STAYING PUT YOUNG TITAN SET TO LOCK IN NEW DEAL
Titans set to secure young gun despite interest from rivals
THE Titans are on the verge of securing young bruiser Keegan Hipgrave after coach Garth Brennan declared he was confident of retaining the man dubbed the next Greg Bird.
Hipgrave has emerged as the Gold Coast’s top signing priority following an explosive start to his NRL career.
The 21-year-old local product will play his 15th NRL game in Saturday’s trip to Newcastle when he returns from concussion.
Brennan believes the Titans will secure Hipgrave’s sought-after signature on a two-year extension.
Hipgrave has attracted interest from at least two Sydney clubs, but Brennan said he would be surprised if the Palm Beach Currumbin product jumped ship.
“I’m certainly confident Keegs will get done,” he said.
“I’ll be very surprised if he leaves the Gold Coast. He is very much a Gold Coast boy.
“We’ve offered him a twoyear deal and hopefully we can get that sorted in the near future. He is a good guy to have around and the players love playing with him. That is what I look at with players.
“If players love to play with you then you know you’re doing something right.”
Hipgrave will return for the Knights game with Origin prop Jai Arrow, who missed the loss to the Roosters with a corked knee.
Hipgrave has gained a reputation as an enforcer, much like former NSW Origin star Bird, after being charged three times in the early stages of his career, including being suspended on debut.
But Brennan said his aggressive attitude was an Xfactor for the Titans if he could control it.
“I love him, I just hope his body holds out,” he said.
“He uses his whole body. He doesn’t hold anything back.
“I love his attitude and mindset. He’s just got to learn how to control that a little bit.
“He brings something we don’t have in our football team. He brings an X-factor.
“Everything is 100 miles an hour with him and he is a great guy off the field.”
The Titans must win their remaining seven matches by healthy margins to qualify for the finals, but will relish the return of Arrow after his maiden Origin campaign.
“He was very close to playing on Sunday,” Brennan said. “He was talking about doing a fitness test on the Sunday but I made the decision that I wasn’t going to play him.”