Peter Badel | 12:01am May 9, 2013
Wigans' Sam Tonkins could play for the Titans if the club could afford him. Pic: AP
THE Titans have entered the race for the man regarded as the British version of Billy Slater, Wigan attacking wizard Sam Tomkins.
Gold Coast officials contacted Tomkins' manager Andy Clarke a fortnight ago and the parties have since held further talks.
But the England international's $1 million price tag may prove a stumbling block. If money is the deciding factor, NRL rivals the Warriors are likely to trump the Titans.
Former Wigan star Dean Bell, now Warriors football operations chief, flew to England recently to meet the fullback.
The Gold Coast have underspent on this year's salary cap by about $350,000, leaving them an estimated $1 million to spend with the increase in the NRL cap from $5.8 million to $6.3 million for 2014.
While they boast a star-studded pack, the Titans are scouring the market for a marquee back with strikepower as part of their mission statement to win a title by 2015.
Tomkins, 24, who can play fullback or five-eighth, appears ideal.
The Wigan flyer is ranked England's No.1 player, winning the Man of Steel last year. That's Super League's equivalent of the NRL's Dally M Award.
Tomkins is keen to test himself in the NRL but with another three years on his Wigan deal, the English league powerhouse has slapped a $250,000 transfer fee on Tomkins.
His management hopes to secure an NRL contract of $750,000 a season, completing a $1 million package that would place him in the same earnings stratosphere as Johnathan Thurston and Greg Inglis.
The English ace is a try-scoring machine, having crossed 128 times in 137 games for Wigan. Already this season, he has 14 tries in 10 games.
At 180cm and 83kg, Tomkins is similar in build and playing style to Storm, Queensland and Australian custodian Slater.
Former England star Mike Stephenson, who played 169 games for Penrith between 1974-78 and now commentates on the Super League, says Tomkins would flourish in the NRL. "Sam has certainly taken the Super League by storm," he said.