2015 Squad Signings and Rumours Thread

[Bayside Titan]

Wasn't it Massoud who kept saying DCE was coming here?

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Think we would get him for a lot less than DCE. Won't happen so I will stop with the fantasy. (And when are you changing your name).

Mate. Have to get a Mod on to it for me as I had to ask Diehard to change it last time :-).

[Hail Sezer]

Mate. Have to get a Mod on to it for me as I had to ask Diehard to change it last time :-).

at your service, PM or FB me details mate

[DIEHARD]

Mate. Have to get a Mod on to it for me as I had to ask Diehard to change it last time :-).

Sorry you had endure that nickname. You are back to your old self.

[Bayside Titan]

Sorry you had endure that nickname. You are back to your old self.

I feel like my soul has been cleansed. :-). I'm back baby ..... Thanks guys.

[SCoast Titan]

Now with the whole DCE thing done and dusted who would everyone like to see partner LG?? I personally reckon Hodko would be the go

[TitanSam]

The absolute best outcome would be Mbye. He and Elgey would be legendary. However I doubt it happening. I'd say Hodko, Maloney maybe even Carney but he and the GC nightlife would not mix. Either of the three I'd be fine with, just please not Sandow.

[SCoast Titan]

Yeah I hope not sandow either. Hopefully he is playing NSW Cup with Ben Barba. Mbye would be great but I think the doggies would give us Hodko before they gave us him. Maloney would be a good buy too

[K2G]

Moses Mbye on Titans’ hit-list with the Bulldogs’ partner hailing from the Gold Coast
TRAVIS MEYN THE COURIER-MAIL JUNE 06, 2015 12:00AM



THE pitter patter of little feet could lead Bulldogs whiz kid Moses Mbye to the Gold Coast Titans.

The Titans will get a first-hand look at their prime recruitment target when Mbye’s Bulldogs appear at Cbus Super Stadium next Sunday.

With Test and Origin playmaker Daly Cherry-Evans reneging on his four-year deal with the Titans to stay at Manly, the Gold Coast is searching for a new chief shot-caller.

And the impressive Mbye could be the answer to their problems.

Mbye has been a revelation for the Bulldogs as a replacement for starting halves Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds.

The 21-year-old is contracted to the Bulldogs until the end of 2016 but partner Maddi is expecting the couple’s first child.

Both their families live in Noosa, just a two-hour drive from the Gold Coast, and being closer to them could push Mbye towards the Titans.

Mbye’s manager, Simon Mammino, said he was gauging the Bulldogs’ interest in retaining Mbye long-term and it’s understood coach Des Hasler is reluctant to lose the versatile playmaker.

We’re trying to work through the process with Canterbury and where they’re at,” Mammino said.

“He wants to be a Bulldog so it’s going to take a fair bit to get him out.

“He’s very happy at the Bulldogs and has a good relationship with the coach. They’ve been a great club.

“He finally got a go and has taken it with both hands but he’s happy to keep doing his apprenticeship and learn from Des.”

Kane Elgey will be one of the Titans’ halves in 2016 and coach Neil Henry is assessing other potential targets.

Hodkinson, NSW’s incumbent halfback, and Roosters pivot James Maloney have been spoken about but Mbye could be a long-term project.

“He’s got a lot more upside in him. We’re only just scratching the surface of what Moses could be,” Mammino said.

“It’s little steps before big steps and he understands that. He’s at a point in his career now where he’d really like to play six (five-eighth).

“There’s no timeline on that but he wants to be the number six for Canterbury or maybe at another club.”

[gotitans101_]

Wow K2G, that's certainly encouraging!

[K2G]

Titans must move on from Daly Cherry-Evans and look forward to rebuilding their squad
DARREN LOCKYER EXCLUSIVE THE COURIER-MAIL JUNE 06, 2015 12:00AM

THE Titans don’t have time to shed too many tears. Amid the heartache over Daly Cherry-Evans’ backflip, the best thing the Titans can do now is look forward, not in the rear-view mirror, and approach the NRL with a strategic recruitment plan.

The Gold Coast should ask the governing body, the organisation that just happens to currently control them, for help to sign Israel Folau or Sonny Bill Williams.

