What has happened to the Titans?
Roar Guru By Curtis Woodward, 19 Mar 2012 Curtis Woodward is a Roar Guru & Live Blogger
- Tagged:
- Gold Coast Titans, Jamal Idris, John Cartwright, NRL, Rugby League
2,835 reads
Greg Bird: NRL Rugby League match, Parramatta Eels V Gold Coast Titans at Parramatta Stadium, Sunday April 24th 2011. Digital pic by Robb Cox © Action Photographics.
Related coverage
The Gold Coast Titans entered the NRL in 2007 with a bang. They were an exciting team that played real honest to God footy. Five years on, they are on the verge of a rugby league nervous breakdown.
There is a perception in rugby league land that the Titans bought well in the off season. But what have they really done?
Signed a sleeping giant in Jamal Idris who refuses to get involved. A walking headline in Nate Myles. A third-string hooker in Beau Falloon, and former Melbourne Storm centre Beau Champion despite already having Bodene Thompson, Dominic Peyroux, Phil Graham and Idris at the club.
After the season from hell in 2011 where they received the wooden spoon, coach John Cartwright went for the quick fix. He and Titans management splurged on players they probably didn’t really need.
Cartwright is a coach with blinkers on. He has failed to see that the problems within the club lie with his veterans. Old friends like Scott Prince and Luke Bailey.
One of the hardest jobs an NRL coach has is to sack his mates. With Luke Douglas and Ryan James breathing down his neck, time is catching up with Bailey. But time has Prince around the throat.
If Cartwright doesn’t make a call on them, he may well find it costs him his place instead.
Not even the signing of Dave Taylor can stem the flow running against the Titans at the moment.
With Melbourne Storm superstar Cooper Cronk off contract at the end of the season, surely the Titans could have had a real crack at signing the representative playmaker. The money they have thrown at Idris and Myles surely could have been thrown at Cronk and a solution to the playmaking dilemma at Robina.
2012 may have been a slow season before Cronk’s arrival. But it couldn’t be any slower than what is happening now.
There are some strange things happening on and off the field in the south of Queensland lately.
As of this weekend, the Titans major sponsor iSelect will offer free tickets to fans who go to Skilled Park and watch their team lose.
Managing director Michael Searle says times are hard for the Titans. “It’s a tough market (but) we’ve got to try and coerce people out of their lounge rooms and back to the games.”
Why would fans want to pay to see the Titans get belted twice?
Then there were the headlines that the Titans were facing a second lawsuit in the Supreme Court. These are dangerous and bizarre times for the Gold Coast.
All this on the back of the news that William Zillman has re-signed on a new five year deal. How the hell did Zillman get five years?
There are some serious problems up there, and the scariest part is we probably have a long way to go yet.
Passionate about your league? Then sign up to The Roar's brand new daily league email, delivering Roaring articles directly to you day-in, day-out. You'll love it!
Click here to join now!
- Explore:
- Gold Coast Titans, Jamal Idris, John Cartwright, NRL, Rugby League
March 19th 2012 @ 9:11am
Matt_S said | March 19th 2012 @ 9:11am | Report comment
Easy, GFC hit, they did not get the expected rentals on office space. Also the tradies did dodgy jobs which they needed to fix, thus the centre of excellence has become a noose around the football clubs neck.
Apparently the tradies are bad naming the titans around the coast and the have a compliant media to assist them without knowing the full facts.
Meanwhile many tradies are driving their latest 4WD’s and ripping people off.
March 19th 2012 @ 7:07pm
Lorry said | March 19th 2012 @ 7:07pm | Report comment
Tradies have now joined of the petit-bourgeois, ripping off their own class, betraying the working class nature of League, the ‘Opera of the Proletariat’!
March 19th 2012 @ 11:28pm
Westie said | March 19th 2012 @ 11:28pm | Report comment
Not really the forum to debate it, but we need to follow Britain and de-regulate trades. It is not rocket science nailing a couple of bits of wood together or soldering a piece of metal onto another bit.
Trades regulation is holding back Australia. Let anyone do it.
