Major NRL dominoes to fall: Fifita exit looms as Titans make huge call on backrower’s future
David Fifita’s Gold Coast career appears to be over, with the club opening the door for the blockbusting backrower to leave. See which clubs are in the race for the Titans star.
Wayne Bennett will ramp-up his poaching bid for David Fifita after the Titans superstar was given permission to negotiate with rival clubs in a Gold Coast transfer bombshell.
As revealed by this masthead, the Titans notified Fifita’s management on Friday the controversial forward was free to leave immediately – setting up Souths to thrash out one of the NRL’s biggest off-season transfers.
Bennett revealed on Thursday he was interested in signing Fifita if he was available and now that the Titans have given the green light, the super coach will up the ante to bring the blockbusting back-rower to Redfern.
Contacted again on Friday, Bennett confirmed he will look to strike a deal with Fifita.
“That is good news,” Bennett said of Fifita’s availability.
“We will try and get him.”
Fifita is contracted to the Titans for another 12 months but if Bennett has his way, he will be wearing red-and-green in 2026.
Fifita’s manager Michael Hudson has previously fielded expressions of interest from Canberra and the Roosters, who almost signed the former Queensland Origin star last year before he reneged on the deal.
Hasler did little to quash speculation Fifita was on his way out of the Titans ahead of Saturday’s showdown with the Warriors at Cbus Super Stadium.
“Well, it’s been a tough year for David,” the Titans coach said when asked about Bennett’s public declaration of interest.
“David only had ankle surgery last week but David’s still contracted for 26, so we’ll get him back on his feet and get him running.
“We won’t see him again this year.
“We need to get him into rehab, quick smart.”
Hudson will explore all options, but Fifita has almost certainly played his last game for the Titans after falling out of favour with coach Des Hasler and undergoing three bouts of ankle surgery in the past 11 months.
The latest operation has sidelined Fifita for the remainder of 2025, bringing a painful end to the worst season of his eight-year NRL career.
Arguably the game’s most destructive forward on his day, Fifita has scored only one try in eight NRL appearances this season and was dumped to reserve grade for a one-game cameo with Ipswich.
He bagged 17 four-pointers in a 22-game Titans debut in 2021 after leaving the Broncos and was named in the Dally M team of the year in 2023.
But after five years on the Glitter Strip, Fifita appears headed for the exits after Bennett confirmed he was keen on luring the enigmatic forward to Redfern.
What now stands between Fifita and a move to the Rabbitohs is a round of negotiations between the rival clubs.
Fifita is on around $950,000 next year at the Titans and Gold Coast will likely have to pay a portion of his salary to move him on.
How much Souths is willing to pick up remains the key factor in Fifita’s potential move.
The Rabbitohs are also trying to offload Super League flop Lewis Dodd and may have to contribute to his departure, which could impact their salary cap position.
Bennett has a history with Fifita. He gave the Tongan powerhouse his NRL debut at Brisbane as an 18-year-old in 2018 just months before Bennett was sacked by Broncos management.
But Fifita has always had enormous respect for Bennett, even consulting the super coach when he made the decision to quit the Broncos at the end of 2020 to sign a $3.5 million deal with the Titans.
Fifita has played 90 games for the Titans over the past five seasons but he has endured an injury-plagued 2025 season, headlined by his axing to the Queensland Cup by Hasler in April.
That has fuelled speculation Fifita has fallen out with Hasler and is reluctant to play for the Titans while the five-time grand-final coach is in charge.
Bennett is renowned for getting the best out of troubled players and he is adamant Fifita could flourish at the Rabbitohs.
“David is a great talent – I gave him his debut at the Broncos,” Bennett said.
“I know what David is capable of and if comes onto the market, I’d like to talk to him.”
A factor in Fifita’s Titanic crash has been a failure to bond with Hasler over the past two seasons following the sacking of former Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook, a Fifita fan boy who nearly tempted him to the Roosters.
Fifita and Hasler’s approaches to the game haven’t gelled, but ironically they may both end up leaving the Gold Coast as the coach fights for his future with the wooden spoon looming.
While the Titans may be open to letting Fifita go, they would be reluctant to farewell captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, who will head to the NRL’s open market on November 1.
Fa’ausamaleaui has become disillusioned with Gold Coast’s lack of direction ahead of a fourth consecutive finish in the NRL’s bottom four and uncertainty around Hasler’s future.
When asked about Tino’s decision to explore options at rival clubs despite having a 10-year, $12 million contract at the Titans, Hasler turned the blowtorch on his manager Simon Mammino.
“Well, that was his manager,” he said.
“I guess that’s only really been discussed by his manager about fulfilling his obligations. That’s entirely for the manager. That’s at his digression.
“I’m fairly confident in Tino. He just wants to see the improvements and the advancements to the side.
“We’ve got to be able to create a platform where we want to be competitive and he’s fully invested in that. He’s a big contributor to that.”
Fa’asuamaleaui played a decisive role in convincing Fifita to backflip on a three-year contract with the Roosters last year.
Now he could be joining Fifita at the departures lounge in what would be a seismic double blow for the Titans.
Originally published as Major NRL dominoes to fall: Fifita exit looms as Titans make huge call on backrower’s future
Bennett-Gould feud twist: Legends unite amid NRL rule row
