Titans to release Paasi
THE Titans are on the cusp of losing Agnatius Paasi with the barnstorming forward seeking a release to New Zealand on compassionate grounds.
Paasi is contracted to the Gold Coast until the end of 2018 but Titans insiders confirmed the club had been in talks with his manager about a release.
No deal has yet been struck but it is understood Paasi’s manager has been in talks with the Warriors, with the club set to offer a two-year deal for the 25-year-old.
The Titans are waiting to hear back from Paasi’s manager on whether the frontrower will head back to New Zealand.
“Nothing’s been formalised but discussions go on,” the Titans source said.
“We’re keen to keep him, we really don’t want to let him go. But when it comes down to (family), we try to work with players.”
The details over why Paasi is seeking a release are not known. But he and wife Chloe have spent large portions of time apart while she studied in New Zealand and then stayed there to be close to family while she was pregnant with the couple’s second and third sons.
The family was reunited full-time on the Gold Coast early this year.
New Zealand media are reporting the Warriors have tabled a two-year deal to Paasi’s manager, in a move that takes him a step closer to leaving the Titans.
Shoulder injuries have prevented Paasi from being at his best over the past two seasons after he showed his potential with a near player-of-the-tournament effort at the Auckland Nines last year.
A move to the Warriors would reunite Paasi with Leivaha Pulu, who signed a threeyear-deal this season to return to New Zealand from 2018.
Paasi made his NRL debut with the Warriors in 2014 but played just a single game with the club before linking with the Titans on a trial deal.
The former Keebra Park student slept on mates’ floors and caught buses to training before landing a deal, with his form later leading the Titans to extend and upgrade his contract. Despite his injury woes, Paasi managed 54 games in three seasons on the Coast, becoming a fan favourite.