Demetriou deal could bring valuable assets
JASON Demetriou will bring a title-winning entourage with him to the Gold Coast should the Broncos assistant gain the nod as the Titans head coach.
The 41-year-old has rocketed into contention for the vacant role, with Demetriou initially sounded out by the Titans just days after Neil Henry was sacked.
While tight-lipped about his prospects, it’s understood Demetriou’s recent presentation to the four-person panel deciding the Titans post included a pledge to bring with him a support staff littered with success.
That will be music to the hears of a club that does not possess the pulling power or cashflow of rivals.
En route to his role as Wayne Bennett’s right-hand man, Demetriou worked as assistant at the Cowboys and Dragons, strong ties which could bring goods to the Coast.
Current Titans assistant Craig Hodges, who filled in alongside off-contract Terry Matterson as interim boss in the wake of Henry’s departure, has a deal for 2018.
Yet a raft of other openings in the support staff could be immediately filled should Demetriou get the nod.
While the former Super League star doesn’t own the big name of rivals, it’s understood he’s very much in the running for the Titans job.
Demetriou’s reputation among former colleagues led to Cowboys premiership-winner Ben Hannant recently telling the Bulletin that the Sydney product would get his vote as Titans boss.
Meanwhile, one of the chief architects behind the Cowboys’ push for an NRL miracle is out of Titans calculations.
Among the lower-profile candidates thought to be in the running to succeed Henry was North Queensland assistant Todd Payten, although it’s understood the highly rated 38-year-old – also touted for the Bulldogs position – is not in the mix.
A decision on a preferred candidate is likely to be tabled at an October 6 board meeting.
“(We are) still working to the timetable to try to get an outcome in the early part of October,” Gold Coast chief executive Graham Annesley said.
“It depends whether we need to get people back for second interviews or not but we should be able to wrap the first round of interviews up in the next few days.
“We still want to get someone in place as quickly as possible but we need to make sure that it is the right person.”