He wants him on his team but new Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook isn’t going to pressure Jai Arrow to finalise his NRL future.
Holbrook arrived on the Gold Coast on Monday and is familiarising himself at the Titans before beginning pre-season training next week.
Securing Queensland representative forward Arrow to a new deal is a priority for the Titans, with several rival clubs reportedly keen on the 24-year-old.
Although he’s under contract for next season, he was granted permission by them earlier this year to negotiate with rivals ahead of the November 1 open market deadline.
Gold Coast had hoped the move would prevent months of speculation about his future but he’s yet to sign a new deal or commit to another club.
Holbrook was unequivocal when asked on Thursday if Arrow was part of his plans to transform the Titans’ fortunes.
“Definitely, there’s no shying away from that but all contract negotiations are long processes and I can’t get bogged down too much in that,” he said.
“Of course we want him to stay here but I’ll just crack on with training on Monday and if it’s an environment he wants to stay in that’ll be great and we’ll keep him. That’s what we’re hoping for.”
Holbrook, who led St Helens to glory in the English Super League grand final before returning to Australia, arrives on the Gold Coast with a reputation as a coach with a knack for connecting to his players.
Labelling his arrival as a fresh start for the 2019 wooden spooners, Holbrook will use his man management skills to attempt to bring troubled playmaker Ash Taylor back into the fold.
The 24-year-old struggled with poor form and off-field personal issues and was barely sighted in the back half of last season, ending his year in the Queensland Cup with feeder club Tweed Heads.
“We all know he had a few dramas last year and that affected him and he didn’t play his best,” Holbrook said of Taylor.
“I’ll definitely be sitting down with Ash, as I will all the players individually, having a good chat to them and hopefully they’re as keen as all the coaching staff are.
“Hopefully if we can get the best out of him. We know he’s a very good player.”