March 19th 2012 @ 9:31am
Fivehole said | March 19th 2012 @ 9:31am | Report comment
This is why we don’t need a third south east queensland team. They can’t fill the stadiums of the 2 they have. With their excellent road networks, the gold coast is in easy driving distance of the majority of Brisbane.
March 19th 2012 @ 11:03am
Sam el Perro said | March 19th 2012 @ 11:03am | Report comment
Easy road networks? The Gold Coast is a nightmare to drive around.
March 19th 2012 @ 11:18am
Fivehole said | March 19th 2012 @ 11:18am | Report comment
I guess everything is relative. Done much driving around Sydney lately?
March 19th 2012 @ 3:46pm
Sam el Perro said | March 19th 2012 @ 3:46pm | Report comment
Nope. But I have driven around the Coast. It is painful and slow.
March 19th 2012 @ 1:34pm
GC Tiger said | March 19th 2012 @ 1:34pm | Report comment
Crap, the staduim is right off the highway, and right beside the train Station.
March 19th 2012 @ 3:46pm
Sam el Perro said | March 19th 2012 @ 3:46pm | Report comment
Yep, it is good convenient to get to from Brisbane. Intra-GC traffic is rubbish, however. To get to the highway *from* most of the coast your are driving west to it along clogged arteries.
March 20th 2012 @ 11:41am
JZ said | March 20th 2012 @ 11:41am | Report comment
A monkey could find the stadium its that easies
March 20th 2012 @ 12:54am
Queensland's game is rugby league said | March 20th 2012 @ 12:54am | Report comment
If the fans of the Sydney-based clubs had to pay the amount that the supporters of the Broncos and Titans pay then it would be rare for a Sydney team to crack the 10,000 mark!
Don’t let facts get in the way of your anti-Queensland rant.
March 20th 2012 @ 1:19am
Queensland's game is rugby league said | March 20th 2012 @ 1:19am | Report comment
Fivehole,
You should try travelling along the M3/M1 on a Friday evening. Or along Logan Rd on a Friday evening. I recall sitting in 20 to 30 minutes of traffic just off Garden City a couple of years ago. Similar story when travelling along the M3. This happens pretty much every weekday.
I get the train to Robina to watch my team, the Cowboys, play the Titans. That’s the only game I go to. I won’t pay $40 on a ticket for an NRL game that does not involve the Cowboys.It takes ages to get to Robina from Logan via the train.
March 20th 2012 @ 9:02am
Fivehole said | March 20th 2012 @ 9:02am | Report comment
Agree the trains are not the best around SEQ. But 20-30mins vehicle traffic, whilst not ideal, would be a nice change of pace from some of Sydney’s congestion. After driving on the highways around SEQ, i was gobsmacked at how much better it was.
Fair enough call on the $40, it is too much for a General Admission ticket
March 20th 2012 @ 11:43am
JZ said | March 20th 2012 @ 11:43am | Report comment
Really its $40 these days wow what a joke way over priced
March 21st 2012 @ 1:44am
Queensland's game is rugby league said | March 21st 2012 @ 1:44am | Report comment
The ticket I bought was for the main grandstand, so it was a good seat, but I had to pay $40 or $50 for it. And that was on concession. I don’t know how fans who don’t have a concession card make ends meet.
Traffic is a sign of poor planning by the government.
March 19th 2012 @ 10:46am
Ken said | March 19th 2012 @ 10:46am | Report comment
Agree with most of your article but think you’re being a bit harsh on Bailey. Watching him the other day I was just thinking how good he was still going in an outclassed team. Still makes good metres without ever taking the easy option, always going into the teeth of the defence (which is almost never on the back foot against the Titans). He looks 50 but he’s only 31 or so and still playing well, I wouldn’t retire him on age alone.
Prince is another story, for a guy who was a consistently top-class half for many seasons to drop to mediocrity so fast has been a bit sad to watch.
