Titans agrressive but they promise not to pillage

[DeeGan]

Titans agrressive but they promise not to pillage

There is a story reported in the SMH today where Michael Searle is featured in the article reassuring rival teams and fans we will not pillage their club.

"We will be aggressive but we don't want to do anything that will be detrimental to rugby league. We don't want to destabilise the game.

"We're all about growing the game. We won't be predatory and we won't be offering huge sums to players to come up here. For most of them it will be a lifestyle decision.

"We won't target one team and look to get their top players up here.

"Obviously Steve Price going to the Warriors upset a lot of Bulldogs fans and we wouldn't want to do something like that"

In other news from the piece:

- Robina Stadium to be ready mid 2007 though we will not play our first match their until 2008

- Michael wants our opening game to be against one of either the Cowboys or Brisbane

Cheers

DeeGan

[DIEHARD]

Probably the first time I have heard a club come out with those types of statements. Very refreshing.

As for a first game against the Cowboys or Broncos. I think we should wait several weeks before we take them on, so we can get some matches under our belt and gel better.

We will be going up against developed teams and combinations. Where as we are a new team playing our first premiership match together.

I'd rather wait and get more experience, help stake the odds in our favour. The Cowboys and Broncos are gun teams on any day of the week and I'd rather not battle them at a disadvantage.

Getting beaten by the Broncos and Cowboys in the first round won't do us any favours. You need to string them out and make the public feverish for a match against the other QLD teams.

It's all about showmanship with the scheduling, like a well crafted screenplay. You don't drop your best scene in the first act.

We should split up our hype matches. The first match will be hyped enough alone regardless who it is. It will get mass attention, coverage and interest.

I'd rather play the Broncos in Round 7 or so. When we have a good chance of upsetting them. Beating the Broncos in our first tilt against each other would be a momentous and meaningful chapter in the rebirth of our club and I want to give the Titans every chance of taking them out.

We shouldn't gamble everything in the first round.

Have our first game against....Storm, Penrith, Warriors, Cronulla, Newcastle or Souths.

But back to the point how great are the Titans as a club and Michael Searle as a CEO? I'm so happy to have a club in the competition with such an outlook and I'm ecstatic to call them my team.

I'm also happy to hear Robina Stadium will be well on schedule for 2008. With enough time to grow a fantastic pitch, we don't want anymore Sandcorp fiascos. I'm sure a lot has been learnt from that.

[The Original Idiot]

^ Totally agree, 'cept for the part about playing the Storm first. The Storm are always hot in the first few rounds. I say play the rabbits or kiwis.

Searlo is right about not splurging money to pinch players, we can get them without purely using the green. I'll bet Bailey didn't come purely for money. But not pillaging? How else do we get players in league?

[DIEHARD]

^ Totally agree, 'cept for the part about playing the Storm first. The Storm are always hot in the first few rounds. I say play the rabbits or kiwis.

Valid point. Storm are usually on fire early.

[Eel 33]

Doesn't really matter who you play first up, there will be a huge crowd at the game due to the fact that history will be made for both teams.

[DeeGan]

Opening the 2007 season with a blockbuster pitting the Gold Coast Titans against either the Brisbane Broncos or North Queensland Cowboys is quite simply a mouth watering prospect that no rugby league fan would want to miss! I would personally prefer to enter the 2007 season with a BANG rather than a whimper (no disrespect to the other clubs though a derby clash is a BANG) for the only reason being to have a better chance in knocking off the established QLD clubs in the later rounds. Let's build on the hype surrounding our debut season rather than hosing it down a little.

When it all comes down to it, we have had our first win agains the likes of the Broncos and the Cowboys by getting the green light in 2005, we got the 16th license giving QLD fans and junior rugby league players an alternative.

Our opening game either way will be an historic event and a crowd pleaser, I understand that, though let's capitalise on the local derby with one of the QLD teams in the round 1 opener that will capture the imagination of the entire rugby league loving public.

DeeGan

[..::Coops::..]

i agree with Diehard, i don't think the first game should be against the Cowboys or broncos. no matter who the titans play teh first game will shorly be a sellout and a fantastic event.

i think a couple of weeks later should be the derby.

[Dakink]

I tend to agree with Diehard hee too - I think the first games - if not all season - will be sell outs no matter who we are playing. I would prefer to have a few home games under the belt before playing the Derby v Brisbane. Make it a longer lead up and tantalise the fans with the advertising - space the big clubs out over the season. Broncos, Cowboys, Dogs, Dragons and Eels always pull strong crowds and would be my blockbusters.

