TIDE TURNS FOR TITANS
THE roar is back to Robina and there seems to be a good buzz about the Titans.
The crowd on Saturday for Johnathan Thurston’s farewell game gave fans a taste of what Cbus Super Stadium can be like when it is near to capacity.
Now there is a thirst for more. Capacity at the Robina ground is 27,400 and 26,681 fans turned up to the sell-out final home game against the Cowboys.
On the way to the game, a train driver signalled full carriages as he passed through Helensvale station without stopping just after 4pm, 90 minutes before kick-off. Fans had packed the platform.
Within 10 minutes, more trains arrived and stopped. Light rail trams were dropping off families even more frequently. The public transport system kicked goals.
So too did the stadium and when both the northern and southern stands behind the try lines are full, Cbus becomes a miniSuncorp Stadium. It becomes a cauldron.
The Titans’ foundation football manager Scott Sattler is no stranger to the roar of Robina, remembering the big crowds in the first three years of the club.
He knows the club’s history, the fallout with tradies after the Centre of Excellence building collapse, but has been around long enough at footy clubs to also know wounds eventually heal.
“It’s taken a long time for the Gold Coast Titans to get credibility back in the local community, and that includes the Northern Rivers (of NSW) and South East Queensland,” Sattler said. “A lot of people were hurt. They stayed away deliberately. That can only happen for so long.”
Sattler believes part of the success of the Titans is creating a side where more than 50 per cent of the team started their footy careers as juniors here.
Start producing genuine Gold Coast stars such as AJ Brimson and Mo Fotuaika, bring back experienced NRL players such as Michael Gordon, Jarrod Wallace and Jai Arrow, and your team gains momentum off the park.
The corporate boxes were full on Saturday. Members will be quick to sign off for season 2019 when they get their membership offers before Christmas. On Facebook, they are already listing the players they are looking forward to watching next year.
This sort of chatter is a long way from the talk at other clubs down the ladder, but the Titans must not lose their opportunity for a second chance. They must secure a spot in the top eight next year. They can then lay claim to being the hottest ticket on Saturday night on the Glitter Strip.