Garth Brennan named Titans Head Coach

[lonegull]

What about Prince. He has told me personally he would do anything to help our halves out and would love to be involved again with the Titans. Just a thought

Yeah I agree, not sure why they haven’t sort both prince and Rogers to come in for some specialist halves training

[Nols of the Goldy]

New Titans coach Garth Brennan tells players to stand up or face the sack

Peter Badel Exclusive, The Courier-Mail
March 31, 2018 7:00pm
Subscriber only

ROOKIE Gold Coast coach Garth Brennan has put his entire Titans squad on notice, telling players to help him build a winning culture — or face the sack.

In a candid interview with The Sunday Mail on the eve of the Easter Sunday derby against the Broncos, Brennan says he will not tolerate slack attitudes in his quest to bring a harder edge to the Titans.

The Titans are under pressure to hit back against the Broncos following last Sunday’s 54-8 debacle against the Dragons and Brennan revealed any player not prepared to back his vision for success will be shown the door.

“There’s no bull**** with me,” Brennan said as he prepares for his Broncos derby debut.

“I want to get the best out of the players but if they don’t come to the levels I want them to be at, then there will be some changes, simple as that.

“The club comes first as far as I’m concerned.

“If guys don’t want to buy in to where I want to take this club and do the hard yards for success, if they don’t want that never-give-up attitude, then you are not welcome at the Gold Coast Titans.

“I’ve already said that to the group. There are guys who have contracts at this club but if they don’t want to buy into my culture, then come and speak to me and I will organise a release.

“Any player who doesn’t want to work hard for me, and for the future of the Titans, is free to leave.”

The Titans have 13 players off-contract this season, including former Broncos centre Dale Copley, winger Anthony Don and five-eighth Kane Elgey, who is currently mired in a worrying form slump.

Brennan inherited the Titans’ roster from former coach Neil Henry and while he has injected fresh blood, adding the likes of Bryce Cartwright, Leilani Latu and Mitch Rein, the composition of his ideal squad remains a work in progress.

Just three games into his first-grade career, Brennan has experienced the rollercoaster ride of NRL coaching. He enjoyed a remarkable 30-28 comeback win in his debut against Canberra but came crashing back to earth with last week’s horror show in Toowoomba.

Many believe Brennan has the toughest job in the NRL but the 46-year-old says his tenure as a former police detective has steeled him to make the brave calls needed to turn the Titans into a force.

“It’s not the roster I put together, so I’m working with it,” he said.

“The thing with me is I’m a straight shooter. I lead with my chin in the media sometimes and some people may want to have a crack at me for that but that’s fine, because I tell the truth.

“I’m not a coach who plays games. I’m not going to be a spin-doctor with the fans. It might come back to bite me in the ****, but if does, at least I can say I was honest with people and did it my way.

“I wouldn’t take the job on if I didn’t think I could turn this club around.

“I went to Penrith in 2012 and the Titans are in nowhere near as bad a state as the Panthers were. They were wooden spooners and financially Penrith were a mess with debts of $100 million.

“It will take us time to turn things around here but I hope people are patient. I would love to start debuting kids like AJ Brimson but I don’t want to throw them in the deep end at this stage.”

Brennan believes the Titans need to be mentally stronger, admitting he was concerned with the “panic” his troops showed when the Dragons went on the attack in Toowoomba.

The Titans have a horrendous record against the Broncos. They have won just two of their past 17 clashes and have lost 11 consecutive derbies at Suncorp Stadium.

“The performance against the Dragons was a long way from where we need to be,” Brennan said.

“If it happens again, I will be making some changes.

“You can excuse the guys for a week but that sort of performance on the weekend can’t be accepted too many times.

“We don’t deal with adversity well at the moment when things go against us. The boys get a bit shell-shocked and they get a little bit nervous. They get spooked a little bit. Sometimes guys are looking at the scoreboard and we are starting to panic and getting away from our processes.

“The club went through a lot of turmoil last year and there is a little bit of that left over within the club.

“I’m determined to fix that up and get the Titans where we need to be.”

[JunctionBlock]

Trevor Gillmeister rejoins Titans’ coaching staff to fix defence
Travis Meyn, The Courier-Mail
29 minutes ago

THE “Axe” is back at the Gold Coast, and is determined to transform Bryce Cartwright into a feared defender.

A year after knocking back Wayne Bennett’s approach to link with the Broncos, Maroons legend Trevor Gillmeister has joined Garth Brennan’s coaching staff to bring a tougher edge to the Gold Coast’s defence.