[SOLIOLA]

Do you think with the purpose of no orford or bell there that storm's early season run might come to an end this season

I so reckon orford created the storm's early rise in the early rounds and without him there i just think they would struggle a little but thats my opinion i just have to wait and see in Round 2 when the Roosters take them on in our first home game.

[Dizzy]

I really don't care who we play first just so long as it's televised so I can get to see ir here at home in Pattaya

[The Original Idiot]

Do you think with the purpose of no orford or bell there that storm's early season run might come to an end this season

If super cronk was reading this, he'd be smacking his head in frustration AGAIN. I have lost count of the times I and others have had to tell people ORFORD IS NOT THE LIFE AND DEATH OF THE STORM! NEITHER IS BELL! They have more than worthy replacements in Cooper Cronk and Greg Inglis, who can fire them through the early rounds. Orford was playing poorly last season. it wasn't him or Bell that got them through the early rounds. It was the entire team. Slater, Webster, King, Geyer, Hill, Kidwell, Smith et al.

Inglis is easily the best back to come out of South Queensland for a long time. He is a tryscoring machine. If you had seen Cronk's kicking game against Burleigh this QLD cup season you would not be worried about the loss of Orford. The Storm's backline is just as good as it was last year.

edited to correct typing errors

[Unbearable]

Titans agrressive but they promise not to pillage

There is a story reported in the SMH today where Michael Searle is featured in the article reassuring rival teams and fans we will not pillage their club.
"We will be aggressive but we don't want to do anything that will be detrimental to rugby league. We don't want to destabilise the game.

"We're all about growing the game. We won't be predatory and we won't be offering huge sums to players to come up here. For most of them it will be a lifestyle decision.

"We won't target one team and look to get their top players up here.

"Obviously Steve Price going to the Warriors upset a lot of Bulldogs fans and we wouldn't want to do something like that"

Motherhood statements like this, from Michael Searle show him to be short of credibility. His statement is at odds with the Gold Coast's actions so far; West Tigers, St.George and Parra fans would unlikely agree with him, going by the Gold Coast's pursuit of their players:.
West Tigers: Laffranchi (signed), Lolesi (attempted to sign but missed out),Prince and Marshall (targeted)
St.George: Bailey (signed), Greenshields (targeted),Simms and Head (said to be targeted also)
Parramatta: Petersen and O'Dwyer (signed), Delaney, Tim Smith, Moi Moi (targeted).

For a new team, there can be benefits to signing groups of players from particular clubs to help the side gel faster - eg Melbourne in their first year, with a core of players with Newcastle/Cronulla origins.

Searle is being hypocritical when it can be seen that Gold Coast is targeting certain clubs. Searle's example Steve Price emphasises the point. I'm sure the West Tigers would be a lot more upset to lose emerging stars Prince and Marshall to Gold Coast, than the Bulldogs were to lose Steve Price to the Warriors (Price is nearing the end of his career, and aparently wanted to leave anyway after the Coffs Harbour and salary cap fiascos).

In the leadup to the announcement of the 16th team, Searle got a lot of media mileage, spruiking that the Gold Coast Club was the more worthy applicant because it would help share the State of Origin burden by spreading QLD players between the Broncos, Cowboys and Gold Coast.

One has to ask, how is the signing of Brian Carney, and the pursuit UK based players Danny Ward, Sean O'Loughlin, Richard Mathers, Stuart Fielden, Paul Deacon and Jamie Lyon going to be good for Queensland Rugby League???

Rugby League these days is a business, more's the pity; but Michael Searle, spare us the PR BS about your club about what's good for the game; it just smacks of duplicity.

[Titanium_BD1103]

OK wait a minute here.. you make some good points here but you also make some very weak ones too Unbearable.

To start off, what Searle meant by the comment of we are not going to be predatory is exactly on the mark, regardless of what you think. Gold Coast Titans so far have shown they are only going to pay as much as they think a player is worth to get them to the club. They will not be paying exorbant amounts of money for a player to join the club and we have rountinely heard them say that Scott Prince will not join the Titans if he wants more money than the club is offering him...now as a PR professional I know that maybe PR and probably is, but until I have seen them do otherwise, I will trust this group of people who have shown so far to be very much working for the needs of the club and its supporters.

As for the Bulldogs and Steven Price, I can tell you that the Bulldogs were very upset Steve Price decided to leave.. I mean he was our captain, an inspiration and we only let him go because he was so adamant our club really had no other option.. you can't try to keep players at a club when they are clearly unhappy or want another challenge..

With Scott Prince, it will be up to him, as was stated by the club before, GC are not going to offer extravagant amounts of money to him, if he decides to join us, it will be his decision and his alone, for reasons most probably of being closer to family and for his partner...

