DIEHARD
21-10-09, 05:39 AM
Titans sign journeymen Riley Brown and Marshall Chalk
THE Titans have moved to bolster their NRL playing ranks by adding two NRL journeyman to the 2010 campaign.
Roosters rake Riley Brown has joined former Canberra and Celtic Crusaders utility Marshall Chalk in finalising deals with the Gold Coast.
Brown has 67 NRL games under his belt from stints at the Newcastle Knights (2004-07) and the Roosters (2008-09).
The 25-year-old hooker attracted the ire of Rabbitohs fans in round 1, 2008, after an ill-fated tackle attempt busted then-South Sydney star Craig Wing.
Brown was restricted to just six first-grade games at the wooden spooners this year after breaking his arm in the Chooks' semi-final loss to the Broncos in 2008.
Brown has endured far greater adversity off the field. His father, Ross, is serving a 17-year jail sentence for the murder of his mother, Judith, in 2000 - a crime Riley believes his father is innocent of.
Chalk will join the Titans' fulltime pre-season squad next month on a second-tier contract.
The versatile 28-year-old will reunite with Ipswich Jets if he fails to secure a berth in the Titans' top-25 squad this summer. Chalk played 71 NRL games for the Raiders from 2004-08 before joining the Welsh-based Crusaders last year.
A broken jaw made it an unhappy UK Super League season for the Boonah product, who has returned home and been signed by the Titans as a handy outside back cover.
The Titans remain confident of snaring ex-Test star Greg Bird, subject to the outcome of criminal charges he is facing in NSW next month.
Gold Coast CEO Michael Searle and coach John Cartwright will meet Bird in France over the next fortnight.
The signature of the troubled ex-Shark would polarise fans but Bird shapes as an ideal fit to a Titans roster in desperate need of an intimidating on-field presence. Bird, who has played both five-eighth and lock at rep level, is earmarked to play pivot at Skilled Park. It is a positional move that would bump veteran Mat Rogers to the centres.
Livewire Preston Campbell would then return to fullback or the interchange bench if ex-Raider Will Zillman nails down the No. 1 jumper.
Four Coast players are recovering from major surgery ahead of the 2010 pre-season.
Utility Josh Graham has had serious surgery to shave bone off both his hips in addition to a foot operation.
Prop Aaron Cannings (shoulder) and boom centre Esi Tonga (shoulder) are also on modified programs while Clubman of the Year Luke O'Dwyer continues to mend from a knee reconstruction.
Source: http://www.foxsports.com.au
THE Titans have moved to bolster their NRL playing ranks by adding two NRL journeyman to the 2010 campaign.
Roosters rake Riley Brown has joined former Canberra and Celtic Crusaders utility Marshall Chalk in finalising deals with the Gold Coast.
Brown has 67 NRL games under his belt from stints at the Newcastle Knights (2004-07) and the Roosters (2008-09).
The 25-year-old hooker attracted the ire of Rabbitohs fans in round 1, 2008, after an ill-fated tackle attempt busted then-South Sydney star Craig Wing.
Brown was restricted to just six first-grade games at the wooden spooners this year after breaking his arm in the Chooks' semi-final loss to the Broncos in 2008.
Brown has endured far greater adversity off the field. His father, Ross, is serving a 17-year jail sentence for the murder of his mother, Judith, in 2000 - a crime Riley believes his father is innocent of.
Chalk will join the Titans' fulltime pre-season squad next month on a second-tier contract.
The versatile 28-year-old will reunite with Ipswich Jets if he fails to secure a berth in the Titans' top-25 squad this summer. Chalk played 71 NRL games for the Raiders from 2004-08 before joining the Welsh-based Crusaders last year.
A broken jaw made it an unhappy UK Super League season for the Boonah product, who has returned home and been signed by the Titans as a handy outside back cover.
The Titans remain confident of snaring ex-Test star Greg Bird, subject to the outcome of criminal charges he is facing in NSW next month.
Gold Coast CEO Michael Searle and coach John Cartwright will meet Bird in France over the next fortnight.
The signature of the troubled ex-Shark would polarise fans but Bird shapes as an ideal fit to a Titans roster in desperate need of an intimidating on-field presence. Bird, who has played both five-eighth and lock at rep level, is earmarked to play pivot at Skilled Park. It is a positional move that would bump veteran Mat Rogers to the centres.
Livewire Preston Campbell would then return to fullback or the interchange bench if ex-Raider Will Zillman nails down the No. 1 jumper.
Four Coast players are recovering from major surgery ahead of the 2010 pre-season.
Utility Josh Graham has had serious surgery to shave bone off both his hips in addition to a foot operation.
Prop Aaron Cannings (shoulder) and boom centre Esi Tonga (shoulder) are also on modified programs while Clubman of the Year Luke O'Dwyer continues to mend from a knee reconstruction.
Source: http://www.foxsports.com.au