When James Roberts’ contract saga at the Titans came to my attention last week, I took my anger and disappointment to social media and vented… quite scathingly.
Gold Coast are my team and I should do all that is needed to support them, but at the end of the 2015 season all I wanted was one simple thing from my club – a pre-season without controversy.
I first saw Roberts in action when he was playing in the Toyota Cup grand final for Souths in 2010. He shone through for the underperforming, losing side and I was an immediate fan.
The New Zealand Warriors Under-20s overshadowed Roberts’ team, however whenever he got the ball he would skip past defenders and race the length of the field to score a try.
I remember seeing his name appear on the huge screens and I was sold.
It was unfortunate to see his career go through some ups and downs, particularly at the Penrith Panthers where his obvious skill was only shown in short glimpses. But when it did emerge, Roberts was electric.
When I discovered he had signed with the Gold Coast Titans, I could not contain my excitement. I can’t remember specifically if it was Roberts’ first game for the ‘summer colours’, but my first memory of him is from a Titans versus Manly match.
Daly Cherry-Evans was putting on a masterclass and the Titans were peppering the north end of Skilled Park (now CBUS Stadium) looking for a try and coming up with nothing.
A loose ball rolled backwards along the ground to Roberts and with a swift motion he scooped it up, teased the line a couple of times running from right to left, and before you could blink he went through untouched and scored under the post.
I was sitting in the stands thinking to myself, ‘How on earth did he do that!?’.
From years of remaining at the bottom of the ladder, and several prospects such as Jamal Idris and Dave Taylor arriving at the club only to misfire, I had hope for the future. Hope that has been taken away from me again with this debacle.
In supporting a team with no history, I can only be proud of the success the Titans had in 2010 and to try and ignore the five years of underperforming.
Or as coaches like to say ‘rebuilding’.
They need to rescue this Roberts situation and it needs to be done ASAP. Titans CEO Graham Annesley needs to rectify it publicly, though sacking the culprit isn’t enough.
Something must be done to re-instil confidence to all the members and fans.
Not only is Roberts the future for the club, but how do fans know that something like this will not happen again?
I have been in talks with the club about securing a new membership for the 2016 season, however I’ve ceased all talks with the sales department due to the fact that I don’t want to put my money into something that I am not confident will be managed correctly.
The Titans administration needs to do something, and it has to be innovative and meaningful to prove to the fans that the office is as strong as the front row.
Otherwise, how can the team perform at peak if the pen pushers are busy forging signatures and doing shifty deals?
The administrators need to do something out of the ordinary and daring to build a solid platform for the team so they are taken seriously. Otherwise the Titans will never attract a marquee player and continue to be abused during contract negotiations.
I have even come up with a marketing slogan that they can all stand behind.
‘It’s time!’
It’s time the Titans stand up, it’s time they take control, it’s time they forge respect.
The office needs to be in order for the players to have every opportunity to make a difference on the field. It will take a unique 12 months for the club to band together as one and commit to a common goal.
It’s time to be taken seriously.
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