Return was best option at time
IT seemed like the perfect fit: A Gold Coast lad coming back to represent his hometown in the NRL but Ryan Simpkins has revealed how it was a link-up that never really was in his sights.
The utility forward spent three years at Penrith before chasing a fresh start when he fell down the pecking order at the Panthers.
In his last year there in 2014, Simpkins did not crack first grade, instead playing under current Titans coach Garth Brennan in a NSW Cup premiership-winning team and earning the second-tier competition’s lock of the year honours.
“I was sort of open to looking if any other clubs were interested and that it might be a good time to move elsewhere,” he said.
“I actually had no desire to come back to the Coast.
“Me and my wife (Shayne) were pretty happy down in Sydney.
“It probably would have been my preference to stay at a Sydney club but it just happened to be the best option at the time.
“In hindsight it was a good move because we had just had our first kid and both of our parents are up here so it has made things a lot easier in that way.”