.
“I knew the extent of it straight away, it was a little bit hard to handle but having everyone around definitely made it easier.”
The off contract Booth was reportedly in the midst of contract negotiations with the Titans at the time of the injury and no new deal has been formerly announced.
Booth’s presence at Parkwood upon the club’s return to pre-season training was a positive sign for the luckless rake as he fights to salvage his career.
But his battles are symbolic of an issue faced by many aspiring rugby league players.
There is forever a perceived glitz and glamour of the NRL when observing the game’s biggest stars. Yet others who have made the same sacrifices, have put in the same hours of training, are unable to reach the same heights – injuries and competition for spots among the reasons.
According to the NRL’s website, the average career spans just 75 games — roughly three full and uninterupted seasons.
It is this issue that has formed part of the raging civil war between the Rugby League Players Association and NRL, which has been brewing over the forthcoming payment deals.
Despite a record figure in excess of $1 billion being tabled by the NRL as revealed by NewsCorp on Friday, the proposal has reportedly been rejected.
RLPA boss Clint Newton has claimed a key factor in the union’s push back throughout discussions was to ensure players at the bottom end of the pay scale were compensated.
In addition, they were striving for greater support in assisting athletes with the transition away from the game.
When Booth lined up against the Storm in Round 21, it marked the first time in his 10-game NRL career he had earned first-grade selection for four consecutive weeks.
For the past eight years he has plied his trade at the Titans, Storm and South Sydney Rabbitohs, as well as the Mackay Cutters in the Queensland Cup while pursuing a full-time NRL opportunity.
Speaking shortly after receiving his second and final surgery, the gutsy hooker said his recovery had been a slow process but his movement was now ahead of schedule.
He said even with premiership-winning Rooster Sam Verrills joining the Titans he was confident his stint in the Gold Coast’s top 17 would prime him for a strong comeback should he earn a new contract.
“I’d played a bit of NRL before that, but had never really taken my spot and made it my own and played consistently with big minutes’ Booth said.
“Knowing I can sort of secure a spot, handle it well, and I felt like I was playing decent footy, definitely makes the comeback easier to look forward to.
“I wouldn’t say I’ll be more driven, but it definitely helps with the fact I know I can do and get back to that.
“Over this next however long it takes to get back into that position I’ll be pushing extra hard knowing I can mess with the big boys and handle it up there at the top.
“There’s a bit of time to get there, but I’m looking forward to the work that goes into getting back.”
Refreshing though it is to see Booth so steadfast in his faith he will return with a point to prove, it is not the case for every athlete.
When extreme injuries strike there is always the chance a professional sportsperson’s career could come crashing down with it.
Such setbacks become as emotionally daunting as they are physical, and Bond University Associate Professor of Exercise and Sport Science Dr Justin Keogh said clubs needed take the onus of initiating tough but honest conversations and not just the athlete.
“Athletes are typically physically elite individuals whose identity is very wound up in their sport, so if (they’re) no longer able to walk and run he’s lost a lot of his identity,” Dr Keogh said.
“That can spiral very quickly into a host of mental health issues — anxiety, depression and to some extent suicidal thoughts.
“When you look at how short most careers are and how most players aren’t getting these million dollar deals, it’s a small window you have to make the most of it when you can.
“Ultimately the big thing in a long rehabilitation process is that it’s not a linear progression where you get gradually better and better all the time and see that progress. There’s going to be lots of challenges that an athlete like Aaron will come up against.
“There’s going to be pain to go through, he’ll be questioning a host of things mentally like how good will the knee be? Will I get back to where I was before? Even his place in the club.
“Men often keep things to themselves and just try to soldier on … now we see the mental health challenges throughout sport it’s definitely time the clubs take a bit more of a proactive stance in that.”
Booth confirmed it was “too early” to lock in a return to play date, and he would continue his rehabilitation over the pre-season.
Mentor reveals biggest challenge for rookies in ‘toxic environment’
— November 8
On the surface Keano Kini has the world at his feet, blessed with a wealth of raw talent seemingly destined to put his future rivals to shame.
But his former teacher has issued a warning to the rugby league community, calling on pundits to enable the teenage sensation to develop free of immediate expectations.
Kini has entered his first full season in the Gold Coast Titans system, fresh off a dominant schoolboys campaign in which he was named the joint Langer Trophy Player of the Year in addition to his Australian under-18s selection.
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The enigmatic fullback began pre-season last week, while his fellow soon-to-be graduated school mates planned their Schoolies escapades for the coming weeks.
With one of the most glittering junior football resumes to his credit, Kini admits there have been times already where he has felt the burden to hit the ground running straight away, despite yet to play a senior game.
The Kiwi product, equipped with a lethal step that leaves defenders in his wake, said managing such presumptions had been about relying on a close circle of people to keep his head on straight and away from external scrutiny.
“There’s obviously a little bit of hype outside in the media, but I just try to focus on myself. I don’t try to put any comparisons on myself or any pressure; I just try to be my own person,” Kini said.
“My mum and dad; they keep me humble always. They taught me respectful ways, and whenever I need to talk to someone I talk to my mum and dad.
“I haven’t really put a timeline on things, I just want to get as much as I can out of this pre-season and see where I go from there.
“It’s going to be way harder than schoolboy footy. Obviously they’re grown men, professionals, so I think being in this environment will help me heaps.”
As the NRL pre-season begins, excitement over who the next big thing to enter the fold is sure to commence.
Last season it was the arrival of Roosters star Joseph Sualli along with rookie of the year and now Kangaroos gun Jeremiah Nanai.
Already Kini’s former Langer Trophy rival Blake Mozer has been lauded ‘the next Cameron Smith’; yet to debut for the Broncos.
However for every Nanai or Suallii there are the likes of retired former Titan Ashley Taylor and past Cowboys halfback Jake Clifford, who throughout their careers have been heralded the “next Johnathan Thurston” only to hit roadblocks when unable to reach those standards.
Media scrutiny surrounds professional sport like never before, with social media’s eruption providing a platform for armchair critics to slam an athlete. Amid it all, in a high pressure and highly paid industry driven by results, the demands to perform or perish are constant.
Tweed Seagulls Colts coach and Palm Beach Currumbin teacher Aaron Zimmerle has stressed such comparisons created an unrealistic measure for these players to stack up to and could in turn become a major barrier in their development.
Zimmerle pointed to the aforementioned factors as contributors to the pressures which often hindered the mindset of young athletes.
His former pupil, Tom Dearden, is an example which rings out to the educator.
When the then 18-year-old was thrust into the Brisbane Broncos number seven jumper, the pressure to live up to the jersey’s prestige seemingly shook Dearden.
Cowboys coach Todd Payten claimed as much this year, and said that upon the halfback’s arrival in North Queensland midway through the 2021 campaign he was “gun-shy” and afraid of making mistakes.
Since then, while being partnered with NRL premiership winner Chad Townsend, Dearden has piloted a resurgence in the North — leading the side to a preliminary final while earning a heroic State of Origin debut.
Zimmerle said educating these young players in mental resilience and the dangers of being worn down by such pressures before they took steps into the professional ranks was paramount to helping them prosper long term.
He said often the differences between those talents who reached the top or walked away from their codes came down to who was able to deal with these outside pressures.
“Tommy was thrust in, largely due to the fact athletically he was special as well as being a very good player,” Zimmerle said.
“But he was expected to be the halfback of a team struggling with him and he had no senior player there as a foil.
“Fast track two years where he’s with Chad Townsend and he’s learning his game, and Tommy isn’t trying to be anyone else.
“I think anyone who has come out with Australian Schoolboys, Queensland schoolboys honours who are then contracted to a full time NRL system out of school there comes a degree of expectation.
“It comes and it’s constant ... we just have to make sure it’s not a toxic environment.
“The scrutiny comes with the pay packet ... but you have to remember they’ve been measured against other 18-year-olds. There’s lot of work that goes into graduating from age group to grown men.”
For now, the 18-year-old Kini is content with finding his place among the Titans ranks.
But for all the pressures he is expecting to face throughout what he hopes to be a long career, Kini said he was determined to ensure he grasped any chances that came his way.
“We’ll see what happens, you never know when you get an opportunity. I just want to hopefully get a pre-season game, a 21s debut and a (Queensland) Cup debut,” Kini said.
“One game can mean a lot. If I get the opportunity I have to make the most of it and see where that takes me.”
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