Are the Titans really on the nose on the GC? Their crowds seemed to be dropping dramatically last year even before it became obvious they were cellar dwellars. I’ve heard that ticket prices are fairly high and transport is poor for the stadium but these sound like excuses, they were doing OK up until 2010 (which was a long time after the honeymoon period should have ended). Personally I quite like the idea of the free tickets if they lose promotion, although it would probably go better for a team with a better winning record. For the Titans at the moment it just sounds like the butt of a joke.
March 19th 2012 @ 1:36pm
CurtisW1908 said | March 19th 2012 @ 1:36pm | Report comment
Bailey isn’t done .. yet .. but a decision needs to be made before we are talking about him the same way as we are with Prince
March 19th 2012 @ 11:08am
Brett said | March 19th 2012 @ 11:08am | Report comment
For me it’s the game at the moment. I live on the gold coast but support the knights so I used to go to the titans games to get my fix but it’s so one dimensional and the standard of a lot of the teams seems so poor. Ticket prices are another issue.
–
Comment left via The Roar’s iPhone app. Download The Roar’s iPhone App in the App Store here.
March 19th 2012 @ 12:13pm
turbodewd said | March 19th 2012 @ 12:13pm | Report comment
Free tickets is a very bad idea. It tells the people that the Titans arent worth paying for. You dont want to teach customers this. Half price tickets…maybe.
Are the Titans actually engaging the community? Visiting schools? Running BBQs for fund raisers? Do other fundraising activities? They need to be seen engaging the community, if they do then the fans will gladly return the favor.
So many people in footballing circles think football is actually about football only – it isnt. Its probably more to do with non-footballing things. And will someone pls ask the Titans to stop changing their jersey?
If you give some kids some textas and ask them to draw the Essendon Bombers jersey and the Titans one…you can bet which one they manage to draw!
March 19th 2012 @ 12:48pm
oikee said | March 19th 2012 @ 12:48pm | Report comment
Most kids “Remember the Titans”, not the Bombers.
The Titans are doing fine, they do all the ground work and the only reason they are getting publicity is for unpaid depts. The Titans wont be going anywhere anytime soon, they are staying put. They have feeder clubs and juniors to look after, once they get their house in order they will be in much better shape, plus if Ipswich (Brisbane) get another team, this will be even better for the Titans, they will become the middle brother, not little Brother.
The coast people who think not supporting this club helps, had better think again. You only get things done by helping not hindering. I read somewhere that fans wont support while Seale is in charge. ? They might as well sign up for the Suns because Seale is not going anywhere.
Your either a supporter or your not, the in-betweens is a bridge in brisbane, you might as well jump off it, nobody will miss you.
Now get out their, put up or shut-up. Not you Turbo, i am talking about people who cant take losing, who cant go through the tough times, the hard yards. Go and play rugby league, it will teach you all this at a early age.
March 19th 2012 @ 3:48pm
Sam el Perro said | March 19th 2012 @ 3:48pm | Report comment
In-betweens?
Maybe you mean the Go Between bridge??
March 20th 2012 @ 11:48am
JZ said | March 20th 2012 @ 11:48am | Report comment
If people only support a team when they are winning should be ashamed to go to a game, not going to a game when your team needs you the most is shame full , but $40 a ticket is a bit much,
March 19th 2012 @ 4:05pm
Ken said | March 19th 2012 @ 4:05pm | Report comment
‘Are the Titans actually engaging the community? Visiting schools? Running BBQs for fund raisers? Do other fundraising activities? They need to be seen engaging the community, if they do then the fans will gladly return the favor.’
I’m not a local and don’t know the answer to this but I agree it seems to be the problem. For a team that originally appeared to be a bright new spark in terms of community involvement they appear to have dropped the ball completely in this area.
‘Free tickets is a very bad idea. It tells the people that the Titans arent worth paying for. You dont want to teach customers this. Half price tickets…maybe.’
I agree to a point – straight-out free tickets are a bad idea for the reasons that you put out. I quite like the ‘free ticket to next game if we lose’ concept though, especially when they’re not in any danger of selling out games. These are already paying customers who have come along and possibly had a disappointing day – make sure they come back, they’ll still spend money on food and maybe some merchandise. They need to get people in the habit of coming to their games again. The only danger is if they go on to lose 5 games in a row it’s going to become a bad joke.
