Gold Coast Titans deliver blunt message to Israel Folau, saying they won’t give him an NRL lifeline
The Titans have shut the door on giving Israel Folau an NRL lifeline following his successful bid to return to rugby league through the Southport Tigers. FULL REPORT >>>
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THE Titans have shut the door on giving Israel Folau an NRL lifeline following his successful bid to return to rugby league through the Southport Tigers.
Folau has been granted permission by the Queensland Rugby League to play for the Tigers in the Rugby League Gold Coast A Grade competition, where he could make his debut as early as Saturday against Currumbin, after being released from his contract with Super League club Catalans.
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His return to grassroots football puts Folau a step closer to making his dream of playing in the NRL, who would need to allow the controversial code hopper to sign with a professional club, a reality.
But a path back to the top level won’t be offered by Gold Coast, who have sent a clear message to the former Wallaby.
“The Gold Coast Titans have no interest in Israel Folau,” Titans CEO Steve Mitchell said.
It’s a substantial message from a club who routinely says it doesn’t comment on recruitment.
But given Folau’s high profile status and his battle to return to league, the club felt compelled to make its stance known.
Both the Brisbane Broncos and St George Illawarra Dragons have previously discussed signing Folau, but aborted the move fearing a major backlash from fans and sponsors.
Meanwhile, Titan Corey Thompson has re-signed with the club ahead of his 100th NRL game.
Already contracted until the end of 2022, Thompson has added another year to his deal that will keep him on the Gold Coast until the end of the 2023 season.
Titans coach Justin Holbrook said it was an easy decision to add another year to the in-form Queenslander’s contract ahead of the club’s clash with Canberra at GIO Stadium on Saturday.
“I think the way Corey started the year, it was no coincidence that we were playing a lot better when he was in our side,” Holbrook said.
“The energy that he plays with is infectious for our team and we’ve really missed him while he has been out injured.
“This is great news for us to keep him at our club.
“I think he is in the best form of his career and that’s because of the great environment we’ve got him in here and I’m looking forward to him continuing to play for us.”
The 31-year-old debuted for the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2014, playing in the NRL grand final in his debut season. Thompson played 35 games for the Dogs before moving to England, returning to play 44 games for Wests Tigers before joining the Titans in 2020.
In eight games this season, Thompson has scored seven tries and is averaging 180 running metres per game.
EARLIER: When, where and how Izzy makes Southport debut
IF ISRAEL Folau is clear to play for Southport when the Rugby League Gold Coast competition resumes next weekend, well that’s news to league chairman Peter Daley.
Folau has reportedly struck a deal with former Super League club Catalans to secure a release from his contract, allowing him to play local footy at Southport as early as July 3.
The Coast’s footy boss told The Bulletin that Folau’s paperwork was yet to come across his desk and until his request is rubber stamped by both the QRL and RLGC, the 32-year-old will not be able to take the field.
“All I know is we’re still waiting on that release from Catalans,” Daley said.
“As soon as that’s sorted and everyone is happy, then he can go and play for Southport.
“We’ve got no games this weekend so they’ve got a week and a bit to sort that out.”
Daley’s stance has remained impartial from the jump, maintaining that Folau would be a welcome inclusion to the Coast footy scene so long as the correct boxes are ticked.
“If he’s cleared to play he’s cleared to play,” Daley said.
“I’m sure Currumbin won’t mind if his debut for Southport comes on a Currumbin field either.”
A number of Coast footy stakeholders last week raised concerns about who might foot the bill in the wake of Folau’s Supreme Court battle with the QRL, with fears the mooted $250,000 cost to the governing body would have to be made up at a grassroots level.
Daley said if nothing else, an early end to the court proceedings would be welcome news to all involved.
“The costs the QRL would incur, well, someone has to pay for it – whether that flows down into Gold Coast rugby league, Brisbane or Queensland (who knows), but if that doesn’t happen then it’s good for the game,” he said.
“We can spend that money on building the grassroots.”
If Folau is cleared to play against Currumbin on July 3 it will be a massive boost for Southport, which currently sits second-bottom on the table with two wins from six matches.
