Opinion

Rise of the Titans

25 Jul 20, 4:51PM 0 Comments

Written by Oliver Kellner-Dunk

Photo by Getty Images

aamir

In 2019, the Gold Coast Titans experienced their worst season in franchise history, winning just four games and finishing last on the ladder.

This led to the club signing former Sydney Roosters assistant coach Justin Holbrook from St Helens fresh off winning Super League with the Merseyside club.

The Titans would lose their first three games in 2020, and instead of making minimal changes that didn’t make sense, Holbrook stamped his authority by dropping senior and high paid players who weren’t playing to standard and gave hungry players on the outskirts of the side a chance to prove their worth.

Jamal Fogarty, Beau Fermor, Erin Clark and others have since come into the 17 and completely changed the team’s attitude.

Corey Thompson would join the side on the 15th of June and was the perfect fit for the fullback role at the Titans.

Thompson is a reliable player that has a superb work rate, which ensured the Titans would sustain this new found attitude towards their football.

They currently have 3 wins in 2020, including two comebacks from 12 points down, a year ago there’s no chance the club would win from a deficit like that.

At the time of writing the Gold Coast Titans currently sit 14th on the NRL ladder and if things remain how they currently are at the club then they should win at least a couple more and avoid the dreaded wooden spoon that they were specials for at the start of the year.

Meninga, Holbrook and the board have also looked beyond this year, signing Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Herman Ese’ese and now David Fifita on multi year deals that will commence in 2021.

These acquisitions partnered with the likes of Moeaki Fotuaika will form a terrifying forward pack that could turn the Titans into a top 8 team next year.

It really does look like the Gold Coast Titans are emerging from the darkest phase of the franchise’s history when many believed they wouldn’t.

The laughing stock of the NRL and a club that was made out to be worthless is beginning to take control and change the narrative.

This could see them going from a “failed experiment that needs to fold” to a premiership contender in the not too distant future.

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