DIVE IN TITANS BRAND LEAVES PLAYERS SORRY
EMBARRASSED Titans players say they understand the need to preserve the club’s appeal to prospective buyers as the NRL prepares to sell the Gold Coast licence.
The Titans’ 54-0 loss to the Broncos on Saturday caused an emotional reaction from prospective buyer and former white knight Darryl Kelly, who declared he could pull the plug on plans to invest in the club again following their insipid performances over the past fortnight.
Kelly rescinded his comments yesterday but his reaction reminded players their on-field performances affect not only their standing on the competition ladder but the reactions of fans, sponsors and prospective buyers.
Origin forward Jarrod Wallace said the players recognised the domino effect their showing could have.
“We’ve got to take responsibility as a playing group that we are letting our members down, the coaching staff, people that are working so hard behind the scenes to make us a better club, that when we do perform like that, it’s going to have those repercussions,” he said.
“We definitely want to be doing everything as a playing group to put that (best foot) forward so that we’ve got that appeal.
“We want the club to be doing well so that we’ve got the appeal for buyers to come and we want to be doing our best for Darryl and guys who want to buy the club and for people that are working behind the scenes to get the corporate sponsors for us and get all the little things that we don’t do ourselves. But obviously we make their job a lot harder when our performances on the field are the way they are.”
Wallace, who joined the Titans this season from the Broncos, said Gold Coast’s push the finals last season had helped generate massive goodwill and the players not only appreciated it but wanted those backers to stay on.
“I think the boys did such a great job last year getting into the finals which really helped roll some good sponsors going into this year.
“But obviously our performances haven’t been the best, or what we would have liked to help them.
“We’re obviously very sorry for the way we’ve played, not just to (Kelly) but fans – we had 21,000 there on the weekend.”
Wallace also backed embattled coach Neil Henry, saying talk he had lost the support of players was just speculation.
“We’re a club here that’s building something really good and at the end of the day we’re all behind him,” he said.
“There was always going to be (people that) try and get heads rolled but we’re just trying to stick together as a club.
“We’ve had a tough year with injuries and I think Neil has done a rally good job of keeping the boys together and finding a team every week.
“He’s got one of the toughest jobs in the game, just trying to get the right team every week, the right combinations and I think he’s done a good job.”
Fans have reacted with venom to the Titans’ performances over the past fortnight, flooding social media sites to note their disappointment.
But Wallace said the suggestion some Titans had not put in, or did not value the jersey, was wrong.
“I don’t think that’s case) at all,” he said.
“All the boys care, they all want to play well but sometimes in rugby league you think that you’re going to go out and play some good footy and ... unfortunately it just wasn’t our night.” (the