‘The flow-on will affect us all’: Coast’s Folau fears laid bare
Nic Darveniza - June 19, 2021
Rugby League Gold Coast club presidents are bracing for fee hikes on players and parents if Israel Folau’s legal challenge against Queensland Rugby League reaches the Supreme Court next month.
The QRL is already out-of-pocket $50,000 for the first stage of court proceedings and the body which oversees grassroots footy in Queensland fears that could multiply up to 10 times if the case continues in a month’s time.
If Folau wins the case the QRL could also be slammed with orders to pay legal costs for the plaintiff, with few options available to the governing body to fundraise that amount without leaning on the community.
Currumbin Eagles senior president Pat Asquith said a bill of the magnitude was unprecedented in Queensland rugby league.
“I know the QRL stumped up a lot of cash to keep grassroots clubs running during Covid last year,” Asquith said.
“At the moment grassroots rugby league fees are less than other sports so if this results in increased fees it could have a detrimental effect to how many play the game.
“If QRL are hit with a half-million dollar bill there will be a flow-on effect that will affect us all.”
Helensvale president Wayne Court placed his faith in the Coast rugby league community to assign the blame for any price hike to the party responsible: Folau, and his billionaire backer at Southport Clive Palmer.
“I don’t blame the QRL at all,” Court said.
“At the end of the day if Folau wants to transfer in from overseas it doesn’t matter who he is, he just has to go through the process.
"I am very grateful for the opportunity"
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 4, 2020
Israel Folau speaks for the first time following his controversial move to Catalans Dragons. pic.twitter.com/WLpQ5EtLik
“It’s a simple thing. If he gets the clearance (from Catalans) he plays.
“It’s not the QRL who are wasting money, they’re only doing what they can do.
“I think Gold Coasters will be filthy at the source who is making it happen.”
Rugby League Gold Coast chairman Peter Daley said the code would cross that bridge when it was time.
“It will be disappointing for the game if the bill is that high, and I don’t know if it is, but if any business or association loses $500,000 it will take a hit,” Daley said.
“We’ve got to wait and see how it pans out and see where it takes us.
“We’ve got to look after our members to start with. If it costs that amount something will have to give but it would be premature to discuss that at this point.”
Is this 16-year-old backrower the next big weapon at the Titans?
Nic Darveniza
KEEBRA Park prop Arama Hau led the Gold Coast Titans U17s to a comprehensive victory over the Titans’ Northern Rivers U18s in a Cbus Super Stadium curtain-raiser ahead of Saturday’s NRL clash with the Sydney Roosters.
The Titans captain combined superbly with Ipswich SHS’ Titans-contracted lock Josiah Pahulu (pictured) to lay the platform for a 60-20 victory against an older side.
The Junior Titans System side crossed for 11 tries in total, with strong performances also recorded by Marsden SHS duo Dominic Sandow at fullback and William Semu in the back row.
Semu is still just 16 years old.
Tweed Seagulls winger Matt Burrow featured on the scoreboard on the back of strong play inside him.
For the losing Northern Rivers side, the halves combination of Jye Davis at five-eighth and Harvey Moase at halfback impressed Junior Titans boss Jamie McCormack with classy playmaking, as did prop Khyan Weir who “never stopped trying” in midfield.
Many players will back up for Langer Trophy school fixtures livestreamed by the Bulletin on Wednesday evening.
Broncos, Titans add Gold Coast talent to NRL development lists
BRISBANE has signed Queensland merit team representatives Deine Mariner and Blake Mozer to its NRL development list for 2022 and 2023.
Palm Beach Currumbin student Mariner, 18, was player of the tournament at Monday’s Queensland Secondary Schools Rugby League grand final and the standout centre of the 2021 Mal Meninga Cup.
Keebra Park captain Blazke Mozer, Mariner’s South Coast teammate and fellow Queensland starter, is rated by school coaches as arguably the top hooker Keebra has produced in a generation.
Both will join the Broncos at Red Hill full-time following their graduations later this season.
