If rats desert a sinking ship, I guess the opposite situation would be to see some form of highly noble creature boarding said doomed vessel.
In the case of the Gold Coast, it appears the most majestic cane toad of them all – one Malcolm Norman Meninga – has decided to swim out to climb onboard the SS Titan.
No rats (or filth) to see here!
In the madness of the ‘worst kept secrets’ coaching merry-go-round that we bore witness to this past month, the Titans managed the one surprising reveal of the NRL offseason: that the legendary Queensland mentor would be joining the club.
Mal’s job as Kangaroos coach, as well as his forgettable time holding a clipboard at the Raiders, mean that Garth Brennan wouldn’t feel his job is threatened, with Meninga instead being appointed the club’s head of performance and culture.
At any other club in the league, most of us would have suggested the board were feeding the chickens with that particular title. But at the Titans? Well, performance and culture are the two aspects of the league’s newest club that are seemingly at a never-ending war.
Because the Titans have never really managed to work out what their joint’s all about, which is due in no small part to the city the club calls home.
Heralded as Australia’s ‘Glitter Strip’, the Gold Coast is home of gym muscles, silicon-stacked bras, and glistening high-rise buildings as far as the eye can see.
And there’s nothing wrong with that – in fact, it’s the basis of the city’s tourist trade: beautiful beaches, beautiful buildings, beautiful bodies. Chuck in a place called Surfer’s Paradise at the heart of it all, and is it any wonder the city is a hub for local and international visitors?
Problem is, rugby league is ugly.
Yes, yes beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this is a game rife with busted noses, cauliflower ears and missing teeth – not the kind of looks you’re going to see on the catwalks of Milan.
The Titans are in trouble. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Now, I’m not saying that the Titans have struggled during their relatively short tenure because the blokes on their roster weren’t attractive enough.
Rather, it’s a question of style or substance; whether you can ever truly mix glitz with grit.
Again, that’s not a slight on the players, many of whom deservedly feature in representative sides. And the team has had relative success, with three finals appearances in the last decade – including top-four finishes in 2009-10 and unexpectedly making the eight in 2016.
But rather than back the existing systems that reaped said dividends, management then seem to look for something completely over-the-top to take that next step, and everything blows up.
In 2011, Titans management were so busy overseeing the building of a five-storey, multimillion-dollar centre of excellence that they forgot to tell the team to win any games.
Thus, the Titans cut the ribbon for their state-of-the-art centre not with scissors, but a wooden spoon.
Still, it was a pretty impressive building… So impressive, in fact, that they couldn’t actually afford to pay for it and the club found itself millions of dollars in debt, leading to rumblings the Titans were set to go under.
In the end, the NRL came to the rescue, and the centre of excellence, from which decades of success were supposed to stem, was sold less than two years after it was open – the club then embarrassingly renting out two of the five floors of the building that had nearly destroyed them.
Meanwhile, John Cartwright did an admirable job holding things together on the field, but after four seasons without finals footy, the inaugural coach was shown the door in favour of Neil Henry.
Henry then created a hard-nosed squad who scrapped for the full 80 and surprised plenty of people by making the finals in 2016.
So what did management do? They blew a reported $1.2 million recruiting Jarryd Hayne, who was still riding high on admiration after his far-more-successful-than-logic-ever-suggested-it-could-be time in the NFL.
Of course, we all know what happened there – the Plane failed to take off, with strong mail suggesting he failed to buy-in to the standards set by both the coach and leadership group.
The Hayne Plane and ‘King’ Henry fell out in spectacular fashion, the board sided with the million-dollar man and sacked their coach, and by the end of 2017 both of them had left the Coast.
Jarryd Hayne. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
So, to recap:
In 2011, things are building in a respectable, sustainable fashion… So the club blows all its money (and a stack they didn’t even have) on facilities they didn’t really need.
In 2017, things are building in a respectable, sustainable fashion… So the club blows a huge chunk of its salary cap on a player who they definitely didn’t need.
It boils down to a battle between performance and culture. When there’s been consistent culture – generally that of grit over glitz – performance has followed. Yet when top brass try to re-define the culture as being all about something shiny and exciting, everything turns to shit.