With the signing of SL starts to the QRL and you asking how that will benefit, as a PR person I can tell you how it benefits, it benefits by putting the QRL in the spotlight. With all these SL players playing for QRL teams, it will mean that people will start to take notice and think 'they must have a good system at the QRL if these players want to play for QRL clubs', then more money goes to the QRL and they can use that to help juniors..

On the other hand they can also use these players as ambassdors for the QRL, to get people interested, and youngsters who support these guys as much as their NRL stars will join rugby league and play..

Finally you say this smack of business, OF COURSE IT DOES, then again.. RUGBY LEAGUE IS A BUSINESS... it has been since News Limited took it over back in 1998. Rugby League is about making money from sponsors, increasing attraction to the game and then using money that is from sponsors to help out at grass roots level, such as the Qantas NRL Bush Train. It works ATM and one would be naive and a tad silly to think that Rugby League could survive if it didn't act like a business. All the other sports are.. I say get use to it..

So yes it may be PR, but it certainly ain't PR BS, I reckon it is highly smart and the Gold Coast is staying truthful to the word.. and until I see otherwise.. that is where my opinions stand..

[Queenslander]

Motherhood statements like this, from Michael Searle show him to be short of credibility. His statement is at odds with the Gold Coast's actions so far; West Tigers, St.George and Parra fans would unlikely agree with him, going by the Gold Coast's pursuit of their players:.
West Tigers: Laffranchi (signed), Lolesi (attempted to sign but missed out),Prince and Marshall (targeted)
St.George: Bailey (signed), Greenshields (targeted),Simms and Head (said to be targeted also)
Parramatta: Petersen and O'Dwyer (signed), Delaney, Tim Smith, Moi Moi (targeted).

For a new team, there can be benefits to signing groups of players from particular clubs to help the side gel faster - eg Melbourne in their first year, with a core of players with Newcastle/Cronulla origins.

Searle is being hypocritical when it can be seen that Gold Coast is targeting certain clubs. Searle's example Steve Price emphasises the point. I'm sure the West Tigers would be a lot more upset to lose emerging stars Prince and Marshall to Gold Coast, than the Bulldogs were to lose Steve Price to the Warriors (Price is nearing the end of his career, and aparently wanted to leave anyway after the Coffs Harbour and salary cap fiascos).

In the leadup to the announcement of the 16th team, Searle got a lot of media mileage, spruiking that the Gold Coast Club was the more worthy applicant because it would help share the State of Origin burden by spreading QLD players between the Broncos, Cowboys and Gold Coast.

One has to ask, how is the signing of Brian Carney, and the pursuit UK based players Danny Ward, Sean O'Loughlin, Richard Mathers, Stuart Fielden, Paul Deacon and Jamie Lyon going to be good for Queensland Rugby League???

Rugby League these days is a business, more's the pity; but Michael Searle, spare us the PR BS about your club about what's good for the game; it just smacks of duplicity.

On your first argument in which you state that the Titans are targeting certain clubs im sure you are going to be told thats untrue. The clubs have to give permission for their players to have talks before the June 30 Anti-tampering deadline. Scott Prince has got permission from his club; the tigers to have talks....If there is anyone to blame for the apparent loss of Prince it is the club. And when you use the word "targeted" do you mean that the club has actually gone to them and asked or is just sitting at the Gold Coast and looking at photos of them!!!

Searle is being hypocritical when it can be seen that Gold Coast is targeting certain clubs. Searle's example Steve Price emphasises the point. I'm sure the West Tigers would be a lot more upset to lose emerging stars Prince and Marshall to Gold Coast, than the Bulldogs were to lose Steve Price to the Warriors (Price is nearing the end of his career, and aparently wanted to leave anyway after the Coffs Harbour and salary cap fiascos).

Are you also aware that Prince wants to leave the tigers and move back to Queensland? And the tigers are well aware of it, so they are not putting up too much of a fight.

In the leadup to the announcement of the 16th team, Searle got a lot of media mileage, spruiking that the Gold Coast Club was the more worthy applicant because it would help share the State of Origin burden by spreading QLD players between the Broncos, Cowboys and Gold Coast.

For this I say have a look at the cowboys, they had very few players in state of origin from the start up until recently. The Titans will help share the State of Origin load but its full affect wont take many years.

[Dakink]

As a Dragon fan you get used to losing players due to salary cap, I have no probs with players negotiating the futures.

The Titans have never poached a player (to my knowledge) or offered unrealistic figures. Where else do you expect them to pick up players? When a players contract is finshed he is a free agent and able to dow hat he wishes - hardly poaching players. All players signed negotiated with their current clubs support and best wishes - Im sure they didnt want to lose them but they didnt whinge and stand in their way either.