Titans hail axed Henry

THE Titans may have given Neil Henry the chop but the one-time coach is being hailed as the mastermind behind the club’s 2018 recruitment drive.

In a twist, Henry’s policy of buying local – one now being implemented by his successor, Garth Brennan – is raising hopes of an improved 2018.

Titans boss Graham Annesley praised Henry for starting the recruitment theme that has proven popular with fans.

Local products including Michael Gordon, Will Matthews, Brenko Lee, Brendan Elliot and Jai Whitbread have all landed on the Gold Coast already in pre-season.

AXED coach Neil Henry has emerged as the surprise figure credited with masterminding the Gold Coast’s homegrown NRL recruitment drive.

Renowned for his list management abilities, Henry brought a number of footballers raised on the Coast or Northern Rivers back to the Titans in his three-year tenure including Ryan Simpkins, Tyrone Roberts, Jarrod Wallace, Keegan Hipgrave and Jai Arrow.

He and the club are understood to be on less than friendly terms after his controversial sacking in August amid a feud with then marquee player Jarryd Hayne.

But Titans boss Graham Annesley praised Henry for starting the recruitment theme that has proved popular with local fans.

Henry’s successor Garth Brennan has since lured local products including Michael Gordon, Will Matthews, Brenko Lee, Brendan Elliot and Jai Whitbread.

“To be fair to Neil Henry, that was a focus for him,” Annesley told the Bulletin.

“We have over 6000 local juniors in our catchment area and that’s right up there just behind Parramatta and Penrith as the biggest junior nurseries.

“There’s Gold Coast players playing right through the competition so making sure that we develop our own – you can’t keep them all – but hopefully identify and keep the best ones and in some cases bring players back.

“It’s good for the community, it’s good for the club, it’s good for the club culture.

“It started under Neil and Garth is very much of the same kind of thinking so he definitely has continued that – in fact probably accelerated it.”

Annesley said it’s a drive he wants to continue as far as possible in to the future.

“I don’t think you will ever have a team that runs out where your whole starting 17 is local juniors but it would be a good thing if we got to that,” Annesley said.

The strategy certainly sat well with their most recent recruit, Brenko Lee.

“Garth said he wanted to bring back a lot of southeast Queensland kids and start recruiting like that,” Lee said.

“What he explained to me really opened my eyes and really showed me that the club is going in the right direction.”

Lee officially joined the Titans on Thursday.