March 19th 2012 @ 5:11pm
Jaceman said | March 19th 2012 @ 5:11pm | Report comment
I cant imagine that the Titans have dropped the ball on community involvement – with other codes coming in they probably stepped it up if anything but no matter how much you do the punters always want more and say you are not doing enough…
March 19th 2012 @ 12:18pm
Jaceman said | March 19th 2012 @ 12:18pm | Report comment
Rothfield in todays Tele calims they are in deep trouble but he may just be playing the News Ltd card (his employer) who dont want another team S-E Qld to compete with their profitable Broncos who hold the whip hand in any decisions made by the NRL – Independent Commision or not. His solution witha new S-E qld team playing 6 games in the GC sound like an off the top of the head dream which is about as palatable as playing games in PNG…Just what has happened in prime RL territory…..
March 19th 2012 @ 12:51pm
oikee said | March 19th 2012 @ 12:51pm | Report comment
You do realise he is a Shark’s fan. That gives it away straight off i thought. This guy cant write stories for the Courier mail queensland, because everyone thinks he is a dill, and they be right.
March 19th 2012 @ 12:29pm
Numbers man said | March 19th 2012 @ 12:29pm | Report comment
It has not been all bad news for the Titans with the ATO withdrawing its case on the Titans property arm.
The Gold Coast is a very fickle place for a sporting club as league has already tried with the Giants, Seagulls, Charges and Gladiators in what is regarded as one of the heartlands of rugby league. gold Coast United are looking to go the same way.
The Suns will be interesting to watch to see how they go.
The interest in the club is decreasing and for the life of me I cannot see why. They have a pretty good team, some really good stars located in a highly populated area.
But the crowd numbers are dropping dramatically
2012 11378 After 2 games
2011 15428
2010 17877
2009 19178
2008 21618
2007 21489
If this trend continues they will be going they same way as the previous 4 starters.
Why is it they dodgey property deals and the Gold Coast are typically in the same sentence more often than not.?
And why would Michael Searle choose to underpin the finanical strength of the Titans on the propert market?
The AFL and NRL have very different statergies on expanding the games. In talking tosome AFL friends who have been watching the game of the field for years, I now realise the level of coin the AFL have, they are fully prepared to throw money at the Suns for 20 years. I think the NRL needs to start throwing more money into the Gold Coast if they are to have a long term place. Everything else appears to be in place for success. The product, fans, city. location, weather, team, coach etc etc all are right.
March 19th 2012 @ 1:01pm
oikee said | March 19th 2012 @ 1:01pm | Report comment
GFC at a time when the coast where still young and building. Plus the coast are the spooners, give them time to build back again.
I also think Seale has to sell half his share in the Titans, once he has done this the club can really grow.
March 19th 2012 @ 1:42pm
Australian Rules said | March 19th 2012 @ 1:42pm | Report comment
The launch of the Titans was one of the most impressive I have seen in professional sport. The branding, community engagement, media – everything was first class and a model for other new teams to copy (even the sheer number of bumper stickers on cars on the Goldie is impressive.
However, the Titans are now flagging. The problem is multi-faceted (cost of tickets, public transport to games, and the team’s poor performance) but easily the biggest problem is the one that faces every new franchise on the GC: public appetite and commitment to wacthing live sport week in week out. The public simply don’t care enough.
The history of failure of so many sports teams on the Goldie is farcical. Yet people still talk about the region as though it’s still the holy grail of expansion cities. Rubbish. They’d rather go to the beach…I don’t blame them!
March 20th 2012 @ 10:43am
Numbers man said | March 20th 2012 @ 10:43am | Report comment
@Australian Rules I would have to agree the Titans launch and model for the club structure is certainly impressive. Every other league jersey on kids today is a titans jersey.
It would seem that only the Titans can stop the Titans success.