Keebra head coach Glen Campbell, who joined the school’s rugby league academy in 2003, said the Broncos had secured a generational talent in the young hooker.
“He’s one of the best hookers to ever come through Keebra Park and I’ve been there 20 years,” the three-time national champion schoolboys coach said.
“He’s a quality kid, an academic kid, and his assets on the field are that he’s a big hooker whose defence is as good as his attack.
“He’s the all-round version of what people look for in a hooker.”
Strike centre Mariner scored 10 tries in eight matches for Tweed Seagulls in their run to the Mal Meninga Cup title this season, with a classy semi-final hat-trick against Wynnum Manly a clear demonstration of the power and pace he’ll bring to Brisbane.
Mariner’s Tweed and PBC head coach Tim Maccan judged him the best centre in the Queensland under-18 competition this season.
“It’s fair to say he’s quite an exceptional player,” Maccan said.
“He was one of the top players in the Mal Meninga Cup this year and probably the best centre.
“He’s got all the combinations for what you need to be a class centre.
“He’s one that would be pushing for a spot in that Broncos team as soon as next year.”
With Kotoni Staggs eyeing off a move into the halves Mariner’s path to the Broncos three-quarter line will see him compete with Jesse Arthars, Tesi Niu and Dale Copley for the right to play opposite former Burleigh Bears junior Herbie Farnworth.
The Broncos snapped up Mariner in 2018 after starring at the New Zealand national youth under-15s tournament.
In 2020 he joined PBC, stepping up for injured captain Damon Somerville to power the Reds into the Queensland schools final against Kirwan State High.
His try-scoring feats in the 2021 edition of the Mal Meninga Cup encouraged the Broncos to extend his contract into 2023 with the added bonus of joining the NRL squad full-time in his first year out of school in 2022.
Most exciting about his opportunity is the chance to play for his uncle’s favourite club.
“My uncle back in New Zealand was a Broncos supporter and when I was seven he forced me to support them too.
“I’ve loved the club ever since so it’s a buzzy feeling.
“My family are the main reason I’m doing what I’m doing now, all their support and sacrifices in moving to Australia with me... It feels good giving back to them by chasing my dreams.”
Mariner’s Tweed and PBC halfback Tom Weaver, rated the top playmaking prospect in Queensland this year, will join the Gold Coast Titans full-time squad in 2022 as part of their four-man development list.
Rumours that the Titans had also signed former Marsden utility Tony Francis and PBC fullback Jaylan de Groot to full-time contracts are premature, but both talents remain firmly in the mix for club recruitment manager Ezra Howe.
Meanwhile, Titans under-19s hooker Vaka Sikahele has recovered from a freak knee injury that ruled him out of the pre-season and is back fighting for a full-time NRL contract for 2022.
The former New Zealand Schools rake damaged his MCL ligament in a training mishap but returned to Burleigh’s under-20s team last month with a clean bill of health and a countdown to impress.
His 12-month contract expires at the end of the season, providing a limited window to prove himself for a place in the Titans’ top 30 or development squad next season.
“I never thought (the year) would happen like this,” he said.
“It (rehab) was hard but I knew I had to keep working.
“It’s a different game here compared to home. It’s much faster.
“My contract is only for one year so my goal is to work hard, play hard and hopefully prove myself to get something better in the future.
“The Titans have been good to me with my recovery, now I have 12 months to show them what I can do,” he said.
Brim Reaper coming for Turbo
A BLACK cloak and scythe isn’t AJ Brimson’s style but the 22-year-old Titans custodian won’t hide the fact he relishes playing Grim Reaper for the star fullbacks he lines up against.
In five weeks he’s taken the scalps of New Zealand international Jamayne Isaako and former Queensland No.1s Valentine Holmes and Kalyn Ponga.
On Saturday he’ll look for his fourth victim in Tom Trbojevic, the NSW and Manly ace set to make his return from a hamstring injury.
He’ll find no mercy on the field from Brimson, who always finds that little bit extra when duelling a classy opponent.
