A strategy to save the Titans

Spot on Elton ! Their key signings right now should be a couple of talent scouts to scour the juniors of QLD and beat the Broncos to the signing of the next batch of future origin stars. They should put together this bunch of young talented juniors with a couple of hard head to guide them, and they should build themselves a real team. Forget the has beens from other clubs and proven dills like Roberts. Start from scratch and develop a Titans team.

all the time hey... enjoy life in fancy hyperbole land

Jamal idris

Yep you need to bring him off the bench, nice and slow. This ensures that he doesn't feel the weight of having to produce as a starter.

There are enough bubblers around the Gold Coast strip as it is.

Toddy Carney, that's who they need, he would lap up the Gold Coast culture and be right at home.

Increase the salary-cap for the Titans. Not too much that it becomes unfair. But they clearly need some help. Maybe $500K? Players do not want to go to a losing club with no history, no culture and low crowd numbers. You'd be surprised how much 1 or 2 good signings will change a club.

Your one sentence? "I propose the NRL steps in to draw some external star power – be it from another code or the English Super League." They already tried that, they refused Falou to Parramatta and tried to direct him to the Titans... He said, "NO WAY I am not going to that "basket case of a club" If you are hinting at maybe from within the NRL? then that is a draft system. A Draft is illegal, as it is a restraint of trade. As a Souths fan, I really feel sorry for Chris Mcqueen, he is going from a Premiership winning Club to a WOODEN SPOON. Let us all hope that those Pathetic Tigers or Eels, beat you to it!

Those calling for the Titans to be culled have got no idea. Take a look at how the other 15 clubs in the NRL are performing in their KPI’s and you’d be showing the door to Newcastle, Canberra and over half the clubs in Sydney if the Titans were representative of a team that shouldn’t be participating in the NRL. Furthermore, the idea that the Gold Coast has ‘no sporting culture’ or its landscape not being conducive to successfully supporting professional sporting clubs shows a lack of insight. Through the Titan’s first 4 years of operation, the Titans put more runs on the board than three quarters of the clubs in the competition ever have. And most of those clubs have had the benefit of operating for decades. Of course the current situation is a shadow of those glory days (that aren’t that far in the rear view mirror), but it provided an insight into the potential this area has when the club can get it right. In terms of a player signing policy moving forward, it’s a bit difficult now with most of those names that were up for grabs having put pen to paper for 2016 and beyond. McQueen is a good signing for the club. If I were in charge of recruitment, I would have thrown the kitchen sink at Mbye to get him to the Coast. He’s a young Queenslander and a franchise player with a bright future that the Titans could have built a team around. He also plays an exciting brand of football which would help the cause of getting crowds back to Robina. I would have also made a play at Ballin when Manly released him. Another Queenslander and a cleanskin that would have been invaluable for the leadership team. Only in his early 30’s, he’s still got plenty of good footy left in him at dummy half. With those guys in the spine, not fudging up Roberts contract and another big name back and forward that was off contract this year like Jorge Taufua and Boyd Cordner, and the Titans would look like a pretty formidable outfit.

Considering the Titans have one of the best rectangle stadiums in the country all to themselves I don't think the NRL is going to give up on them. Why not keep the Titans and have 3 teams in SE QLD? makes more sense than 9-10 in Sydney. Central Coast may as well be Sydney.

+The Titans have a big junior base.The solution although not short term is to build on that base.When the bulk of your team is locally produced,the effect is to generate more local interest. I note clubs of the past who had champion local players such as the Dragons,Souths,Manly<Dogs and dare I say it the Sharks with ET,McGaw et al based their team around locals of quality.The people came in numbers. The Titans now have a decent training home base set up.They have a stadium as good as any rectangular 25,000 going around.A new management team in place , and the new Admin financial grants that ensure all clubs should at worst break even. The NRL from 2018 will be in control of scheduling. There should be no excuses for the Titans or for that matter any other NRL club ,not to be run professionally and act businesslike.

ferret, I won't defend the Sharks, they would have got the boot decades ago if it was up to me.

He will start ahead of Taylor. Has about 100 games under his belt and 4 years worth of first grade. No point in throwing a developing player like Taylor in the deep end and risk their confidence getting shattered. Taylor will be a great player and play this year, but he won't be a starter.

"The club has basically been a joke since day one." Oops, I thought you were talking about the Sharks. Almost 50 years and "0" premierships.

Even better the contract that was "signed" was for an upgrade of money. Funny to spit the dummy over the upgrade of money.

As harsh as it may seem the area has had a handful of chances to make it work and has failed dismally each time.Meanwhile NSW Central Coast hasn't been given a solitary chance despite similar junior base, active local comp and pretty good facilities. I'm not for a second even suggesting that the area gets a shot, clearly it's never going to be on the NRL's agenda but why the hell has this region been allowed such a long history of failure, ineptitude and lack of support if somewhere else that has never been given the chance gets ignored?

Yeah, I agree - Ferret nailed it above. "The Titans do have a strategy, it’s called investing in local juniors, something they have a lot of, and in King Henry they finally have a coach to develop young talent. Despite a huge nursery John Cartwright ignored local players and seemed fixated on signing washed-up Sydney players to come and retire on the coast." Couldn't agree more. Focus on developing the local lads. The Broncos don't stack their side full of Sydneysiders.

The Coast seems to have a large pacific islander and kiwi population, so i think the Titans have a far greater chance of being successful then the Suns do. They have some great school sides on the coast but the Titans have to find a way for that to translate into the NRL team. To me this is where the ARLC should be investing in the Titans.

I just don’t think there’s much of a sporting culture on the Gold Coast full stop. Players come to the club for a retirement package as you say, and most people who live there aren’t that interested in sport. Look at the Suns – far more money backing them, and they went and signed the best player in the AFL. Still ordinary, still not much support, and still no signs of winning anything, ever.

A strategy to save the Titans? This just misses the obvious question. Why bother saving the hapless Titans? When you can justify their continued existence then you can talk about saving them. The club has basically been a joke since day one. A stain on the NRL's name. Anybody who want's to be taken seriously cannot deny this. A couple of decent seasons (well woopdeedoo) surrounded by endless amounts of incompetence, mediocrity, corruption, stupidity, player scandals, financial shambles and disrepute is reason enough for the NRL to give these jokers the boot. I say the Titans should be removed and the NRL bring in a second Brisbane team or a Perth team ASAP. It's time for the NRL to stop propping up these Titanic failures and expand the game properly. Good riddance to the Titans.