The NRL’s decision to takeover the competition’s embattled Gold Coast club could revive their bid to recruit representative halfback Daly Cherry-Evans.
The Titans appeared to have fallen out of the running to sign Cherry-Evans as the club lurched into full-blown crisis mode amid the cocaine scandal sweeping through Queensland sport.
The club have had to stand down five players including Cherry-Evans’ State of Origin teammate Dave Taylor and NSW star Greg Bird following revelations the quintet are all facing charges of supplying cocaine.
The shock allegations came a week after Cherry-Evans and wife Vessa had travelled up to the Gold Coast to meet with Titans’ officials and the board.
As the Titans went into meltdown, Cherry-Evans was then spotted visiting Cronulla to have talks with Sharks’ officials, leading to suggestions Gold Coast were out of the running for the off-contract Manly star.
But the NRL’s takeover on Tuesday which has secured the club’s long-term future might be just the good news needed to lure Cherry-Evans back to his home state.
Titans chair Rebecca Frizelle told a Brisbane radio station she was “very hopeful” the club could secure Cherry-Evans after Tuesday’s development.
She said the takeover secured the club’s position on the Gold Coast and showed just how committed to the team the NRL is.
Frizelle added that the community response following the drug scandal breaking showed how much the Gold Coast wants a successful team in the area.
A Twitter campaign has begun with fans pledging their loyalty to the team and it’s been reported the club’s membership numbers are on a par with last year despite the drugs controversy.
“I don’t think you can ever fool the public and on the Gold Coast we’ve seen the Titans reel from one crisis to the next but this time they saw that it had hit rock bottom,” Frizelle told Brisbane’s Triple M Grill Team.
“They were able to see through everything and say `wow, if we don’t get behind this club, there’s every chance we may lose it’.
“The Gold Coast read the temperature of how dire things were and really started to get that groundswell going.”
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
The troubling thing is that if reports are accurate, there's a good chance that both players may leave since neither is already gone. Manly still believe they can retain both because neither have signed a contract yet. Cherry is eyeing almost $450,000 extra over 3 years (reportedly mind you) while also being so much closer to home, or taking ever so slightly less than what manly are offering to play alongside "best mate" Barba at cronulla who (arguably) have a much stronger team (in the forwards yes though I don't rate the back line very highly) that's just lacking a halfback . While Foran mostly just seems to want out (could be toovey, could be cherry, maybe he just wants more money at parra, or maybe he wants to keep playing with Watmough) of manly. The most troubling thing for the sea eagles is how close their decisions are together. Foran is reportedly "this" far from inking a deal with parra while DCE is set to announce a decision during/after the weekend. So they run the risk of not picking one over the other and potentially losing both because they cant wait for one to make a decision and then throw a heap more money at the other one. Probably the most interesting little dance I've seen in a long long while.
eagleJack
Roar Guru
Yep, first player in history to test his worth in the market.
The eye
Guest
This is starting to look more like its about Toovey than the money..
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
They still need to spend there salary cap money up to a million short. So in essence they have at the very least $5mil they have to spend, which would give them a $2mil bonus to use elsewhere
Renegade
Roar Guru
You would think that if Manly up their offer to DCE he will stay at the club. Now that Foran looks set to put pen to paper with Parra, Manly will be able to do exactly that. If Foran had stayed with Manly, it looked as though DCE was set to be a Shark.... I can't seem him leaving Manly now - their offer will be massive now that they aren't trying to keep both.
up in the north
Guest
The Titans still have to stay within the cap so if they can afford him what's the problem. He might be having second thoughts but another way to look at it is this is a good opportunity to build the side.
curaeus
Guest
Can the genii running the Titans come do my household budgeting? Broke. In administration (albeit briefly), taken over by a foreign power (NRL) and STILL able to splash out a couple of mill for Cherry Ripe! Simply Amazing!
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
He provided the press release to the NRL to read out.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I'm surprised to read this announcement didn't come from Gavin Orr.