2018 Squad, Signings and Rumours Thread

[mdrew]

For me Keegan Hipgrave is better suited in the second row. he has some speed and mobility that is certainly underrated

Cant wait to see hipgrave get some more game time, he really impressed me in the last game.

Mdrew where do you see hipgrave playing? He seems to be a lock, but i think they will play Jai Arrow there knowing our club. Do you think hipgrave could do well in 2nd row as a starter, or more coming off the bench?

I would prefer anyone over greenwood starting.

[TITAN PETE]

For me Keegan Hipgrave is better suited in the second row. he has some speed and mobility that is certainly underrated

I agree mate & he brings aggression & a bit of attitude which we lost when Bird left & James was made Captain

[indoallstars]

For me Keegan Hipgrave is better suited in the second row. he has some speed and mobility that is certainly underrated

Thanks mate, I was hoping you would say that. Bring on 2018

- - - Updated - - -

I agree mate & he brings aggression & a bit of attitude which we lost when Bird left & James was made Captain

Agreed, the only problem is we only have 1 hipgrave. If he gets injured unless james can release the inner beast, we have no enforcer.

[ALX25]

Imagine Valentine Holmes.
Imagine no Hayne.
Win Win.

[Mexican titan]

This is from the NRL site. I haven't heard of this guy but those who have might want to provide some comments:

"The Gold Coast have snared Roosters NYC outside back Kiah Cooper.

The 20-year-old was part of the victorious 2016 NYC grand final side and has signed a one-year-deal with the club.

A left centre who can also play fullback, Cooper has a lethal left foot step."

EDIT: sorry guys, as BT has noted this is old news. It was only on the NRL site today.

[Bayside Titan]

This is from the NRL site. I haven't heard of this guy but those who have might want to provide some comments:

"The Gold Coast have snared Roosters NYC outside back Kiah Cooper.

The 20-year-old was part of the victorious 2016 NYC grand final side and has signed a one-year-deal with the club.

A left centre who can also play fullback, Cooper has a lethal left foot step."



He's a good footballer mate. Massive left foot step and a good fend. Touched up GL big time when the Roosters played Titans 20's last year on the coast.

He's a centre long term IMO. Played fullback in 20's but moreso just to touch the ball more, just like Phil Sami. with our 20's this year.

This is from mdrew on page 4 here mate.



Kiah Cooper.* The former Sydney Roosters fullback/centre has signed with the Titans for the 2018 season after two outstanding seasons in the NYC for the Roosters including starting at fullback in their NYC Grand Final winning side against the Penrith Panthers in 2016.

In the 2017 NYC competition Kiah Cooper played in twenty three matches for the Roosters starting in all twenty three contests.* For the first twenty matches Kiah Cooper alternated between fullback and centre starting ten matches in each position and started on the wing in the final three rounds.* In twenty two of his matches Kiah Cooper played the entire 80 minutes, playing 54 minutes in the other match. Kiah Cooper also scored nine tries including a double against the Titans in Round Twenty Six.

Kiah Cooper’s other seven tries came against the Rabbitohs in Round Four, Sea Eagles in Round Five, Knights in Round Seven, Round Eleven against the Bulldogs, Round Sixteen against the Storm, Round Seventeen against the Sharks and finally in Round Twenty against the Newcastle Knights.

Kiah Coopers totals in 2017 included running for 1 958 metres from 196 carries, nine line breaks, seven try assists, nine off loads and 87 tackles however he was also credited with 45 missed tackles thus he had a tackling efficiency of 66%. His per game totals included 85 running metres from 8.5 carries and four tackles.

On six occasions Kiah Cooper ran for more than 100 metres including in Round Twenty against the Newcastle knights when he ran for 151 metres.* Defensively Kiah Coopers “best” match was against the Parramatta Eels in Round Ten when he made ten tackles.

In 2016 Kiah Cooper played in twenty seven matches including the finals series playing all 80 minutes in every match, scoring thirteen tries including a double against the Dragons in Round Eight.* Over the course of the 2016 NYC season, Kiah Cooper ran for 2 514 metres from 272 carries, made eleven line breaks, twelve try assists ten off loads and made 75 tackles.

Kiah Coopers 2016 per game averages included carry the ball ten times for 93 metres and making three tackles.* On eight occasions Kiah Cooper ran for more than 100 metres including twice running for 160 metres with those games being in Round Nine against the Newcastle Knights and the Roosters first 2016 final against the Canberra Raiders.

The table below compares Kiah Cooper’s 2016 and 2017 NYC per game averages.

