Hailing an expansion milestone

THE Gold Coast Titans’ 10year anniversary charity ball on Saturday night will mark a significant milestone in the mission to make rugby league a truly national sport.

Because as Titans chief executive Graham Annesley puts it, if NRL can’t thrive on the Gold Coast, it won’t work in any other expansion market.

It’s no secret the 13-man code has had a chequered past on the Gold Coast. Four guises – the Giants, Seagulls, Gladiators and Chargers – came and went within 11 years.

Nine years later the Titans were introduced and, despite some rocky periods, have by far proven to be the best incarnation yet.

Annesley said making it to their 10-year celebration was “very significant”.

“It’s probably the best shot league has at sustaining a team on the Gold Coast,” he said.

“It’s been a tough market. Our friends at the AFL have found it has been a tough market as well but it’s rugby league heartland.

“If we can’t make it work here on the Gold Coast, I don’t know where else we are going to start a National Rugby League team because this is a big economy, it is a big growth area and it’s right on the border of the two most populous rugby league states.”

But rather than getting carried away with their first decade, Annesley’s looking ahead.

“There are other clubs that have celebrated in the not too distant past team of the century … we’d like to think over the decades ahead this club will build a tradition like those clubs and like the game itself,” he said.

The charity ball at Royal Pines will raise funds for White Ribbon’s efforts to prevent domestic violence. Auction items on the night will include a 12-day African safari holiday and an Audi Q2.

NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg is among those attending the sold-out event.