Gold Coast Titans putting no pressure on young gun Toby Sexton to make NRL mark in 2020
THE Titans are putting no pressure on teen sensation Toby Sexton to make his NRL mark next season despite emerging as an early pre-season standout under new coach Justin Holbrook.
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THE Titans are putting no pressure on teen sensation Toby Sexton to make his NRL mark next season despite emerging as an early pre-season standout under new coach Justin Holbrook.
An architect of the Australian Schoolboys’ 36-20 triumph over the Junior Kiwis in September, five-eighth Sexton is embarking on his first pre-season with the Titans after penning a three-year deal with the club in August.
The 18-year-old caught the attention of Gold Coast scouts with a breakout 2019 season, helping Tweed’s Mal Meninga Cup side claim the national under-18 crown in May before steering Palm Beach Currumbin to the Allan Langer Cup title the following month.
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But while he has fitted in seamlessly with the Titans over the past four weeks, Holbrook said there were no expectations Sexton would appear in the top grade in 2020.
“A lot of (the players) in the first few weeks have impressed us as coaches, that’s for sure,” Holbrook said.
“I’ve been really impressed with Toby, he’s a good young kid. Him and Tanah (Boyd) have got a good work ethic for young boys.
“He’s only young so I wouldn’t want to put expectations and say yes (he’ll play next season) and put hype on him for 2020 being his breakout year. We’ve got some good halves there.
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“From a coach’s point of view, I always see the biggest upside in the young guys because that’s got such a massive area for improvement. The young ones that are coming through, your Tanah Boyds and your Toby Sextons, you can just see how much they’re going to improve in rugby league.”
Sexton and Keebra Park graduate Boyd are the poster boys for the Titans’ push to keep local talent on the Coast.
With improved pathways between the club and rugby league nurseries Palm Beach and Keebra, Holbrook said things were headed in the right direction.
“That’s one thing that, as a club, we’ve put in place over the last couple of years - to keep our best players here. It’s so important,” he said.
“They’re the ones that have grown up here so we want them to grow up and play for their local team. I know it’s obvious to say but it is important because they’re already here, they’ve got an emotional attachment to the area and you play better if you’ve got an emotional attachment to something, don’t you?
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“It’s all part of it and it’s great to have those local boys back here. We can’t fix (the past) now so it’s about doing something about it now. We can’t worry about 10 years ago.
“We’ve got the pathways now so we’ve got everything right, we just need to get the main team firing.”
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