2016 2017

Games played 27 23

Minutes per game 80 78

Runs per game 10 8.5

Metres made per game 93 85

Tackles per game 3 4

Kiah Cooper moved to the Sydney Roosters at the end of the 2015 season where he played in the SG Ball competition with the Central Coast Centurions and played for Newcastle Wests in the Newcastle U19 competition finishing as the second leading try scorer with ten tries from eleven matches. Kiah Cooper also kicked thirteen goals to finish with 66 points on the season.* Kiah Cooper scored a hat trick against Kurri Kurri and a double the week prior against Lakes United.

In 2015 Kiah Cooper was a star with Hunter Sports High going on to represent New South Wales Combined High Schools at the ASSRL U18 championships that year as well as touring New Zealand with the NSWCHS squad and in 2013 Kiah Cooper toured France with the New South Wales Indigenous U16 squad.

The powerfully built young man has a variety of attacking moves that he utilises depending on where he is positioned on the field.* It is interesting that when he is lining up at left centre his primarily attacking move is to run an outside shoulder route and just prior to contacting the defensive line Kiah Cooper will step off his left foot to cut back inside the left shoulder of his direct opponent, he scored from this on a number of occasions last season in the NYC.* Kiah Cooper gets the defenders momentum moving to their right and then cuts back before the defender has time to adjust and redirect their momentum.

When he is lining up at right centre Kiah Cooper seemingly runs a straighter line more often than not and looks to get on the outside shoulder of his immediate defender after slowing or halting the defenders momentum by running directly at him. When he has played at fullback Kiah Cooper is constantly around the centre of the ruck looking to either snipe out of dummy half himself or benefit from an off load. In the instances when he runs from dummy half the majority of the time Kiah Cooper runs to his left and then looks to cut back behind the play the ball into open space.

When he is open space Kiah Cooper is able to step off either foot but seems to prefer stepping off his right foot.* In addition to a very good step, Kiah Cooper has a powerful fend and usually with his right hand.* He starts off with a bent arm looking to absorb the contact and then extends his arm out with explosive power to “shock” the defender.* A number of fullbacks in the NYC over the last two seasons were knocked back in this fashion.

In relation to Kiah Cooper’s speed, it is probably in the above category but his speed off the mark is elite and he can maintain his top speed over an extended distance.* Kiah Cooper does not necessarily score a lot of long range tries as he starts to progressively work through his support options as soon as he breaks into open space, but he is incredibly difficult to combat in his attacking twenty as he is often able to maintain his momentum through the initial defensive contact and keep defenders away from his body with his strength and fend and regularly drag defenders over the line from ten metres out.

In his games on the wing, Kiah Coopers best attribute is that his maintains his line and stays out wide meaning that his inside play makers have confidence to either throw the cut out pass after a back line move or when they attack on a short blind side.

Defensively Kiah Cooper’s strength and body control are his best attributes.* When defending in the centres Kiah Cooper twists his body towards the side line so that his momentum does not stall and he can defend against an opposing player whether they cut back inside or try to beat him on the outside.* This defensive technique can cause issues when an attacker looks to run directly at him but Kiah Cooper’s natural functional strength mitigates this potential issue significantly.* When defending at fullback Kiah Cooper pushes forward to eliminate as much time that the attacker has as possible to make his decision in relation to the options available to them as Kiah Cooper converges.

Kiah Cooper is related to Ashley Taylor and was on hand at the Titans training facility when Ashley Taylor signed his new four year contract yesterday.* I would anticipate that Kiah Cooper who will obviously train with the Titans NRL squad in the off season will start out in the QCup likely with the Tweed Heads Seagulls prior to pushing for a possible NRL spot later in the season as he adjusts to the rigours of the NRL.

Over his two seasons in the NYC with the Sydney Roosters, Kiah Cooper played primarily in the centres or at fullback but did play a couple of matches in 2017 on the right wing, specifically the final three regular season rounds.* Whilst I anticipate that Kiah Cooper will break into the QCup and potentially the NRL on the wing, I believe that with his solid build deceptive speed and powerful fend, Kiah Cooper will ultimately find himself in the centres in the long term.

Even though Kiah Cooper has a slightly different build to the Roosters centre Latrell Mitchell in that he is stockier and a touch shorter, they have a similar playing style in terms of deceptive speed and a powerful fend making them difficult to stop one on one especially inside the attacking 20 metre area

[NZTITAN]

SHHHHHHH I
Which non Sydney club is keeping a keen eye Brisbane’s NYC fullback Corey Allan?
The 20-year-old is off-contract in 2018 and a standout in the Holden Cup.
With Darius Boyd playing on a further four seasons, one rival is hopeful Allan’s NRL pathway has been blocked and they’ll be able to swoop.
A product of Marsden State High, the former Australian Schoolboy averaged 118 running metres per game last season.


