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Queenslander
17-02-06, 03:14 PM
Titans still chasing Prince
By Daniel Pace
February 17, 2006

GOLD Coast chief executive Michael Searle admits he's not confident Scott Prince will join the Titans, despite the fledgling NRL club firming as favourite to sign the Test halfback.

Wests Tigers have granted permission to the Titans, North Queensland and Brisbane to negotiate with Prince, who comes off contract with the premiers at the end of this season.

Both the Cowboys and Broncos appear to have gone lukewarm on aggressively pursuing Prince after expressing concerns over the tender process.

Prince's manager Steve Robinson has given the clubs a February 28 deadline to detail their offers, making it difficult for the three clubs to set up face-to-face meetings with Prince just three weeks out from the start of the NRL season.

Searle ? speaking at the launch of his club's jersey today ? said he had notified the NRL and Tigers chief executive Steve Noyce about the Titans' interest in Prince, who turns 26 a day before the offers are due.

But Searle is far from convinced Gold Coast fans will see Prince combine with Penrith livewire and key Titans recruit Preston Campbell in the halves next year.

"I'm not confident," he said.

"For him to leave the Wests Tigers is a big ask. In saying that we've got a duty to give it a good crack and we'll be giving it our best shot.

"Hopefully the benefits of the Gold Coast will bring him here."

Searle is mindful of the importance of the No.7 position to the Titans but has already declared he's not prepared to throw vast sums of money at Prince.

"We'll submit a strong proposal but it will also be commercially sound," he said.

"We don't believe in giving a substantial sum to one player. Depth will be important to us."

Prince has made no secret of his desire to move back to Queensland after his three year stint in Sydney under coach Tim Sheens ends this season.

Searle is hoping his close friendship with Titans football manager Scott Sattler and the Gold Coast lifestyle will give his club the edge.

"I think he's always shown he's a player who likes to accept challenges," Searle said.

"There's probably no greater challenge than being a member of an expansion licence."

Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen said he wanted a face to face meeting with Prince before deciding on whether to join the tender process.

"We don't like the tender process ? it's not personal enough," Cullen said.

"You're not putting in a bid for a block of land. You're talking about a relationship with a human being.

"We need to discuss a wide range of things with Scotty and none of those include money."

Cullen will discuss the matter with coach Wayne Bennett in Port Macquarie tomorrow when the Broncos play a trial against Canberra.

The Titans are also chasing Cowboys and Australian trainer Billy Johnston, the inaugural Gold Coast Giants captain who has three children living on the tourist strip.

"Hopefully that emotion and sentiment will work for us," said Searle.

AAP

TITANS007
18-02-06, 09:16 AM
I hope Titans chase Princey as hard as they can. I wonder what the Broncos want to discuss with him apart from money.

Queenslander
18-02-06, 09:20 AM
The titans surely have the edge against the Broncos in regards to Prince. I wonder if Michael Searle is playing hard to get by saying that "we are not confident" in his signing? :laugh:

DeeGan
18-02-06, 09:29 AM
I think Michael is being honest.

We cannot give him the money perhaps the other three clubs chasing his signature can and as we have said all along we are not going to be involved in a bidding war. We offer him a chance to captain a club making it's long awaited debut (IMO anyway), a lifestyle second to none on the Gold Coast and other fringe benefits. He will be apart of history and forever remembered as the first captain (again, IMO) of the Titans who will be here for a long, long time.

If Scott cannot be sold on the above, we move on. All we need to do is look at finding a halfback who can avert attention from little Preston Campbell in attack, Prince would be more than suffice here, though it is not the be all end all if we miss out on him.

Queenslander
18-02-06, 09:31 AM
Titans want Prince to try new colours
Greg Stolz, Gold Coast Bureau Chief
18feb06

THEY'VE got their jersey ? now the Gold Coast Titans are determined to get it on Scott Prince's back.

The Gold Coast franchise yesterday unveiled its playing strip for the 2007 season when it will make its NRL debut.

The Titans of tomorrow, a group of local junior rugby league players, paraded the smart-looking white, blue and gold jersey.

Gold Coast executives, however, are looking into the much shorter-term future for their next star.

And all going well in negotiations, Prince will wear the No. 7 for the Titans when their NRL campaign kicks off next season.

The Wests Tigers halfback, who captained his side to victory in last year's grand final, is keen to return home to Queensland in 2007 after three seasons in Sydney.

The Titans, along with the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys, are all keen to snare the mercurial pivot's services, although Gold Coast is the only club to confirm it is formally bidding for Prince.

A February 28 deadline for offers has been imposed by Wests Tigers. Titans chief executive Michael Searle and coach John Cartwright will travel to Sydney next week for talks with Prince and his manager Steve Robinson.

Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen said he wanted a face to face meeting with Prince before deciding on whether to join the tender process.

Searle said yesterday he did not believe the Titans could match the money likely to be thrown at Prince by the Broncos and Cowboys.

But he was hopeful the Gold Coast lifestyle, and Prince's close friendship with former Wests Tigers teammate turned Titans football manager Scott Sattler, could lure the star halfback to the tourist strip.

"I'm sure the rugby league fan will acknowledge that decisions aren't always about finances," he said.

"It's going to be very tough for Scott. He was in a grand final-winning side last year. But hopefully the opportunities that this licence provides him might give us a bit of a crack."

Titans marketing manager Steve Burns said the club had consulted Parramatta to ensure the Gold Coast jersey did not clash with the Eels' blue-and-gold strip.

"This is the Gold Coast and it would have been remiss of us not to use the blue and gold colours of the sea and the sun," he said.

The jersey was chosen by fans from six options in a website poll.

The Titans are also chasing Cowboys and Australian trainer Billy Johnstone, the inaugural Gold Coast Giants captain who has three children living on the tourist strip.

"Hopefully that emotion and sentiment will work for us," Searle said.

lonegull
20-02-06, 03:45 PM
I hope they still chase hard but micheal is being honest and open about the issue which i really like none of this behind closed doors business

Research Station Drive
21-02-06, 01:03 PM
Just read an ABC article saying that the Cowboys have pulled out of the race for Prince.

It's too early in the season for them to be chasing players, cause they've got a number of current players off contract.

Good news for us.

captaincharger
21-02-06, 05:52 PM
channel 9 sports news in sydney ended with ken sutcliffe stating that there is a strong indication going around tonight that Scott Prince will be returning to queensland. he didnt say Titans or Broncos but with the Cowboys pulling out it looks like the chances are increasing for the Titans.

Queenslander
21-02-06, 06:20 PM
channel 9 sports news in sydney ended with ken sutcliffe stating that there is a strong indication going around tonight that Scott Prince will be returning to queensland. he didnt say Titans or Broncos but with the Cowboys pulling out it looks like the chances are increasing for the Titans.
Hmmm King Wally didnt mention anything about that up here on the Brisbane channel 9 news.....you would have thought that this type of info would be delievered up here :hmm: