Beau Champion discusses injury-riddled one-year Coast stint in this week’s Lost Titan feature

HE’S a winner by name but there was little to celebrate for Beau Champion during his one-year stint on the Gold Coast, as he discusses in this week’s Lost Titan feature.

HE’S a winner by name but former NRL veteran Beau Champion admits there was little to celebrate during his one-year stint as a Gold Coast Titan.

Trumpeted as a key piece of the Titans’ premiership puzzle after arriving from Melbourne in 2012, Champion played just nine games in an injury-disrupted campaign before returning to Sydney to join Souths.

“That was one thing I was really disappointed with – that (the Titans) had showed faith in me and I couldn’t produce because I just had too many injuries,” the 32-year-old, a product of Kempsey on the NSW north coast, said.

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“I started off the year injured and then copped a season-ending injury halfway through the year. I just couldn’t really reward the Titans for giving me an opportunity.

“That’s something I do regret but sometimes things are out of your control. I enjoyed my time at the Titans, I thought it was a great club, a great set of blokes.

“I did make some really good friends out of it. There’s not a better place to play rugby league and to live on the Gold Coast, I was very blessed.

Beau Champion in action for the Titans in 2012.

“During that time (the Titans) were going through a rebuilding phase. I’m a Kempsey boy so (the Coast) was a lot closer to a lot of my family.

“Scott Prince was someone that I looked up to and they recruited really well with Jamal Idris and Nate Myles so it was a good opportunity to go up there and start fresh.”

A natural centre, Champion was a fixture of the Bunnies’ backline from 2005-10, eventually joining Melbourne in 2011 after being forced out of Souths to accommodate the arrival of cousin Greg Inglis.

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His return to Sydney in 2013 was again plagued by injury, playing 12 games across three seasons for Souths and Parramatta before retiring at the end of 2015.

After a couple of years as an F45 franchisee, the 107-gamer has now forged a career as a successful real estate agent with NG Farah in Sydney and also works as an ambassador for Aboriginal foster care agency KARI.

Champion at Titans training.

“Throughout my rugby league career I had sustained so many injuries it gave me a lot of time away from football. It gave me time to plan and network,” Champion said.

“Towards the end of my career I had multiple injuries back to back so I had a little bit of time to plan. I started playing NRL when I was 18 so I knew there was going to be a day I would have to retire so I did what I had to do.

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“I was an ambassador at the Rabbitohs for a while and I’m still pretty heavily involved in the local community here (in Sydney). I try to get out to some junior games when I can and if anyone ever needs a hand I usually help them out.

“I’m thankful that over a short period a lot of current rugby league players and a few former NRL players have given me the opportunity to sell their homes and I’m in a market of Souths supporters so it makes it a little bit easier to get the listings.”

PLAYER PROFILE - BEAU CHAMPION

Age: 32

Position: centre

Playing career: 2005-15

Clubs: South Sydney (2005-10, 2013-14), Melbourne (2011), Gold Coast (2012), Parramatta (2015)

Games: 107

Tries: 49

Rep honours: Indigenous All Stars (2010-11), NSW City (2010-11)

Fact file:

■ Scored four tries in nine games for Gold Coast

■ Developed close friendship with former Titans teammates Beau Fallon, Scott Prince and Aidan Sezer

■ Now working as a real estate agent in Sydney and also holds an ambassadorial role for Aboriginal foster care agency KARI