Gold Coast Titans paying the price for punting playmaker Toby Sexton

The Titans gifted young halfback and local junior Toby Sexton to the Bulldogs – and now Gold Coast players have opened up on their regrets over the move.

Gold Coast players admit they wish the club didn’t punt Toby Sexton amid revelations the in-form Bulldogs halfback wanted to be a Titan for life.

Sexton is hoping to come back to haunt the Titans and put another nail into Gold Coast’s season in Sunday’s Magic Round showdown at Suncorp Stadium.

The Bulldogs shot-caller has played a pivotal role in Canterbury’s early-season bolt to the top of the NRL ladder.

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But just like fellow top four halfback Jamal Fogarty (Canberra), Sexton was shown the door by the Titans in 2023.

A Gold Coast junior and former Australian Schoolboys playmaker, Sexton made his NRL debut for the Titans in 2021.

After making him the highest-paid rookie in the club’s history with a $450,000-a-season deal before he had played NRL, the Titans put their faith in Sexton at halfback and released Fogarty to the Raiders.

Toby Sexton has revived his career at Canterbury. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

That saw Sexton play 19 NRL games in 2022, but he struggled to get a shot the following year and was eventually given permission to break his contract and leave the Titans midway through 2023.

The Bulldogs pounced on Sexton and the 24-year-old is now repaying their faith with a hot start to the season which has seen Canterbury jump into NRL premiership contention.

Meanwhile the Titans have struggled to find a halfback, shifting fullback Jayden Campbell to the demanding position before his ankle injury saw Tom Weaver take the No. 7 jersey.

Five-eighth AJ Brimson said he was disappointed the Titans let Sexton go.

“I was disappointed we lost him, I thought he was a good player,” he said.

“He’s doing well for himself so I’m happy for him, but I enjoyed playing with him and didn’t want to see him leave a few years ago.

“He is playing well. I chat to him semi-regularly. He is still a good mate of mine. He is a humble kid who works hard.

“I’m happy for him. Same with Jamal. They are my mates and playing good footy.

“Hopefully Toby has a horrible game this weekend.”

Sexton made his NRL debut for the Titans. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The Titans invested heavily in Sexton, signing him to a monster contract before he had made his NRL debut.

They even axed journeyman Fogarty, who has since thrived at Canberra and now secured a $2 million deal at Manly, and went all-in on Sexton before going cold on him in 2023 and allowing him to leave.

The Titans did similar with prop Max King, who has developed into one of the game’s form front rowers at Canterbury this year and being spoken about in the NSW Origin selection debate.

Backrower Beau Fermor was another Titans player to lament Sexton’s departure.

“They are decisions that are (made) higher up than me,” he said.

“Selfishly, as a friend of Toby’s, I wish he was still here because he was a good mate of mine and we had good times together. I was really close to Toby when he was here.

“He’s doing really well for himself at the Dogs. He has been unreal. I’m really happy for him, it’s a credit to him.

“It was a tough time for him here towards the end of his time here.

“He didn’t crack their first grade team straight away when he went down there, but he toiled away and worked really hard.

“It’s really paying off for him at the moment. I’m really happy for him.”

The Bulldogs have embraced Sexton.

Sexton was a graduate of league school Palm Beach Currumbin and wanted to be a one-club player at the Titans but only managed 24 games for his home club.

Sexton’s manager Tas Bartlett said a perfect storm resulted in his departure from the Gold Coast and he was now in talks over a contract extension with the Dogs.

“It was hard for Toby. He is a local kid and it’s never easy to leave your junior club, he wanted to be a Titan for the next 10 years,” he said.

“But it’s not always a straight line in rugby league. The NRL is a business and sometimes things don’t work out the way you hope.

“The Titans had big plans for Toby but there were a lot of changes to the side and as a young playmaker there was a lot of pressure on Toby. They weren’t winning and they felt they needed to make some changes.

“Sometimes in this game there’s not enough patience for the development of younger halves. I think Toby would have been a long-term playmaker at the Titans with more time, but there’s no hard feelings and Toby is making the most of his chance at the Bulldogs.

“No-one is upset. Toby is a professional and he moved on. He really enjoys being coached by Cameron Ciraldo.

“He got an opportunity from the Bulldogs and he is loving it. He is part of the kennel and Phil Gould (Bulldogs boss) and Cameron have been great for him.

“Toby is really settled, he wants to stay, and we’re very close to getting a deal done. I’m having talks with them this weekend during Magic Round and Toby wants to be there next year.”