TITANS LOOK SOUTH FOR NEW TALENT
THE Titans insist they are not surrendering southeast Queensland to the Broncos after launching a poaching raid on the best junior talent in northern NSW.
The Titans yesterday signed a four-year agreement with the NSW Country Rugby League to stretch the club’s official catchment area south to Coffs Harbour.
The deal will see representative teams in the area sport Titans colours and the Gold Coast NRL club increase its recruitment and development programs in the region.
The Titans have played second fiddle to the cashed-up Broncos in the pursuit of emerging Queensland talent since the Gold Coast club entered the NRL in 2007.
The likes of Broncos young guns Payne Haas and David Fifita were nurtured in the area while the Titans have signed Gold Coast products Jarrod Wallace, Jai Arrow and Keegan Hipgrave from Brisbane in recent years.
The Broncos have the biggest development and recruitment program of the three Queensland NRL clubs but Titans CEO Graham Annesley insisted the Gold Coast was not surrendering the region to Brisbane.
“Absolutely not, our area extends right across southeast Queensland and also into northern NSW,” he said.
“When you look at the number of players that play on the Gold Coast and northern NSW, it’s right up there with the biggest clubs in Sydney like Parramatta and Penrith.”
The Titans already have a number of northern NSW products on their books including Michael Gordon, Will Matthews, Anthony Don and captain Ryan James.
Don, a late bloomer who did not make his NRL debut until 25, is now on the verge of becoming the Titans’ all-time leading tryscorer.
Don is equal with David Mead on 67 tries and will have an opportunity to go past him when the Titans host Melbourne at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday.
– Travis Meyn