Expectations rising on the Gold Coast ahead of season opener

Gold Coast owner Darryl Kelly says Titans fans deserve some success as the club prepares for their season opener against the Warriors.

Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook on half Ash Taylor: ‘The back end of last year he was flying’ Picture: Jason O'Brien.

Gold Coast co-owner Darryl Kelly will be in Broken Hill on Saturday. At some point in the afternoon, he will find a television and sit down to watch the start of a journey he and every frustrated Titans supporter hopes end with a finals appearance.

Kelly and the Gold Coast supporters have been down this path before, but it is hard to remember a year in recent times when the optimism has been as justified.

Gold Coast has never been as stable off the field under the stewardship of the Kelly and Frizelle families. They have a coach in Justin Holbrook who many believe is destined for a long and successful stint in the NRL.

Perhaps above all else, there are the recruits. The signing of David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui showed the Gold Coast are ready to match it with the big boys.

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“There is some hope and optimism, yes,” Kelly told The Weekend Australian.

“I am cautiously optimistic. When the team is winning, it is amazing the impact it has on the Coast. There is a genuine, genuine desire for the Titans to do well there, there is no doubt about that.

“When they start to put in credible performances, you feel the difference in the reception you get around the community.

“People you don’t know say the Titans are going to have a good year. I say, ‘gees I hope so’. If we do the work we will get the results.

“We have had our share of issues but since the Frizelle and Kellys have owned it, I think we have had a pretty good run.

“We have made some progress.”

Kelly has dipped in and out of ownership since 2012. When the club collapsed and fell into the hands of the NRL, he was on the periphery for a short time.

Then, at the end of 2017, he and the Frizelle family saved the club from the scrap heap. Slowly but surely, they have strengthened the front office but the turning point may have been the decision to appoint Holbrook, who impressed everyone in his first season in charge.

He inherited a side that finished last and dragged it up the table, closing the season with five successive wins and ninth spot. Throw Fifita and Fa’asuamaleaui in the mix and you can understand the renewed hope.

“They have been terrific,” Holbrook said.

“They are still young, they have just turned 21. They are good people and their personality is good. They are hardworking guys and they get on with it.

“We all know what Dave can do with the ball and the season Tino has had. We have to be realistic — it is not under sevens.

“The are not going to score four tries and kick eight goals in every game. Internally from us coaches and fellow players, no-one is expecting any of that.

“One is a back rower and one is a lock. Do that role. There is no extra pressure on from us.”

Nor, he insists, is there any additional pressure on halfback Ash Taylor. Taylor, more than any other, has the ability to transform the Titans.

There were signs last year that he was edging back to his best and he has the added incentive of playing for a contract, be it on the Gold Coast or somewhere else.

“The back end of last year he was flying,” Holbrook said.

“The frustration for Ash is the end of season comes and he had to get surgery. He had both his hips done and his wrist done.

“Everyone else flew into training …. and unfortunately for Ash he was one of those injured crew who couldn’t do anything.

“He got knocked backwards in terms of what he could do. Now he is fine and we’re expecting him to play well as he did last year.

“He is settled. In terms of off contract, he can’t focus on that. You can’t worry about that stuff. He has got himself 100 per cent right.

“He has to go out and play well and enjoy playing in the team.”

Holbrook insists the expectation is something they must all embrace. The club is clearly now comfortable in its own skin, exemplified by the decision to take part in a fly-on-the-wall documentary over the off-season that has been running on Fox League.

Holbrook initially had reservations but was comfortable to give the green light when he was told it wasn’t about beating their own chest, but rather reminding everyone of where they have been and how far they have come.

No doubt, it added to the hype. For so long, the Gold Coast has been the ugly step-sister to the Broncos. South-east Queensland is now a genuine battleground and the Titans have the upper hand. Their challenge is to keep it by making the finals — the last time they finished in the top eight was in 2016, although even that had an asterisk after Parramatta were rubbed out due to the salary cap scandal.

“We all understand why,” he said.

“We finished the season well and we have some recruits. That’s good for us. The whole city needs it — rugby league is massive up here.

“The kids play at Burleigh and you can’t get in or out of the car park of an afternoon. It is just massive. So it is good to have a bit of optimism.

“We are just realistic about it. I can understand why it is there — it makes sense. That is all it is. We have to start the season now and make sure we perform when it counts. I have been okay with it because I think we have needed it up here.

“The club has been battered around for what seems like forever. The optimism and expectation on us is good.”

Ultimately, it means nothing unless they get results on the field. Gold Coast supporters know that better than most. Their history has been littered with false dawns.

The sense is that times have changed — the club has signed 10 new sponsors since Christmas — and everyone will get a better indication of where they stand after they meet the Warriors on the NSW Central Coast on Saturday.

“It has been a lot of hard work and if hard work deserves some success, there is a little bit of hope there,” Kelly said.

“It would be a little bit of vindication for all the work that Rebecca (Frizelle) and myself, our family and fans have put up with.

“It would be a great reward for everybody if we can play some finals football this year. We just have to keep the build going.

“We are not anywhere near finished yet. But I think it is headed in the right direction.”