“It’s always a good challenge going up against those quality fullbacks,” Brimson said.
“At the end of the day the first job is just trying to get the win, but it’s always good to have those little individual battles you try to get over the opposite number.
“He (Trbojevic) is one of the best fullbacks of our generation when he’s injury free.
“He could be a front-rower with his barge-over tries but then he’s fit as so he’s always pushing through the middle.
“We can’t let him take easy opportunities because we know he’ll be there to capitalise on them.”
The bigger picture for the Titans will be to find the consistency they have lacked through the first five weeks of 2021.
Gold Coast had two of its highest-scoring attacking performances of all time in rounds three and five but could only muster one try against the Raiders between the 40-point blowouts of North Queensland and Newcastle.
“We definitely want to be as consistent as possible,” Brimson said.
“The Raiders game (in round four) was a bit of a weird week.
“We’d shipped down to Sydney and I thought we were definitely in with a chance to win, we just didn’t execute on some of those tries.
“As disappointing as it was it wasn’t a massive step back to our individual confidence, it was probably more on our preparation.
“Obviously we’re not going to try and ride the victory wave. We’ll be ready to go come Manly on Sunday.”
The Titans have made just one change from last week’s demolition of Kalyn Ponga’s Knights but will expect stiffer competition from a Manly team who shocked the Warriors 13-12.
The underdog Sea Eagles will be even stronger with Trbojevic back in the No.1 while the Titans will miss Phillip Sami through concussion.
Jonus Pearson will step up after impressing with the Burleigh Bears.
Tooth ‘pulled from eyebrow’ after sickening head clash
TITANS forward Herman Ese’ese’s million-dollar smile is short a few bucks after a sickening head clash while playing for Tweed Seagulls smashed loose his two front teeth, knocking one out entirely.
Ese’ese lost the tooth on a goal line charge in the 73rd minute of the 26-18 win, colliding head-to-head with Central Queensland Capras forward Nixon Putt in the season-opener.
Putt said Ese’ese’s tooth had been lodged in a deep cut to his eyebrow until he brushed it off.
A trainer was spotted picking up Ese’ese’s maxillary right central incisor from the grass, where it was placed in a urine sample bottle filled with water until emergency dental surgery is possible.
The root of the tooth was remarkably still intact, providing hope Ese’ese smile can still be saved.
Ese’ese said the collision was so great his tooth was knocked loose from inside his mouthguard but others at Tweed said he had forgotten to wear one at all.
“It just dropped out of my mouthguard,” the former Newcastle Knight and Brisbane Bronco said.
“I just went to go bump (Putt) and he dipped under my bump guard and his head went through to my mouth.
LIVE BLOG: TWEED V CAPRAS; TWEED V BURLEIGH
“It must have been a hard collision if the tooth came out through the mouthguard.
“I’m off to the dentist now to get my million dollar smile back.”
There were smiles all around at Tweed as the side overcame an 18-6 halftime deficit with 22 unanswered points in the second half to defeat the Capras.
Debutant Titans playmaker Toby Sexton crossed for his first Intrust Super Cup try while centre Treymain Spry shook off a quiet start to the match with a try and two try assists to inspire the late comeback.
A knock-on over the line would have been Spry’s second had he maintained control of the ball.
Tweed fielded seven Titans players in their 17, including four middle forwards, but their lack of cohesion with the rest of the squad was apparent as set completion rates were poor throughout the match.
Coach Ben Woolf said that was to be expected with a significant portion of the team unavailable to train together during the week.
“We’ve got really good depth in our squad this year, obviously we’ve got good affiliation (with the Titans) and we’ve got good players of our own who are creeping up between 30 and 60 Cup games, most of them together as a group,” Woolf said.
“Getting everyone to buy into each other when you’ve got a big number of guys who haven’t spent any time with the rest of the group can be difficult.
“That’ll get better and the boys will buy into the club even more.”
Sexton received the players’ player award while tough-tackling prop Jai Whitbread was recognised with the coach’s award.
Interchange hooker Liam Hampson was among Tweed’s top attacking threats in a sharp cameo.
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