Titans boss on the prowl
Recruitment expert a priority, says new chairman
THE Gold Coast Titans have launched a game-wide search for a recruitment and list manager as a No.1 priority under new executive chairman Dennis Watt.
The club has been revamped in the off-season with Garth Brennan appointed as coach and bringing a fresh set of staff with him, and a consortium headed by Rebecca Frizelle and Darryl Kelly buying the licence from the NRL.
Watt was subsequently ap- pointed as chairman, directly following his four-year tenure in the corresponding position up the road at the Brisbane Broncos.
The chief operating officer role vacated by Tony Mestrov in October is unlikely to be filled, with the focus instead on acquiring a roster-specific manager, which has previously been covered by the likes of Jamie Mathiou and David Hamilton.
Watt said such a position was crucial to the Titans keeping pace with the best in the business, as well as taking pressure off Brennan and allowing him to focus on coaching.
“He has got a massive job in itself and he needs the very best people around him,” he said. “It (recruitment and list managing) is very much a specialised skill and very, very time consuming work assessing talent and assessing opportunities in the market.
“Experience is vital … essentially it’s a full-time focus in terms of where you are at, where you want to go, what’s coming through and what’s available in the market.”
Gold Coast are well-placed to swoop on any player movement, given the significant salary cap war chest they possess following Jarryd Hayne’s departure in November.
“Some clubs had over-budgeted in terms of where the salary cap would actually land so that freed up some players that otherwise probably might not have been,” Watt said.
“There is probably still some stresses and strains in the system, which may mean further player movement. So the Titans, with some salary cap space left, just need to be alert.”
Watt added the club will be upping its grassroots presence on the Gold Coast, working with local clubs and schools to ensure “young players grow up with the dream of playing for the Titans”.