March 19th 2012 @ 1:50pm
JamesP said | March 19th 2012 @ 1:50pm | Report comment
Suns actually surpassed all expectations and recorded a profit in their first year. A full sponsor book and decent crowds has certainly had an impact. The money the AFL has chipped in has included paying for most of Karmichael Hunts salary (and that is fair enough as the Suns should not have to wear that cost), and of course chipping in for the Metricon Stadium (like they do for ALL stadiums) – thereby ensuring the Suns have a great stadium deal whereby there break even crowd is very low (not sure how low – could be 10k or so). It has been publiced that the Foo Fighters concert brought in more cash than any of their home games.
But with regards to your specific pont – the AFL has spent the money early – they will not need to pay for this club for 20 years or even 10 – they are well on their way to sustainability. GWS different story of course
March 20th 2012 @ 11:37am
Antonio said | March 20th 2012 @ 11:37am | Report comment
Didn’t the Titans also forge some of their crowd figures?
March 19th 2012 @ 12:32pm
oikee said | March 19th 2012 @ 12:32pm | Report comment
Yeah, i have looked at the Titans, it is not Bailey or Prince who are the problem. It is Rankin, a rookie who still wont allow Prince to free himself up, and Michaels, who was rejected by the Broncos 4-5 years ago. Signing 5 year deals has also got to stop. The new Taylor 2 years with 2 year options is the best deal in the game.
5 years? that is nearly half your career, would you sign a CEO for 25 years. ? In rugby league terms, around 10 years is the average term for a player. So 5 years is half your playing days. Take out injuries, which is already happening to Idris, your looking at fans asking questions, and this is why the club is under the pump, not to mention why you would ever sign a coach for 5 years after collecting the spoon.
They have Idris, Gordon, Mead and Ryan James all to come back, this is a good team apart from a decent Half to help Prince.
Getting beat by Melbourne is not the end of the world, and Dave Taylor is a good signing, the Coast look fine, and Clive Palmer is willing to help if the game ask’s him to help.
The coast are fine. The supporters have got to stick through thick and thin. You find out who the real fans are when your backs are to the wall. Remember that, and hold your head high, with pride lads.
March 19th 2012 @ 1:04pm
PJ said | March 19th 2012 @ 1:04pm | Report comment
The Titans organisation stinks of a business that is run by unqualified people. Just because you have played first grade rugby league or beacuse your played for the Tweed Seagulls with the boss doesnt mean you are a qualifed football administrator. Chris Close might be a passionate RL man but it doesnt make him a great Business Development Manager, it would be interesting to see how much business he has actually gained for the club as he spends most his time on his balcony in the office smoking, tweeting offensive tweets or at some “charity” lunch. Until not only the Titans but all RL clubs are run like a professional organisation they will continue to struggle financially
March 21st 2012 @ 10:45am
phil said | March 21st 2012 @ 10:45am | Report comment
why doesnt that surprise me.
March 19th 2012 @ 1:45pm
GC Tiger said | March 19th 2012 @ 1:45pm | Report comment
Two words. GREG BIRD.
He has infested the place like a disease. I like many others said they didn’t want a grub like that in our team and wouldn’t renew our membership. They didn’t listen and the team has gone down hill ever since . They used to be a pleasure to watch but our now slow, one dimesional and that grub just makes everyone drop there head when he is penalised for being himself and then aurguing with the ref, Worst is how he over acts when the same is done back to him.
In saying that. The ticket prices are too high, day games in the early part of the year are too hot. They don’t engage in the general community and that centre of excellence only serves them.
March 19th 2012 @ 1:51pm
CurtisW1908 said | March 19th 2012 @ 1:51pm | Report comment
With Taylor signing .. who gets dropped ? Way too many backrowers up there. Not using their cap wisely
March 19th 2012 @ 2:18pm
Rabby said | March 19th 2012 @ 2:18pm | Report comment
Ticket Prices are too High. I have seen that comment twice now yet my understanding is that the minimum admission price for an adult without concessions is $15 ? Compare that to the minimum Aami Park price in Melbourne of $23 which quickly get sold out forcing you into the $32 bracket.
March 19th 2012 @ 2:46pm
GC Tiger said | March 19th 2012 @ 2:46pm | Report comment
It is $27 to sit behind the posts with the drunks $30 with your family and then $43+ to sit side on sides. This doesn’t include the overpriced food.
