Penrith recruit Jamal Idris says there were no issues between him and the Gold Coast despite his shock release from the NRL club.
Idris was granted an immediate release from the final three years of his Titans contract last week to join the Panthers on a three-year deal.
At his first training session with his new club on Monday, Idris said he remained firm friends with Titans coach John Cartwright and said he was grateful to the former premiership-winning Panthers second-rower for granting a release on compassionate grounds so Idris could be closer to his ill mother.
Rumours swirled around the Gold Coast following Idris’ release that he’d had a falling out with coaching staff and had not received third-party payments he was owed.
But the 23-year-old said that was not the case.
“Carty is one of my best mates – I love him to death,” Idris said.
“The boys were awesome, but at the end of the day, I was up there by myself. If you are by yourself anywhere you are going to be stressed … I’m just glad I’m back down with my mum.
“Carty is a mate before he is a coach. He understood what I was going through. And he understands that I’m big on family. He was quite happy for me to look after my mum and go back down to Sydney.”
Idris played 35 games in his two seasons at the Titans and struggled to consistently hit the form that earned him NSW and Australian jerseys at Canterbury.
Injuries, including a severe hamstring tear, and double hip surgery dogged him and just when he had begun to return to his devastating best last year, he broke his leg.
Idris had off-season surgery on his knee, but will be fit for Penrith’s round-one match at home against Newcastle on March 8.
Idris said the Panthers, who have also recruited Jamie Soward, Peter Wallace, Brent Kite, Elijah Taylor and Tyrone Peachey, are capable of making an impact in the NRL in 2014.
“The club has got a lot of good things going for it and hopefully I can be a part of it,” he said.
“Hopefully I can grow and the club can grow as well … finals are what we are hoping for.”
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
The Panthers' system covers most situations, but how would it cope without iron man Dylan Edwards?
The paradox of parity is that even though we’re told we should want a wide open competition, the NRL seems to be more interesting…
Penrith have cruised to a 22-6 win over the Wests Tigers in Bathurst - but Benji Marshall was left bemused by a potentially match-changing…
Who are the hardest working big men in the NRL?
This one will hurt. James Fisher-Harris’ unexpected exit from Penrith to the Warriors at season’s end not only has ramifications for those two clubs…
James Fisher-Harris is set to return home, with the marquee player announced as signing with the New Zealand Warriors. The New Zealand franchise has…