Yes, it's a big ask. Some would say prising “Izzy” or Sonny from rugby is akin to Mission Impossible.

But with Titans reeling from the Cherry-Evans saga, the club needs to explore every possible option to provide optimism in the battle against AFL’s Suns for the hearts and minds of the Gold Coast public.

Cherry-Evans, it seemed, was the feel-good story the Titans craved.

It wasn’t just his on-field talent. It was his off-field gravitas, his ambassadorial skill-set and the star power that would have been a magnet for other players to see faith in the Titans brand.

Those dreams were shattered the second Daly agreed to a lifetime deal at Manly.

It’s hard not to feel sorry for the Titans. They are the big losers out of this contract circus, effectively left stranded at the altar, and the next recruitment steps they take will form a crucial plank in how the Titans handle life after DCE.

For the past two years, we have heard about the NRL’s much-vaunted war chest and CEO Dave Smith’s power to open the purse strings to sign a nominated marquee player.

To this day, the NRL has yet to pull out the chequebook.

But if there was ever a time for Smith to invest in some blue-chip talent, surely it is now. Looking around the NRL marketplace, there’s not a huge array of names that jump out as poster boys to spearhead a Titans revival.

I like the look of Moses Mbye at the Bulldogs.

He’s a Queensland kid and more importantly, a level-headed playmaker on the rise who, as he matures, will improve with his game management.

At 21, Mbye is off-contract next year, and would be an ideal target for the Titans.

But if the club wants a fusion of pulling power, headlines and on-field success, I’d start by going hard for either Folau or Sonny Bill.

Izzy would have the right synergies to succeed at the Titans.

He was schooled in rugby league at Marsden High in Logan, just on the rim of Gold Coast’s footballing nursery.

He has only just turned 26, which would give the NRL and the Titans at least five years to leverage his fame and ability as a dual international.

He is a Queensland kid who has a place in the heart of Maroons fans from his Origin heroics. And most importantly, he is a free agent in 2016, meaning the NRL could strike now to bring Izzy back to the code that made him a household name.

By playing NRL, AFL and rugby union, Folau has shown he is an athlete open to any sporting opportunity.

If the numbers are right, helping rebuild the Titans may just be another box to tick for Izzy.

Luring Sonny Bill may be more problematic given his NZRU deal expires at the end of 2016 and his strong ties to Sydney Roosters supremo Nick Politis.

But if the Titans want to recover quickly from the Cherry-Evans saga, they must think proactively and act decisively.

The AFL can be a good road map for the Titans.

When they established the Suns in 2011, the fledgling club had immediate star power in Gary Ablett, who went with the blessing of an AFL hierarchy mindful of the power of his profile in the Gold Coast market.

As for Cherry-Evans, I’m not going to throw the book at him.

I am surprised by his backflip, I felt joining the Titans was an opportunity for Daly to stamp himself as a leader in Queensland.

I saw it as a logical step in his natural ascension to become the next Queensland and Australia captain.

If it was me, I would have kept my word with the Titans, but everyone is different.

We are on the outside looking in and Daly is not the first guy to backflip on an NRL deal, so he seems comfortable enough to cope with the fallout.

Ultimately, no singular player is bigger than an NRL club.

The Titans will live to fight on. The sight of Folau or Sonny in blue and yellow might just make the battle a little easier.

[TitansFan92]

Titans must move on from Daly Cherry-Evans and look forward to rebuilding their squad
DARREN LOCKYER EXCLUSIVE THE COURIER-MAIL JUNE 06, 2015 12:00AM

THE Titans don’t have time to shed too many tears. Amid the heartache over Daly Cherry-Evans’ backflip, the best thing the Titans can do now is look forward, not in the rear-view mirror, and approach the NRL with a strategic recruitment plan.

The Gold Coast should ask the governing body, the organisation that just happens to currently control them, for help to sign Israel Folau or Sonny Bill Williams.

Yes, it's a big ask. Some would say prising “Izzy” or Sonny from rugby is akin to Mission Impossible.

But with Titans reeling from the Cherry-Evans saga, the club needs to explore every possible option to provide optimism in the battle against AFL’s Suns for the hearts and minds of the Gold Coast public.