That’s the issue Mal faces at Robina. While he’s doubtlessly been hired to teach the players about the culture of a winning team, he also needs to be strong enough to tell management some home truths about the relationship between the words that define his new role.
Scott
Guest
Jamal is probably the worst recruit they've had though Cartwright may over take him. Dave Taylor had one good game where I think he scored 3 tries and Hayne kicked a field goal against Wests Tigers so they are above Idris. Keebra have moved onto Canterbury but it's less formal than the Wests Tigers arrangement in that they don't get a heap of kiwis each year
Harold
Guest
Don't forget the Failed Jamal Idris experiment that was going to change everything. Is Keebra park High still a feeder club for the Tigers
Rellum
Roar Guru
The Goldy is not about glamour or tinsel, that is Sydney's self delusion. It is more a laid back beach holiday destination. It is a beach orientated place so league is popular their with the locals but the beach is king. The Titans have no issues with their identity. They just need to win and all the question marks from down south will stop.
Scott
Guest
Don't forget also has no idea
Kangas
Roar Rookie
It is lazy commentary and I agree with everything else you said .
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Another story about Gold Coast the city culture issues from someone who doesn’t live there . Lazy stereotypes and no facts .
Scott
Guest
Majority of your comments are correct in my view except the first, which is partially correct. I've lived here 40 plus years so most people would call me a local though some don't. The Titans are now getting the "kids" of people who moved here from Sydney which realistically should be the target market - if someone has supported St George for 40 years they won't swap if they move towns but their kids will. The stadium is great and complaints about it are just petty but the public transport does get more of a mention that it should. The core businesses on the Gold Coast remain small businesses and therefore the lack of a corporate buck combined with poor results are the only things holding them back in my view. As to image and branding, most true locals don't care what people from elsewhere think because we've heard it all before
Scott
Guest
I agree with Emcie however he's being too nice to the author. There are plenty of puffed up lips in Sydney and to be honest plenty of over paid footballers but that does not define a city. The Centre of Excellence was a classic pre GFC transaction with the fallout being much more severe than most people realised given the poor manner in which its failure was handled by the clubs ex owner. In relation to Hayne the less said the better but if it worked it was a club defining transaction. A good relationship exists with Palm Beach High and the one with Keebra is apparently building which must be a positive and if they start winning maybe people like the author can focus on things like Ryan James and other local players who are more worthy of words than this rubbish
Tim Matchett
Guest
Great article written about the Titans and looking forward to following them over the next couple of years if they continue to recruit local talent that want to stay and work here. The Suns could also learn from what Neil Henry started at the Titans.
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
The one thing that is well and truly oversold, and is a massive cliché, is that the Gold Coast is anymore glamourous than Sydney or Melbourne. Very, very clever marketing to keep trotting out the “Glitter Strip” moniker in reference to Surfers Paradise when there really is nothing glittery or glamourous about the place. Gold Coast locals spend virtually no time in or around Surfers Paradise and it is in no way reflective of the broader Gold Coast. On to the Titans – the squad mix they have this year, along with a couple of guys who have so much potential to become superstars, should excite this town and finals should absolutely be the aim in 2019. For those who don’t know or haven’t seen any images online, the Titans train in Parkwood at a state-of-the-art facility developed in conjunction with Parkwood International Golf Club which also has a full suite of medical practices at the location. It is a super set up and the equal of any other Club in the NRL, which should help with the recruitment/retention of players as well as training and development standards. The next part of their evolution is finding those Queensland kids to become their next superstars. It is all in front of them for a long presence on the Gold Coast.
Jacqueo
Roar Rookie
Finals football in 2019 is an absolute must.No excuses anymore,it is Now or Never.Stability is the Key within any organisation,marriage,business and life in general.The key here is that many of the players on the roster are locals which is an absolute must,pride and passion and playing for your region is paramount.More engagement within the community is needed for every Local to be Proud of OUR TEAM!!!!!
ferret
Guest
It's lazy commentary to put the Titans woes down to the "glitz" factor. Many of the 590,000 people living on the coast and the 320,000 in the Logan region, not to mention northern NSW, are hard core rugby league supporters. Just give them a reason to come and Mal might just that. For mine one of the main reasons for the Titans lack of success was Cartwright's insistence on signing old Sydney players and sticking with players well past their prime (Bull Bailey and Presto were great players but Carty stuck with them several seasons too long). Neil Henry, and now Brennan, have adopted a program of developing local talent and this is going to be a long term winner. Having Mal to encourage local kids to stay at the Titans will be a big plus. Just to have an immortal at the club will be a huge draw card. And for the sake of balance if we're talking about clubs with a lack of culture and grit how about we start off with a discussion of Paramatta? Given the area of Sydney and the number of local juniors their lack of results is embarrassing. And they've been around for 70 years.