Trevor Gillmeister at Gold Coast training with Titans coach Garth Brennan. Photo: Courtesy Gold Coast Titans
Gillmeister, nicknamed “The Axe” for cutting players in half with his bone-rattling tackling, made his first appearance of the season in a consultancy role at Titans training today (pictured).

Gillmeister, 54, spent eight years as an assistant to John Cartwright at the Titans before being sacked by Neil Henry when he took over as head coach in late 2014.

The former Maroons and Kangaroos forward will work closely with halves Ash Taylor and Kane Elgey as well as the supremely talented Cartwright, whose defence has been a concern throughout his 75-game NRL career.

“It’s amazing when you talk to some blokes — they haven’t been taught as a kid,” Gillmeister said.

“A lot of islander boys were never taught how to tackle properly because when they were kids they’d just run through them and manhandle them.

“A bloke like Bryce, being a big kid, he’s been able to grab them and pull them down.

“When you get in with the big boys, that doesn’t work. You’ve got to have a good technique.


“I like seeing blokes get their defence right because I get a kick out of it, especially when you see little blokes knock big blokes on their ****.”

Despite a solid start, the Titans have conceded the most points (171) in the NRL this season and Brennan is looking to stiffen up their defence.

Gillmeister is an assistant coach for the Maroons and Kangaroos and was one of the game’s most feared defenders in an 11-year first grade career.

Gillmeister is reluctant to take on a fulltime NRL position, but said he would make appearances at Titans sessions throughout the season.

“I’m giving them a bit of a different point of view,” he said.

“It’s just a different way of saying things. I’m not reinventing the wheel.

“Mainly with the halves and Bryce as well. It’s about getting them more confident in their defence.

“Garth and I are very similar in the way we think about defence. It’s good when you’re both on the same page.

“I was here eight years. It makes you think back to the early days when we were at Runaway Bay and how basic things were. I’m loving it. I’m having a great time.”

Titans forward Will Matthews said Gillmeister could add plenty to the Gold Coast’s defence.

“It was good to see him again, he was an assistant coach when I was here a few years ago,” he said.


Will Matthews. Photo: Gold Coast Titans
“He is a very good defensive coach. He was one of the best defenders when he was playing.

“He’s teaching us good technique. We’ve got to improve on that.

“It’s really only been two games that we’ve leaked too many points. Under fatigue we went away from defending right and it snowballed.

“If we can get on top of that it will go a long way to winning more games.”

The ninth-placed Titans can move back into the top eight by beating the Cowboys at 1300SMILES Stadium on Saturday.

[Bayside Titan]

I wonder how many of Tonight’s Panthers team Brennan coached in the lower ranks ??

[GCTTSD]

I wonder how many of Tonight’s Panthers team Brennan coached in the lower ranks ??

I wonder if he's got a good relationship with kikau?

[DIEHARD]

Bit of speculation that Bennett could come here. I think that would be a mistake.

Pretty much dismissed as a bad idea by panel. And endorsement of Garth.

Ritchie is correct to say that we do have a reputation of dropping things and star chasing.

[Titanic]

I can’t believe I’m writing this but if we were ever to consider Bennett it should have been before he went to the Dragons ... the last thing we need now is a septuagenarian egomaniac undoing all the good work our current owners have done.

[DIEHARD]

I can’t believe I’m writing this but if we were ever to consider Bennett it should have been before he went to the Dragons ... the last thing we need now is a septuagenarian egomaniac undoing all the good work our current owners have done.

Yea I agree. Don't wanna be a Newcastle. Our club's fanbase can't afford that type of turmoil.

[teke]

BUT....a Bennett for the Clubs Coaching manager role would be superb, imagine the pull this guy would have and the devastation he'd cause to the Broncos

[Titanic]

We said that when The Emporer joined us ... over the hill is still over the hill even for Immortals and celestial beings.

[Boonarga]

Let's hope we have a good year in 2019 if only for the fact that Brennan stays and that ar$ehole Bennett never sets foot near this club.

[Whats Doing]

If Bennett did join the Titans, you would want to lock up your wives��

[JunctionBlock]

If Bennett did join the Titans, you would want to lock up your wives��

Would it be a 2 for 1. Do we get Boyd as well?

[Mr Bods]

Does anyone think there is any remote possibility of Brennan going to Penrith?
I know it’s unlikely or impossible but Gould is claiming current first grade coaches have contacted him.

[JunctionBlock]

Does anyone think there is any remote possibility of Brennan going to Penrith?
I know it’s unlikely or impossible but Gould is claiming current first grade coaches have contacted him.

I trust Gould about as much as I enjoy hearing his voice. I highly doubt Brennan would be considered. They're (IMO) obviously trying to get Papa Cleary back to keep Lil' Cleary.