Hasler sidesteps Titans
THE curtain comes down on a glorious rugby league career today with Cleve Brown working his final game with the Titans, a decade on from the inception of the club.
Brown has been involved in rugby league for more than 50 years, first as a player before linking with Penrith, the Burleigh Bears, and then the Titans, to help advance the game on the Coast.
The 79-year-old recently had surgery on his eyes and
Despite that, the Canterbury coach continues to be linked to the Titans job, with rumours swirling about his future at Belmore.
Daley suddenly entered calculations yesterday after he was axed as Origin coach by the NSW Rugby League.
His candidature would likely pit him into another headto-head battle against Kevin Walters, who is still considered the frontrunner for the job despite the Maroons mentor also doing his best to water down can no longer drive, with the trip to training involving catching a bus and a train to Robina.
“It’s just starting to get too much. But I love it,” he said.
“I’ve enjoyed every day I’ve been with them.”
A former Penrith resident, Brown played against John Cartwright’s father back in the day and linked with the Panthers as a gear steward and general helping hand around the club. speculation he is the man for the job.
“I haven’t had any talks whatsoever with the Titans about the possibility of me going there and coaching – that’s just non-existent,” Walters said on Fox League’s Queenslanders Only program on Wednesday night.
“If and when I do make that step into the NRL, it’s got to be a job that suits me and fits the type of coach that I am. Is that the Titans? I don’t know.”
Hasler’s name has been
“I started with Carty because I’ve known Carty since he was a little boy,” Brown said. “I had 10 years with Penrith, including when we won the first grand final (1991) and then I came up to the Coast and I had 10 years with Burleigh Bears and we won the Cup once and then I was going to give it away.
“But then Carty rang and asked if I’d go with him (to the Titans), so I went with him.” thrown into the mix, along with former Manly coach Geoff Toovey, who is now coaching Bradford in England.
But the Dogs mentor quickly knocked talk of a Titans switch on the head yesterday.
“I have a two-year contract with Canterbury,” he said. “It’s all speculation.” Titans assistant Craig Hodges is likely to put his hand up though despite also hosing down speculation yesterday.
Hodges, who will share coaching duties with fellow
Brown recalls the Titans first match at Carrara at 2007 as “fantastic”.
His favourite moment though, came this year.
“When we beat the Storm this year, that was a great moment,” Brown said.
The Titans will farewell several departing players at their final home game of the season today, including Leivaha Pulu, Daniel Vidot, Eddy Pettybourne and Ryan Simpkins. Titans assistant Terry Matterson for the final two games of the season after Neil Henry’s sacking, said he holds ambitions to become an NRL head coach but he had not yet decided whether to put his hand up for the Gold Coast job.
“We haven’t even got that far,” Hodges said when asked whether he would put his hand up for the top job.
“To be honest, with everything that’s gone on in the last few weeks and ... the changes that are happening, our focus has just been on the next training session, the next training session.
“Eventually, one day I’d like to be, love to be (a head coach).
“I think that’s what most people aspire to in whatever industry they’re in, they aspire to reach the top of their industry.
“But for us, a really strong performance from the playing group (today) sends a message out to everybody that we’re back, we’re into the football and we’ll do our job.”