Succhi
Roar Rookie
Gold Coast, regardless of which brand, is a long term investment - something that the region has always struggled with. I lived there for 15 years, and my insights are: * has always had a very transient population. The Gold Coast team tends to be the second team of the people who migrate there from other states * have always purchased ‘big name’ players who are past their prime-trying to sell merchandise and fill seats rather than win games * very little corporate sponsorship opportunities - I think the biggest employer in the region is the local council * nice stadium but no parking- Gold Coast people don’t do public transport * Gold Coast as a region has an overall image and brand problem Apologies if I have upset any Titans supporters- things may have changed since I moved on a few years ago.
Nat
Roar Guru
I'm far from a Hayne fan, I agree with what you're saying. I'm just saying this is easy to write in hindsight. He was always inconsistent, arguably to the point of lazy, but very few players could do what he could when he decided too. In 2016 the Titans were traveling well and inclusion of an X Factor like Hayne had every opportunity to go next level. With hindsight, it didn't pan out that way but as an opportunity at the time, many teams would've taken it I believe.
Randy
Roar Rookie
Hopefully Mal instils some pride and accountability into the club. They have a real good opportunity to make the top 4 over the next few seasons as long as Taylor and Brimson can develop. Their pack is strong and if Peachy sticks around they are an exciting and dangerous side.
Larry1950
Guest
Nat, I reckon as a Hayne booster you'd have to agree that his actual output and impact on the premiership, origin & international footy would have to limited to around 10% of his career games. His time at the Titans was an unmitigated disaster. On balance, he's really only put in about 2 seasons of effective footy across his career & sceptics like me reckon the negative impact on team mates generally outweighs the positives, The blow up with Henry being an example. Put in perspective, his dream of an NFL career has virtually destroyed his earning power in either rugby code despite any spin about success in that trial period. I reckon the dragons have been saved from themselves by the recent publicity of his latest (unproven) issue, ensuring they don't ditch a quality rookie in Dufty for the dream of the odd miracle Hayne play. I just hope the Titans can put their heads down and play some hard footy.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
It will make a lot of difference if a few players at the club develop into club legends and give the place a bit of identity. I go a bit blank when the Titans are mentioned but as soon as you say the Knights for example a few players enter the mind straight away and it gives the supporters a bit of history especially when things go a bit wobbly.
Paul
Roar Guru
Joe, I wonder if the issue is more about the Board and some of the decisions it's made, rather than an issue about performance and culture. It seems from your writing that every time the GC have looked like a team going places, they've been derailed by a Board decision coming back to bite them. If you look at the players, coaches and facilities they've had, on paper they should have done way better than a few finals appearances. I'd suggest Big Mal's first task is to help work out performance objectives with the Board and instill his take on the sort of culture required to succeed in the NRL. They have to be the drivers of any change and if they're onside, Mal's job will be pretty easy I think. The players and the GC fans really want this team to succeed.
peeeko
Roar Guru
agree, and there is nothing fancy about Surfers either. plenty of cheap restaurants and run down stores. its not fancy at all
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
The Titans were my second team before Hayne arrived. They had ticker and resolve in spades and often put in performances you didn't think they were capable of under Neil Henry. But that evaporated very quickly as the Hayne circus dragged the team down to a cesspool of mediocrity. Its ironic that under Henry the Titans were the complete antithesis of what the Gold Coast represents - there was no glamour or tinsel - just a bunch of non name blokes prepared to roll up their sleeves and work for each other. As soon as Hayne was recruited I knew the Titans would suffer as it sent the wrong signal in terms of celebrating the individual above the team and eventually the coach. Will be really interesting to see how they go this season. They seem to have recruited pretty well including big Mal who should help keep their heads screwed on. I can see them competing strongly for a spot in the 8.