Why pay $80 to take your family to watch 80 mins of football from one end of the field when you can see the whole game on TV for nothing. Maybe 1 or 2 games per year but 12 games?
Plus there is NO game day atmosphere. Value for money?
Dave Taylor can replace Bird, I hope. Like everyone my question is how do afford him under the cap?
March 19th 2012 @ 3:37pm
Australian Rules said | March 19th 2012 @ 3:37pm | Report comment
“Why pay $80 to take your family to watch 80 mins of football from one end of the field when you can see the whole game on TV for nothing. Maybe 1 or 2 games per year but 12 games?”
This attitude from fans is what is wrong with the NRL.
$80 is a reasonable price for a family day out. Would you prefer game admission was free? Fans should want to see live games and be part of the atmostphere…saying ‘I’d rather watch it on tv’ is just lazy. Plain and simple.
The difference between a full stadium and an empty one is the same difference as a full schooner of beer and an empty one.
March 19th 2012 @ 4:02pm
turbodewd said | March 19th 2012 @ 4:02pm | Report comment
Yes, but an NRL game is over in just 90-95 minutes. You spend more time travelling to venue then to your actual seat than watching the game itself. Cricket, AFL and UFC all offer far more than 90min of entertainment.
The NRL gameday experience is too short, they need to at least put 20min on that.
March 19th 2012 @ 4:11pm
The Cattery said | March 19th 2012 @ 4:11pm | Report comment
turbo
You remind me of the time I decided to introduce my NSW-born wife-to-be to the delights of Australian Football, taking her to some match somewhere or another.
At half time she asked tentatively whether it was over, and got a shock when I explained it was only half time.
March 19th 2012 @ 4:23pm
Jaceman said | March 19th 2012 @ 4:23pm | Report comment
Cat
Always marry within your religion even if you live in ecumenical football zones…
March 19th 2012 @ 4:52pm
Australian Rules said | March 19th 2012 @ 4:52pm | Report comment
Turbo, that’s a weak response. The game’s need to be longer..??!!
Soccer fans in Europe and Sth America don’t feel that way.
March 19th 2012 @ 5:04pm
The Cattery said | March 19th 2012 @ 5:04pm | Report comment
Jaceman
lol – she was of no religion (perhaps netball)
March 20th 2012 @ 1:13am
Queensland's game is rugby league said | March 20th 2012 @ 1:13am | Report comment
“$80 is a reasonable price for a family day out.”
A season pass for a QLD Cup club costs about $90 to $120 for 12 home games. The standard of the competition isn’t much lower than the NRL. I wouldn’t be surprised if a fair few people are choosing the QLD Cup over the NRL.
I have a season pass to the Wynnum-Manly team. It’s great. I really love the atmosphere. The club gets a lot of support to its home matches. There’s a grandstand for fans. The food is better than the stuff that’s sold at Lang Park.
I’m really loving the Queensland Cup. This weekend I’ll be heading to two QRL matches.
March 20th 2012 @ 9:46am
Nathan of Perth said | March 20th 2012 @ 9:46am | Report comment
Honestly, you would think that more people that are having problems affording national level comps would get onboard with the state-level comps that may not be the greatest standard but are certainly far cheaper and scratch the itch.
March 21st 2012 @ 1:38am
Queensland's game is rugby league said | March 21st 2012 @ 1:38am | Report comment
I think the problem is most people don’t know about them or are too snobby to go to something that they see as “second-rate”.
I’d like to see the ARLC invest a bit of money into the infrastructure of the Queensland Cup. A few million dollars could be set aside for the construction of a shaded grandstand at each of the clubs that play in the Queensland Cup. The Eastern Suburbs Tigers have a really nice one, which the club paid for, during the early 2000′s. It has a nice shaded roof and bucket seats for just under 2,000 people.
Shade cloths could be erected around the rest of the ground.
Over time it would nice if the clubs and ARLC saved enough enough money to build a video screen at one end of each ground so that replays of tries, line breaks, big tackles, etc can be shown to the crowd.