This is the eleventh and final article in the series that pays tribute to the pioneers of each of the eleven surviving clubs who entered the league since I began following the game back in the 1960s. I’ll tell you a little about who they were and where they came from. Today, the latest team from the glitter strip, the Gold Coast Titans.
Despite the disappointing failure of the Gold Coast-Tweed Giants, Gold Coast Seagulls and Gold Coast Chargers clubs between 1988 to 1998, interest in a Gold Coast-based team persisted, and the QLD Government’s decision to invest in a 25,000-seat capacity at Robina was the tipping point that saw NRL supremo David Gallop announce that the Gold Coast would become the competition’s 16th team in 2007.
Here’s the team that took the field in the club’s very first game against the St George-Illawarra Dragons at Suncorp Stadium in front of over 42,000 fans on 18 March 2007, losing by just a penalty goal to go down by 20 points to 18.
Numbers in brackets are the total first-grade games the player played for the Titans.
Originally from Inverell in northern NSW, Campbell made his first-grade debut with the Gold Coast Chargers in 1998 before establishing himself as one of the best in the business during stints with both Cronulla and Penrith. He won the Dally M Medal with the Sharks in 2001 and a premiership with the Panthers in 2003, and was seen as a key signing by the Titans. He retired from the game at the end of 2011 and became the club’s first life member eight years later.
Paea came to the Gold Coast after three patchy years with the Roosters, was gone from the Titans first-grade team by round 7, and headed to rugby union.
A dual international with 11 tests for the Kangaroos and 45 tests for the Wallabies, Rogers was enticed back to rugby league by the Titans at the age of 31, and he had four solid seasons on the Gold Coast before injuries brought his career to an end in 2011. He was the club’s top point scorer and joint top try scorer in 2007.
Titans time-warp: Preston Campbell & Mat Rogers reminisce on 2010 finals @9NewsGoldCoast pic.twitter.com/pP6QRAFqBY
— Dominique Loudon (@DominiqueLoudon) September 7, 2016
Born in Melbourne, Webster had four seasons with Melbourne and played seven tests for New Zealand when he joined the Titans, but he left the club at the end of 2007 to ply his trade in the UK.
Walker had speed to burn and more talent than most, but his off-field antics and poor self-discipline ruined what could have been a stellar career. He came to the Titans after eight seasons in the NRL and impressed enough in the trials to see him in the team for their inaugural game, where he scored two tries, including the first ever Titan’s try, kicked three goals, and then suffered a hand injury that saw him miss most of the 2007 season. He left the Titans for the ESL at the end of 2009.
Better known as a hooker, Hilder started at five-eighth for the first ten rounds before moving to the bench. He joined the Titans from Cronulla, and moved on to the Knights at the end of 2007.
After stints with the Cowboys, Broncos and Tigers, Prince was the Titan’s marquee signing and co-captain. He captained the Tigers to their first premiership in 2005, picking up the Clive Churchill Medal along the way, and had represented both QLD and Australia. Prince left the Titans at the end of the 2012 season for one last year with the Broncos, and is arguably the Gold Coast’s greatest-ever player.
If Prince was the star marquee signing, then Bailey was the heart and soul that the new club needed to gain credibility. A powerful, non-stop performer, Bailey came to the club after 7 seasons with St George-Illawarra, together with 11 origins for NSW and a couple of test matches under his belt. He retired at the end of the 2014 season as a Titans club stalwart.
Originally from Ballina in NSW, Amos made his debut for North QLD in 2006 before joining the Titans. He eventually lost his number 9 jersey to Nathan Friend and returned to the Cowboys in 2009.
(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
Kahler had three years with the Raiders before he headed to warmer climes on the Gold Coast. He spent most of 2007 coming off the Titans bench and headed to France the following year.
Laffranchi came to the glitter strip after six years with the Wests Tigers, and was one of the Titans best performers during his time there, going on to represent both NSW and Australia. He left for St Helens in the ESL in 2012.
Gavin Cooper spent so long riding shotgun for Jonathan Thurston for the Cowboys that it’s easy to forget the 5 years he spent in the NRL beforehand. Two of those years were spent with the Titans, and after making a promising start he fell out of favour and was cut from the club before joining the Panthers in 2009.
A Penrith junior, Swain won a premiership with the Panthers in 2003 before heading to the Titans. He left the Gold Coast at the end of 2008 to try his luck in England.
Hailing from the Riverina, the big front rower made his first-grade debut with St George-Illawarra in 2003 and headed to the Gold Coast in 2007. He broke his leg in Round 5 of the 2007 season and initially struggled to return to first grade, but did so in 2009. He left the Titans for the Dragons in 2013 where injuries ended his career after just one more game in the top grade.
The Kiwi-born front rower had two years with Cronulla before joining the Titans. He left the club for England at the end of the 2008 season.
A hard-working second rower, Minichiello began his first-grade career with the Roosters in 2002, had four years with South Sydney, and then joined the Gold Coast in 2007 where he would go on to become one of the true stalwarts of the club. He left for England in 2015 to finish his career, and won two Challenge Cup finals with Hull F.C. along the way. He holds the record for most games played for the Titans.
Anthony Minichiello of Italy during the Rugby League World Cup 2013 (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
Friend was a very good hooker who found his way to the Gold Coast after struggling for time in the top grade during stints with both Brisbane and Melbourne. He soon established himself as the Titan’s first-choice hooker before missing most of the 2011 season due to injury. He headed to the Warriors for four years in 2012 and returned to the Titans for his final season in 2016.
After a stellar playing career, Cartwright spent time as an assistant coach with both the Panthers and the Roosters when he was signed to lead the Titans. He had some early success with finals finishes in both 2009 and 2010 before the team tumbled all the way to the bottom in 2011. He resigned as coach after round 22 of 2014.
The Titans used 29 players in first grade that year, and some of the better-known players from 2007 who were not in that inaugural team were:
Delaney was a big and powerful ball runner who was equally at home at either centre or in the back row. He made his first-grade debut for Parramatta in 2005, and had three good seasons with the Titans before heading to England in 2010, where he played over 200 games for Leeds.
A Queensland and Australian representative, the big forward came to the Gold Coast after seven years in the top grade, firstly with Brisbane and then with the Bradford Bulls, where he won a Super League title in 2005. He retired from the game in 2011.
A flashy winger, Petersen joined the Titans from Parramatta and was the equal top try scorer for the Gold Coast in their inaugural season. He was released by the Titans in May 2008 so that he could join Wakefield Trinity in England.
Predictably, the Titans struggled in their first season, but still managed a creditable 12th, finishing just a couple of points outside finals contention, and ahead of St George-Illawarra, Canberra, Newcastle and Penrith. They then went on a roller coaster ride over the next few years, making the finals in both 2009 and 2010 before picking up their first wooden spoon in 2011. Like every other Gold Coast venture the Titans nearly hit the wall in both 2012 and 2015, but were rescued by the NRL, and are here to this day.
Perhaps this is one Gold Coast club that will survive?
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