Titans in early season stretch
THE Titans will open 2018 with a home clash against the Raiders next season before a month on the road that could decide their finals fate.
Gold Coast will play Canberra on Sunday, March 11 at 6.30pm to close an exciting opening round of NRL fixtures that includes former Brisbane half Ben Hunt leading St George Illawarra around the park against the Broncos.
Being able to host the opening match at Robina is a win for the Titans given Gold Coast Commonwealth Games officials had initially wanted to take control of Cbus Super Stadium in early March to ready the venue for competition.
Venue manager Stadiums Queensland is likely to need to start work on some of the infrastructure required to host rugby sevens for the Games before the clash but having the fixture on the Coast is good news for the Titans, who had initially faced the prospect of being homeless for the opening six rounds of the season.
The club will take “home” fixtures to Toowoomba and Gladstone – likely in Round 3 and Round 5 – and play another three fixtures away before returning to Robina in late April after the Games finish.
They need to become road warriors early or risk losing traction on the ladder early in the season.
The Titans worked closely with the State Government to ensure the matches remained in Queensland but still face a hefty travel schedule in the first month-and-a-half of the competition at a time when they will still be adjusting to
the style of a new coach. The candidate could be named as early as this week with the announcement expected to come before the NRL finalises the sale of the Titans at the end of this month.
While Gold Coast officials have stayed mum on the coaching role, it is understood Broncos assistant Jason Demetriou and former Souths coach Michael Maguire are in the mix, while ex-Blues mentor Laurie Daley has reportedly dropped out of the race.
Former Salford owner Marwan Koukash has emerged as a prospective buyer, with Fairfax reporting the British billionaire has engaged in the bidding process for the club.
Koukash has long been rumoured to have an interest in the club, with the Bulletin reporting in 2015 his desire to buy an NRL club and willingness to transform the struggling Titans.
While the consortium led by former director Darryl Kelly and chair Rebecca Frizelle – who have stood down from their positions during to the bid process – remains favourite, the North Sydney Bears and Brisbane Bombers are also engaged in due diligence ahead of making formal offers to the NRL for the club.