Mal’s arrival a win for all

Local game hoping to reap benefits

GRASSROOTS rugby league on the Gold Coast is hopeful of benefiting from national coach Mal Meninga’s appointment as the Titans’ head of performance and culture.

Rugby League Gold Coast manager Scott Dunshea, who oversees junior and senior footy at a local level, admitted he had not seen the Meninga news coming but is excited by the flow-on effects it will bring.

“Obviously it’s a big plus for the Titans and ultimately it will be a big plus for rugby league on the Gold Coast for sure,” Mr Dunshea said.

“Having someone of his presence in and around the area will be good for all parties.”

While being a wide-ranging role encompassing all aspects of the Titans business, one of the areas that has been mentioned as a focus point for Meninga is being the face of the club out in the community.

Mr Dunshea is eager to see how his presence can be utilised in the RLGC scene.

“We had a meeting with the Titans last Monday, with the chairman Dennis Watt, Phil Moss, Anthony Laffranchi and Darren Robb,” he said. “We had very positive conversations about where the Titans are heading and their new development pathway structure.

“Obviously they knew that this news was afoot but Mal will fit perfectly into that structure, I have no doubt, which will be a lot more engaging for our clubs and a lot more opportunity for our players to stay locally and play with the Titans.”

The Titans in recent years had made a point of recruiting homegrown talent to give the team an increased sense of Gold Coast identity – that movement continued yesterday with Ballina and Lennox Head junior Brian Kelly signing a three-year deal to join from Manly.

“It’s just a matter now of them working hard to retain those kids and keep them here – they don’t go somewhere else and then bring them back,” Mr Dunshea said. Yesterday’s Bulletin