Compo bid cools Titans on Copley

THE Titans have torpedoed plans to sign Dale Copley after rejecting a $200,000 compensation package for the former Broncos centre.

Gold Coast coach Neil Henry is on the hunt for an outside back and Copley was on the Titans’ radar after he was shopped around by the Sydney Roosters.

Long regarded as a future Queensland Origin player, the 25-year-old played only 14 games last season in a Roosters backline featuring Blake Ferguson, Latrell Mitchell and Shaun Kenny-Dowall.

The Titans were interested in Copley over summer after offloading Josh Hoffman to Parramatta and had discussed some financial terms with the Roosters.

With the Roosters seeking a $200,000-plus subsidy to release Copley, who is off contract at the end of next season, the Titans have opted against bringing the Ingham product home to Queensland.

That leaves Copley, who has played 86 games in seven injury-riddled years, in limbo with the Roosters set to deploy the brilliant Mitchell at left centre this season.

Titans recruitment chief Tony Mestrov said the club would continue their search for a three-quarter and he also hoped to snare former South Sydney and Penrith forward Chris Grevsmuhl.

“We’ve still got some room in our salary cap for a couple of signings,” he said. “There is some interest in Chris but things are up in the air until his situation is sorted out with the NRL integrity unit.”

Meanwhile Titans hooker Nathan Peats has avoided season-ending surgery but is still set to miss up to eight weeks following scans on his shoulder after suffering a dislocation in last Sunday’s trial loss to the Warriors.