FIVE KEY AREAS LIKELY GOLD COAST NRL COACH JUSTIN HOLBROOK MUST DEAL WITH AT THE TITANS
* GET THE BEST OUT OF ASH TAYLOR
The Titans’ halfback has two more years remaining on his lucrative contract so Holbrook cannot afford to have so much of his salary cap sitting on the sidelines. After a poor start to 2019, Taylor hasn’t played for the Titans since a round 12 loss to North Queensland at the start of June. Holbrook must find a way to helping the 24-year-old overcome his personal issues and justify his big salary.
* LOCK IN JAI ARROW
A Gold Coast junior and arguably the Titans’ most consistent performer, Arrow will be free to negotiate with rival NRL clubs in November unless he signs an extension before then. The Queensland State of Origin forward says he wants to stay and the club say they want to keep him, but others are ready to make an offer as soon as November hits. Arrow can be a franchise player for the Titans and Holbrook will be desperate for the club to tie him down to a long-term deal.
* SECURE LOCAL TALENT
Last Sunday Brisbane pair David Fifita and Payne Haas demolished Gold Coast’s pack. The Broncos duo both played their high school football on the Gold Coast at Keebra Park State High School. That institution and nearby Palm Beach Currumbin State High are two of the most prolific producers of NRL talent in the country. Stopping that talent leaving the city is crucial in building the Titans’ identity and connection with the community.
* SALARY CAP MANAGEMENT
Garth Brennan has left but the Titans are now saddled with plenty of his recruits on big-money contracts. Bryce Cartwright, Tyrone Peachey, Leilani Latu and Shannon Boyd have all largely failed to justify their price-tags on the Gold Coast. The club says it won’t be paying players to play elsewhere so Holbrook will have to do some wheeling and dealing if he’s to have the wiggle room to rebuild an underperforming squad.
* WIN BACK THE FANS
In 2008, the Titans had average home crowds of 21,618 as a community got behind an expansion team that would eventually get within one game of a grand final two years later. Since then a cocaine scandal involving some of the club’s biggest players, being saved from administration by the NRL, a brief period of homelessness and just one finals match since that 2010 preliminary final has seen average crowds plummet to 11,699 in 2019. Holbrook will need to quickly generate excitement in a city which has grown apathetic to the Titans’ woes.