^This is interesting too

[DIEHARD]

Titans buy up big on local produce
http://www.nrl.com/

Brendan Elliot still has the jersey he got signed by the inaugural Titans team of 2007 at his parents' house in Runaway Bay; Jai Whitbread's mother has a pile of old Giants and Seagulls jerseys that her husband Greg wore almost 30 years ago.

The pair have come to the club from Newcastle and Brisbane respectively but like a lot of the Titans assembling for the 2018 season they have a deep-seated connection to the Gold Coast that club officials believe is integral in fostering greater local support.

Of course, the great panacea to the sometime apathy of footy fans is to win plenty of games on the field, but there is no question that a community of any size loves nothing more than seeing locally grown talent succeeding on the big stage.

From senior leaders at the club such as Ryan James, Jarrod Wallace, Kevin Proctor, Ash Taylor and Kane Elgey through to new recruits including Elliot, Whitbread, Keegan Hipgrave and Jai Arrow the Titans have placed a premium on bringing back talent they have let slip through their fingers.

Elliot was a student at Coombabah State High School before he was signed to the Roosters academy system as a 15-year-old, while Whitbread was in the Titans system until a period of uncertainty at the club saw him take up an opportunity at the Broncos.

For Elliot, whose jersey and footy from K-Mart is adorned with the signature of current Titans football manager Anthony Laffranchi among others, playing for the Titans in 2018 will be in many ways the realisation of a boyhood dream.

"I would have been 13 when the Titans came in," Elliot recalled.

"I actually had a friend of mine that got me into the sheds after a game. I had one of the K-Mart jerseys with no sponsors and got it all signed up.

"I didn't even realise until I got here and started speaking to everyone and asking where they are from, how many of the boys are local talent.

"I found out there are a lot of local boys here that have either worked their way up or gone and come back like me.

"It's great to hear because the Gold Coast is our home town and it burns the fire deep inside your belly that you want to play for the Gold Coast Titans and want to do well for the Gold Coast.

"That was a massive point for me to get back up here and play for the Titans."

Whitbread's connections to Gold Coast rugby league stretch back to the inaugural season of the Giants in 1988 where his father Greg played 16 games, going on to make 52 first grade appearances for Gold Coast across four seasons.

Whitbread Jnr was part of the Titans' high performance academy program up until two years ago when an apparent lack of interest on the Gold Coast saw him join Brisbane, playing 44 NYC games over the past two seasons and representing the New South Wales under-18s.

"I saw a great opportunity to go to Brissie," Whitbread said on Tuesday.

"They have a really strong program up there with their juniors and the Titans were still maturing as a club. So I took that opportunity to move up to Brisbane and then I found myself back here, back home.

"To be honest I sort of knew that [the Titans] were going to try and find their feet and they were just going to grow as a club.

"I never put it out of my mind that I'd never come back but I was just keeping my doors open to whatever popped up.

"When I had my meeting here they had a big emphasis on having the boys that have grown up here play here because it will be a lot more special playing for where you grew up."

[Just-a-Fan]

Give a life line to Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck and make a play for Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to take over from Haynes

Reed Mahoney as a development player and give Sami sago at centre

[DIEHARD]

Leilua not in Titans’ backline blueprint
http://www.gcbulletin.com.au

JOEY Leilua will not be at the Titans next season, with the Gold Coast confirming the Raiders centre is “not part of our plans”.

Reports emerged last week linking the 25-year-old with the Titans but chief executive Graham Annesley quashed the rumours, saying the club had made no offer to Leilua or his manager.

“We have discussions with agents about a whole range of players, like every club does,” Annesley said.

“But we never made an offer for that player and he’s not part of our plans. Player agents throw up all sorts of names.

“But throwing them up and entering into negotiations for their services are two completely different things.”

With the Raiders facing salary cap pressure, Leilua has been shopped to rival clubs but it’s understood Canberra has been unwilling to contribute significantly to his salary, leaving the Titans unwilling to make an offer.

Gold Coast, who are under the cap for next year, are looking for a centre and backrower to finalise their list.

With a cloud still hanging over the future of Jarryd Hayne, rumours Leilua could join the Titans gathered steam.

But Annesley said the Gold Coast’s star fullback was still expected to report for pre-season training after the World Cup.

“We’ve got nothing new on Jarryd. He’s a contracted player and he’s on World cup duties, so we’re expecting him back at the end of the World Cup,” Annesley said.

