Last chance for Titans to get it going

THE Titans’ new owners insist the club is destined for success as the NRL warned there will be no more handouts to save rugby league on the Gold Coast.

Former owner Darryl Kelly and wife Jo with ex-chairwoman Rebecca Frizelle and husband Brett yesterday officially assumed ownership of the Titans.

The handover brought an end to the NRL’s near threeyear tenure in control of the turbulent outfit. In February 2015, the club’s previous owners, including founder Michael Searle, said they were no longer prepared to bankroll the club, so the NRL stepped in.

Kelly and Frizelle have spent 18 months formulating a takeover bid, convincing the NRL to spurn a $25 million offer from Brisbane-based fund manager Stuart McAuliffe.

Kelly’s association with the Titans began in 2012 when he helped rescue the club from collapsing under $25 million in debt, only to lose his $5 million investment three years later.

Frizelle has been chairwoman since 2014, guiding the club’s resurgence under the NRL’s ownership in conjunction with chief executive Graham Annesley.

The Titans next week plan to announce they have secured a new major sponsor and Frizelle said the future was bright.

“Every club is going to go through its ups and downs,” she said. “I would argue whether it was one of our worst seasons.

“We are all committed to ensuring the club’s success. We’re expecting highs and lows, we’ve certainly seen our fair share of those.’’