Gold Coast Titans don’t have salary cap space for Alex Glenn
The problems facing incoming Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook are multiplying, with Mal Meninga revealing the struggling Titans don’t have the salary cap funds to sign Alex Glenn from Brisbane.

Peter Badel, The Sunday Mail (Qld)
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Gold Coast have ruled out a poaching raid on Broncos veteran Alex Glenn due to a salary cap squeeze that has left the Titans with just $100,000 to rebuild the club as a premiership force.

Titans culture chief Mal Meninga told The Sunday Mail his hopes of snaring Glenn have been torpedoed by financial roadblocks that illustrate the enormous task ahead for incoming coach Justin Holbrook.

Despite languishing in last-place, headed for their second wooden-spoon in eight years, the cash-strapped Titans are almost at their salary cap limit.


Past administrators have farcically bungled the Gold Coast’s salary cap management, leaving Meninga and new recruitment chief Ezra Howe the complex task of reconstructing the Titans’ roster with limited funds.

Glenn remains off-contract at Brisbane and revealed during the week he is open to joining the Titans given his links to the region, with the 255-game Bronco having lived on the Gold Coast for the past 16 years.

Meninga said Glenn, one of the NRL’s most professional trainers, would be an ideal recruit to spearhead a new era under Holbrook, but concedes the Titans cannot table an attractive offer.

“To be honest we only have $100,000 to spend in the salary cap — that’s all we have got,” Meninga said.

“We are jammed for funds under the salary cap.

“I would love to sign Alex Glenn. He is a quality player and a great leader, he could definitely enhance the club, but financially I don’t think we can afford him.

“There’s definitely interest in Alex from our end, but it’s having the ability to pay what a player of his quality is worth.”

The Titans’ salary cap position means any roster overhaul will not happen any time soon, with new coach Holbrook tasked with delivering success in 2020 with essentially the same squad that imploded this season.

And the Titans will soon face fresh retention headaches. The club has 14 top-liners coming off-contract next year, headlined by Origin ironman Jai Arrow, boom rookie AJ Brimson and key forwards Ryan James, Nathan Peats and Kevin Proctor.

Leading playmaker Tyrone Roberts and winger Phillip Sami are others who will be playing for contracts, but it will give Holbrook and Meninga the opportunity to free up cap space by moving on those who aren’t performing.

“We have got to work through our contracted list at the moment,” Meninga said.

“That’s part of our dilemma — trying to improve the team if we possibly can with the players we’ve got under the salary cap.

“We believe we have enough depth in our ranks to make some progress, but we are always on the lookout for quality people.”

Broncos legend Darren Lockyer believes the Titans can make significant improvement under Holbrook next season.

“I think we will see the Titans start to regenerate their roster over the next two to three years,” he said. “If their salary cap is tight, the Gold Coast have to find a way to get the current group collectively lifting their games.”