While the Titans may be on the lookout for a strike centre, Dale Copley is keen to step up and claim his place alongside Konrad Hurrell next season after his first uninterrupted pre-season in three years.

“It has been pretty disrupted the last few years, so I’m looking forward to being able to build camaraderie through the pre-season and then taking that into the season, it’s something I haven’t been able to do the last couple of years,” said Copley, who moved from Brisbane to the Sydney Roosters and then the Gold Coast in the past two seasons.

“It hasn’t just been moving clubs, it’s been moving cities as well which is very disruptive.

“Just to be able to build those combinations over the pre-season is something I haven’t been able to do. I came in late last year and was trying to learn on the run which is not ideal when you’re playing against guys who have been training together for months.”

Copley said talk Leilua could link with the club had not concerned him.

[ALX25]

Give a life line to Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck and make a play for Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to take over from Haynes

Reed Mahoney as a development player and give Sami sago at centre

Mahoney is locked down at the Eels. JTS I think has headed back to NZ.

[Just-a-Fan]

Mahoney is locked down at the Eels. JTS I think has headed back to NZ.

Thanks for the info Well I hope JTS does get a chance somewhere

[Bayside Titan]

Gold Coast Titans are pleased to confirm the signing of Mitch Rein, for season 2018.

Rein has commenced training with the Titans at the TFH High Performance Centre after moving north from the Penrith Panthers. The 27-year-old spent the majority of 2017 as part of the victorious Intrust Super Premiership team under the tutelage of new Titans Head Coach Garth Brennan.

The hooker made his NRL debut in Round 1 of season 2011 for the St George Illawarra Dragons, playing 132 matches in the red and white, before shifting to the Panthers where he spent one year, playing five games in the top grade.

Click here to hear from the new recruit.

The Kiama junior is excited about the move north of the border.

“I came here not knowing many of the guys but they’ve been very welcoming and I can’t wait to rip in for the rest of the pre-season,” Rein said.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge and having the opportunity to link up with Garth again, is great.

“He is a champion guy and a great coach, once he gave me a call it was a pretty easy decision.”

Head Coach Garth Brennan is happy he was able to lure Rein to the Titans.

“Mitch is the ultimate competitor and someone that I enjoy coaching,” he said. “He is a terrific trainer and his attitude across every aspect of the game can’t be faulted.

“He has made a smooth transition into the club and I know he is looking forward to working hard over the next few months of pre-season training.

“It’s great that we have been able to acquire an experienced player who has played over 130 NRL games and represented Country Origin.”



This was an email from the Titans this morning.


https://twitter.com/gctitans/status/932370402994786304

[indoallstars]

Gold Coast Titans are pleased to confirm the signing of Mitch Rein, for season 2018.

Rein has commenced training with the Titans at the TFH High Performance Centre after moving north from the Penrith Panthers. The 27-year-old spent the majority of 2017 as part of the victorious Intrust Super Premiership team under the tutelage of new Titans Head Coach Garth Brennan.

The hooker made his NRL debut in Round 1 of season 2011 for the St George Illawarra Dragons, playing 132 matches in the red and white, before shifting to the Panthers where he spent one year, playing five games in the top grade.

Click here to hear from the new recruit.

The Kiama junior is excited about the move north of the border.

“I came here not knowing many of the guys but they’ve been very welcoming and I can’t wait to rip in for the rest of the pre-season,” Rein said.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge and having the opportunity to link up with Garth again, is great.

“He is a champion guy and a great coach, once he gave me a call it was a pretty easy decision.”

Head Coach Garth Brennan is happy he was able to lure Rein to the Titans.

“Mitch is the ultimate competitor and someone that I enjoy coaching,” he said. “He is a terrific trainer and his attitude across every aspect of the game can’t be faulted.

“He has made a smooth transition into the club and I know he is looking forward to working hard over the next few months of pre-season training.

“It’s great that we have been able to acquire an experienced player who has played over 130 NRL games and represented Country Origin.”



This was an email from the Titans this morning.


https://twitter.com/gctitans/status/932370402994786304

Glad we have Mitch on board he will be great off the bench and filling in when peats is in origin/injured!

Does anyone know if we have signed him just for 2018 or numerous years?

Any idea of his salary, I imagine it wouldn't be too high as we didn't have to compete with other NRL clubs, but we do have this habit for paying overs.

[Randomologist]

http://www.sportingnews.com/au/leagu...diwtcv/slide/1
Lurker saying Hayne to Eels is a done deal, I hope he's on the money.