Mixing it up to bowl over rivals

WITH his NRL side mired in a slump, Gold Coast coach Garth Brennan admits he does lie awake at night – but it’s not a result of him fearing the axe.

Brennan, who is in his second season as Titans coach and has a contract in place for 2020, has come under increasing scrutiny during the club’s 2-8 start to the year.

Titans co-owner Darryl Kelly said this week everyone was on notice, with the club’s ability to make a profit hinging on their form improving.

“Darryl is just stating the truth,” Brennan said yesterday.

“It’s the nature of the industry that I’m in. It’s a resultsdriven business. We have to perform.

“I don’t lie awake worrying about my tenure or my job … if I start worrying about that, then I lose focus on what I am trying to do and I want this club to be successful.

“So I lie awake at night but it’s worrying about and thinking about how I can turn this team around to get some wins.”

Brennan noted it was important in tough times to ensure staff and players didn’t overthink their footy and get consumed by the task at hand.

“You have got to mix it up a little bit,” he said. “We went bowling on Monday, which was good for the team. We had a bit of fun and enjoyed each other’s company.”

The Titans’ hopes of relieving pressure with a win took a hit when outstanding lock Jai Arrow was ruled out of the game after suffering a hip flexor injury at training yesterday.