Moves to lasso Titans’ Elgey
THE Titans are facing a battle to retain Kane Elgey, with the Cowboys eyeing the youngster as a playmaking successor to Johnathan Thurston.
North Queensland coach Paul Green yesterday revealed Elgey was among a number of options in his succession plan to replace Thurston.
The Cowboys will get a first-hand glimpse of Elgey when the former Australian Schoolboys star confronts Thurston tomorrow night at Cbus Super Stadium.
Four-time Dally M winner Thurston has not ruled out extending his career until 2019 but the Cowboys are bracing for Thurston to retire at the end of next season.
That is when Elgey comes off contract at the Titans, giving the Cowboys the opportunity to make a formal play for the Gold Coast junior.
Green is weighing up a number of playmaking permutations, including promoting young talent from within the club, and said he was monitoring Elgey’s progress.
“JT is getting closer to the end,” Green said.
“We need to have a serious look at whether we look to promote from within or whether we go to the market to buy someone.
“If you look at the market, Kane Elgey is off contract at the same time (as Thurston’s planned retirement), so that would work in well.
“Elgey is a guy we would have a look at. He will be one of several young halves we could look at, I suppose.
“He has a left-foot kick, which is good, but we have Lachlan Coote who can play that role for us already.
“If we promote from within, we’re not going to find a guy that is going to fill JT’s boots straight away.”
Elgey, 23, has a decade of NRL in front of him and could forge a handy scrumbase alliance with Cowboys pivot Michael Morgan, who plays on the right side.
The Titans must also stave off a poaching raid from the Broncos for halfback Ashley Taylor but recruitment chief Tony Mestrov was confident the club could retain Elgey.
“The Thurston retirement issue is something we are aware of and we’re looking to tie up both Kane and Ash sooner rather than later,” Mestrov said. “We don’t want to let either of them go to the market if we can avoid it.
“I have no doubt Kane will develop into a blue chip halfback and because of that, we wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Cowboys looked at him to replace Thurston.”