Good, bad and ugly of former Titans NRL coaches

Ahead of a new coach arriving at the Titans, the Bulletin looks at the good and bad things done by previous bosses.

AHEAD of a new coach arriving at the Titans, the Bulletin looks at the good and bad things done by previous bosses.

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JOHN CARTWRIGHT (2007-14)

John Cartwright after his last game as coach. Pic by Luke Marsden.

What he did right: Helped set up the culture in those early seasons. Perhaps the biggest part of that was recruiting the right types of players, including leaders Scott Prince and Luke Bailey. After finishing 12th (2007) and 13th (2008) the Titans soared to third (2009) and fourth (2010). The results may have fallen away after that but Cartwright at least built a foundation of some success on the field.

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What he did wrong: He’s not the first Gold Coast coach and he wouldn’t be the last to not quite stamp out issues off the field. It’s unfair to lump the dramas on him but a string of off-field issues, both from the players and administrators, undermined any on-field success.

NEIL HENRY (2014-17)

Neil Henry. Pic by Luke Marsden.

What he did right: Got the best from Ash Taylor. Remember when the young half was just another kid signed from the Broncos? By the end of 2016 the playmaker won the Dally M Rookie of the Year award and was on his way to a multi-million dollar contract upgrade.

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What he did wrong: In two words: Jarryd Hayne. Again, it’s unfair to paint the coach as either the hero or the villain in that whole mess but the lingering head-to-head contest between the boss and star recruit ensured the Titans’ 2017 campaigned nose-dived into a familiar heap.

GARTH BRENNAN (2018-19)

What he did right: Got the Gold Coast footy community better engage with their NRL team. Some say for all his coaching mishandlings, Brennan would be a great footy manager, such was his ability to invest in grassroots footy. He helped strengthened ties with Coast schools too.

What he did wrong: His refusal to drop under-performing stars (read Ash Taylor) may just have brought him undone in the end. Combine that with rising fans’ discontent over game plans and you have a side destined for the wooden spoon and, as it stands, without a head coach.