Tino Fa’asuamaleaui has get out clauses in his contract that could see him leave the Titans
The Titans face a battle to retain skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui amid revelations he has two get-out clauses in his contract that could open the door for a poaching raid.
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The Titans face a battle to retain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui following revelations he has two get-out clauses that have opened the door for a Perth Bears poaching raid.
This masthead can reveal Fa’asuamaleaui has two player options in his favour, which were inserted into his $12 million contract to give the Gold Coast skipper a chance to quit the club if the Titans weren’t performing.
Fa’asuamaleaui plays his 100th Titans game against Newcastle on Friday night, but his century celebration has been overshadowed by the David Fifita and Des Hasler contract sagas.
Now the Titans must confront another retention headache with Fa’asuamaleaui, who has the contractual power to explore the open market in 2027 and 2030.
The Perth Bears were formally unveiled as the NRL’s 18th club for 2027 on Thursday, while Papua New Guinea will join a 19-team competition 12 months later in 2028.
Those two franchises will be desperate for marquee talent and the Bears will enter the player market from November 1 this year, when Fa’asuamaleaui is technically a free agent.
Fa’asuamaleaui’s 10-year Titans contract expires in 2033, but his first player option can be activated at the end of 2026 - making him a Bears target for their premiership debut in 2027.
Fa’asuamaleaui is settled at the Titans but the club’s poor run of results, coupled with the ructions involving Hasler and Fifita, is putting pressure on the Gold Coast to deliver.
As revealed by this masthead, Fifita has been shopped to two NRL rivals, while Hasler has a series of clauses that could see him sacked as Titans coach if he misses the finals this season.
Fa’asuamaleaui’s manager Simon Mammino confirmed the get-out clauses. He insists the Queensland Origin enforcer remains committed to delivering the Titans’ maiden premiership, but said the 25-year-old is open to future offers - bringing the Bears into the picture.
“Tino is happy and committed to the Titans but we do have a clause in place to consider all options,” Mammino said.
“At the time he entered into the contract, there was no indication of when expansion teams would enter the NRL.
“The clause was more about reviewing where he was at after three more years at the Titans.”
Fa’asuamaleaui is on $1.2 million this season at the Titans and it would take a massive offer from an NRL rival such as Perth or PNG to prise him out of Parkwood.
The loss of the Test star would be a crippling blow for the Gold Coast and Titans management will do everything possible to keep their skipper on the Glitter Strip.
The Bears need a big-name poster boy to sell the rugby league dream in Perth and Fa’asuamaleaui would be the perfect NRL ambassador in a frontier market.
But Mammino said the Titans can keep Fa’asuamaleaui for life if they became a consistent finals team. The Coast have reached the playoffs just once in the past eight years. No representative star wants to languish at a bottom-four club with no hope of a premiership ring.
“At this point his sole focus is with the Titans and turning their season around,” he said.
“We will sit down at season’s end to discuss his future.
“I would be surprised if he decided to leave the Titans even if he considered signing with a new franchise.”
Fa’asuamaleaui stunned many in the code by quitting premiers Melbourne at the end of 2020 to take on the challenge of turning the struggling Titans into an NRL force.
The tax-free benefits for a big-name PNG signing are extraordinary. If, for example, Fa’asuamaleaui signed a $1.5 million deal with PNG, he would save $675,000 in tax per season.
Over five years, that would represent an extra $3.3 million in his pocket - tax free.
Critically for the Titans, a coach-related clause in Fa’asuamaleaui’s previous contract has been removed.
That means Hasler’s possible departure would have no contractual repercussions for Fa’asuamaleaui, who is hellbent on success at the Titans.
“I’m doing everything I can to change this club and make it a winning culture and strong club to compete with in the NRL,” he said ahead of his 100th game.
“I’m not backing out of anything. I’m in it for it all, through the hard times and the good times hopefully in the future.
“I’m definitely confident (we can turn it around), that’s why I’ve stayed here for so long.
“I back the coach and everyone involved in this squad to get us there.”
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Originally published as Tino Fa’asuamaleaui has get out clauses in his contract that could see him leave the Titans
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