Gold Coast Titans sack coach Justin Holbrook effective immediately, hire Des Hasler for 2024 onwards

The Gold Coast Titans have sacked coach Justin Holbrook out of nowhere, while announcing a premiership-winning coach to replace him.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 23: Coach Justin Holbrook of the Titans looks dejected at a post match press conference after the round eight NRL match between the Dolphins and Gold Coast Titans at Suncorp Stadium on April 23, 2023 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

The Gold Coast Titans have sacked head coach Justin Holbrook, effective immediately, to be replaced by two-time premiership winning coach Des Hasler.

Hasler has been announced as Holbrook’s replacement for the 2024 season and onwards.

It comes as the Titans sit 9th on the ladder with a 6-7 record after the weekend’s win over Wests Tigers.

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“We are grateful to Justin for his contribution to the club over the past four seasons,” said Titans CEO Steve Mitchell.

“We are here to bring success to the Gold Coast and in order to do so we feel that this is the change necessary to deliver on our promise which is to win premierships.”

Holbrook coached 80 games at the Titans, winning only 30. Picture: NRL Imagery

Hasler, who has won 258 from 458 NRL games as coaches and has five grand final appearances, said he looks forward to the challenge.

“I’m looking forward to joining the Titans and to the 2024 season,” Hasler said.

“The club has a strong playing roster, the region is blessed with emerging talent and the organisation is firmly embedded in the community.

“I’m confident we can deliver success to the region in the coming seasons.”

The announcement didn’t only shock the rugby league world, with Nine’s Danny Weidler tweeting that Justin Holbrook was informed of the news at 9.30am on Thursday morning.

The Titans’ announcement was sent out at 11.40am.

“Brutal game,” Weidler wrote.

“I believe it was a 10 day negotiation done on the quiet.”

Hasler was sacked following the controversial rainbow jersey disaster. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

The 47-year-old Holbrook has coached the Titans in 80 NRL games since 2020, only winning 37 per cent of them and failing to win a final.

Having worked as an assistant at Canterbury, St George Illawarra, Parramatta and Sydney, he signed on with English Super League powerhouse St Helens as head coach in 2017, leading them to their 14th championship win in 2019 before signing with Gold Coast for 2020.

“Holy WOW Holbrook,” wrote Fox League’s Darcie McDonald.

“The Titans have grown under Justin Holbrook but look out now they have Des Hasler,” wrote Wide World of Sports’ Peter Psaltis.

“He’ll take the talented young squad to a whole new level. Throw in a potential Ben Hunt signing and the Gold Coast Titans will be ready to roll.”

The Titans are favourites to secure the signature of wantaway Dragons halfback Ben Hunt, which would boost their finals hopes.

“There are already clubs signing up to try and sign Ben Hunt, the Titans are the early favourites but some Sydney clubs are sure to weigh into that situation,” Weidler said earlier in the week.

Fox League’s Phil Rothfield, meanwhile, also reported the Titans could be where Hunt ends up, and that it may only cost them $250,000 to take the out-of-contract 33-year-old for the remainder of this season.

“I have a feeling that Ben Hunt will not be at Canterbury,” Rothfield said on ‘Big Sports Weekend’.

Wantaway Dragons halfback Ben Hunt looks set to join the Titans. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)

Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga, who also works as an advisor to Holbrook at the Titans, reacted to the news on SEN Sydney.

“I didn’t know till today, obviously a little disappointing being a senior advisor there,” Meninga said.

“I don’t know how I feel about it.

“The club made a decision based on some of the measurements they employed over the offseason which is around their defence - the board saw there’s no improvements around that area of the game and made a decision out of duty of care to the club.

“Justin’s a great person and a great coach - I’m a little disappointed for him, because it can damage reputations, decisions like this, and I hope it doesn’t damage Justin’s reputation.”

Mal Meninga says he doesn’t anticipate remaining with the Gold Coast Titans. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Asked whether he imagined that Ben Hunt would join the club, Meninga said he didn’t know.

“I have no idea - I feel ostracised a little bit,” he said.

“I’ve got a bit of thinking to do about what I do in the future - I don’t envisage being part of the club moving forward.”

Hasler was sacked as Manly coach in 2022 following a season that was derailed by the rainbow jersey disaster.

It was his second sacking from the Northern Beaches club after a recruiting scandal in 2011 saw him accused of “serious breaches of contract” by the Manly board.

Having signed with Canterbury for the 2013 season after his contract with Manly was due to end at the end of the 2012 season, a number of Hasler’s staff reached agreements to join the Bulldogs, with the Sea Eagles becoming concerned about the potential for players to join the exodus - several Manly players of the time were reported to have get-out clauses in their contracts if Hasler was not the coach.