Meninga to answer SOS
Big Mal leads review into operations
BESIEGED Titans coach Garth Brennan is fighting for his job after the Gold Coast board yesterday ordered a full investigation into the club’s operations.
Titans culture and performance boss Mal Meninga will step up as the Mr Fixit, tasked with presiding over a wideranging probe in the wake of the Titans’ worst start to a season in their 12-year history.
It follows yesterday’s report in which Titans co-owner Darryl Kelly took aim at the football department, ordering coach Brennan and the playing squad to “do their jobs”.
The board’s instruction came just 24 hours before the Titans, equal last with a 2-8 record, arrived in Sydney for tonight’s clash against Manly at Lottoland Stadium.
Meninga was hired by the Titans in November to improve the club’s culture and now the Australian Test coach has a mandate to probe every facet of the Gold Coast’s operations following another season of underachievement.
The Titans were tipped to be top-four contenders this season but are mired in the bottom four and in danger of finishing with the dreaded wooden spoon.
Brennan is now firmly in the firing line. Appointed just 18 months ago, Brennan was originally contracted until the end of this season, but given a one-year extension over summer, securing him until the end of 2020.
But unless he delivers results in the coming months, he faces the sack, raising the prospect of an embarrassing payout from the very Titans board that agreed to his one-year upgrade. Since taking charge last year, Brennan has won 10 out of 34 games for a 29 per cent success rate. The Titans finished 14th last season. This season, the Coast had a dismal 0-4 start and simply haven’t recovered, with $1 million half Ash Taylor the poster boy for the Titans’ mediocrity with some error-riddled individual displays.
Following a board meeting yesterday, Meninga will take on a beefed-up role, with the Kangaroos coach to have direct control of the football department following the departure of Titans head of football Phil Moss.
“The Gold Coast Titans board of directors has asked the club’s head of performance and culture, Mal Meninga, to oversee a full and comprehensive mid-season review of the Titans’ football operations,” a club statement said.
“As the first assignment of his expanded role, the board has asked Mr Meninga to work together with the club’s coaches, staff and players to conduct a full and comprehensive review of all football department operations and performance with instructions to report back to the board with his findings and recommendations.”