Cherry-Evans, it seemed, was the feel-good story the Titans craved.

It wasn’t just his on-field talent. It was his off-field gravitas, his ambassadorial skill-set and the star power that would have been a magnet for other players to see faith in the Titans brand.

Those dreams were shattered the second Daly agreed to a lifetime deal at Manly.

It’s hard not to feel sorry for the Titans. They are the big losers out of this contract circus, effectively left stranded at the altar, and the next recruitment steps they take will form a crucial plank in how the Titans handle life after DCE.

For the past two years, we have heard about the NRL’s much-vaunted war chest and CEO Dave Smith’s power to open the purse strings to sign a nominated marquee player.

To this day, the NRL has yet to pull out the chequebook.

But if there was ever a time for Smith to invest in some blue-chip talent, surely it is now. Looking around the NRL marketplace, there’s not a huge array of names that jump out as poster boys to spearhead a Titans revival.

I like the look of Moses Mbye at the Bulldogs.

He’s a Queensland kid and more importantly, a level-headed playmaker on the rise who, as he matures, will improve with his game management.

At 21, Mbye is off-contract next year, and would be an ideal target for the Titans.

But if the club wants a fusion of pulling power, headlines and on-field success, I’d start by going hard for either Folau or Sonny Bill.

Izzy would have the right synergies to succeed at the Titans.

He was schooled in rugby league at Marsden High in Logan, just on the rim of Gold Coast’s footballing nursery.

He has only just turned 26, which would give the NRL and the Titans at least five years to leverage his fame and ability as a dual international.

He is a Queensland kid who has a place in the heart of Maroons fans from his Origin heroics. And most importantly, he is a free agent in 2016, meaning the NRL could strike now to bring Izzy back to the code that made him a household name.

By playing NRL, AFL and rugby union, Folau has shown he is an athlete open to any sporting opportunity.

If the numbers are right, helping rebuild the Titans may just be another box to tick for Izzy.

Luring Sonny Bill may be more problematic given his NZRU deal expires at the end of 2016 and his strong ties to Sydney Roosters supremo Nick Politis.

But if the Titans want to recover quickly from the Cherry-Evans saga, they must think proactively and act decisively.

The AFL can be a good road map for the Titans.

When they established the Suns in 2011, the fledgling club had immediate star power in Gary Ablett, who went with the blessing of an AFL hierarchy mindful of the power of his profile in the Gold Coast market.

As for Cherry-Evans, I’m not going to throw the book at him.

I am surprised by his backflip, I felt joining the Titans was an opportunity for Daly to stamp himself as a leader in Queensland.

I saw it as a logical step in his natural ascension to become the next Queensland and Australia captain.

If it was me, I would have kept my word with the Titans, but everyone is different.

We are on the outside looking in and Daly is not the first guy to backflip on an NRL deal, so he seems comfortable enough to cope with the fallout.

Ultimately, no singular player is bigger than an NRL club.

The Titans will live to fight on. The sight of Folau or Sonny in blue and yellow might just make the battle a little easier.

Lockyer must be a fly on the wall at Titans HQ

[Supergoose]

SBW is a pipe dream. Folau is a more likely target but we'd need marquee player assistance. Still doesn't solve the right half issue. Mbye sounds like a good fit if we can get him.

[TITAN PETE]

Lockyer must be a fly on the wall at Titans HQ

Why ?..

It's never been a secret he's always been on the list it's just the fact that the club & most of us thought the Gymnist was coming so until 2 days ago that list was gathering dust, the question is whether Hasler wants to lose Mbye or Hodkinson

I would love to see him come here but apart from Mbye I would hate for the club to even entertain the thought of Sandow or Hodkinson & would prefer to see Hazard resigned before those 2

[TitanSam]

1. Folau
2. Don
3. Roberts
4. Hoffman
5. Mead
6. Mbye
7. Elgey

I just squealed a little...

[K2G]

Call me crazy, but I am every bit as excited about a potential Mbye + Elgey pairing, as i was for the potential DCE + Elgey pairing.

I just, I've been hurt before. I want to believe.

Maybe Life's Good??

Mmmmm baby, Life's Good.