D-Day as Gold Coast officials face Titanic call on new coach
D-Day has arrived for the Titans with the seven-person board today facing the biggest decision in the club’s history — whether to choose Justin Holbrook or Kevin Walters to lead the Gold Coast into a new era.
The Courier-Mail understands Holbrook has support to edge out Walters, with Titans culture chief Mal Meninga’s due diligence to be crucial in the board’s choice of coach to oversee Gold Coast’s rebuilding mission.
Titans bosses have privately consulted several leading players on Walters’ claims, including the club’s Queensland Origin representatives Jarrod Wallace and Jai Arrow.
Gold Coast executive chairman Dennis Watt has conceded the club’s long-term survival hinges on making the right coaching call.
Now the situation is real, with seven board members today holding the Titans’ future in their hands.
They are Watt, Ned Pank*hurst, Trish Hogan, Tony Hickey and Geoff Jones, plus Titans co-owners Rebecca Frizelle and Darryl Kelly.
Titans culture and performance boss Meninga will personally address the board before tabling his recommendations after weeks of fact-finding involving interviews and character references.
The board will then rubberstamp the preferred candidate before finalising a multi-year contract for Garth Brennan’s successor to begin the daunting task of hauling the Titans out of the premiership cellar.
While Walters has fine pedigree as a premiership player and two-time series-winning Queensland Origin coach, Meninga has been highly impressed by Holbrook’s outstanding results at St Helens.
Meninga had a magnificent two-year stint as a player at St Helens in 1984-85 and has used his network of British contacts to do his homework on Holbrook, which extended to an interview last week.
Walters has consistently said he will not apply for the Titans post but Gold Coast powerbrokers have seriously assessed him.
Wallace and Arrow have been asked about their personal experiences with Walters in the Queensland set-up.
Holbrook has also been linked to the Canterbury post but he has told Meninga he wants the Titans job.
The 43-year-old has a superb record at St Helens, having won 61 of 77 games for a 79 per cent success rate and is about to clinch his second consecutive minor premiership.
Former Cowboys premiership fullback Lachlan Coote, now at St Helens, yesterday rated Holbrook the best coach he had worked with.
The Courier-Mail last week said Walters one day hoped to coach in the NRL and Broncos mentor Anthony Seibold, his former Queensland Origin assistant, believed he would succeed at the Titans.
“Certainly Kevvie could be a great NRL coach,” he said.
“He has shown over a long period of time that he is passionate about coaching.
“He has had experience coaching his own side over at the Catalans Dragons.
“He has coached the Ipswich Jets in the Queensland Cup and been an assistant at a number of (NRL) clubs and had a lot of success as a player.
“There is no doubt that if Kevvie wanted to do that and be an NRL coach he can. I wish him all the best if that is what he wants to do.
“I also know he is passionate about Queensland so I’m sure whoever the Titans put in place there, they will get a good coach and the best coach they think can take the club forward.
“I think he is a tremendous coach and has had a long pathway to being an NRL coach.”
Hearing that we will find out tomorrow or Wednesday who the club decided on. Although if decided already some jurno will get it out late tonight.
#TitansThruNThru #WeAreReady
It better not be Walters or they can go screw themselves. Ironic, as that's exactly what they'd be doing.
Reckon we will find out later tonight by "breaking news" from somebody like Hooper on 360 (as you eluded to Bayside). Fingers and toes are crossed for Holbrook.
Also who else is not looking forward to another "Mal On Monday" tonight? Can't wait to hear how he thought we showed good heart and are heading in the right direction. Is Mal related to Garth does anyone know???
I honestly can't see it being Walters. I don't know how many times he has to come out and say he's not interested in the job to get it through the thick skulls of the media.
You could be right but again I quote that you would not see a coach employed elsewhere saying "oh yes I am interested in another job", that would be a breach in contract/a massive blunder for any employee anywhere. Plus he probably doesn't want to make it public as this would be the third or fourth time he's missed out on a job so is likely embarrassed. Hoping you are on the money but will wait and see.
Honestly Brimmo in his interview today gave a clear signal/stance amongst trying to stay professional (aka not piss off his Origin coach) by saying "Origin coaching is a lot different to first grade coaching. He's very passionate but yeah.." Says it all to me.
@brentread_7
Gold Coast Titans expected to make announcement on coach tomorrow. Justin Holbrook now the hot tip for job. Expected to be finalised tonight. More on #NRLTONIGHT and
@aus_sport soon
Every single one of my digits is crossed for Holbrook.
If the Holbrook rumour does come to fruition I am glad but also stunned. The Titans actually making a smart decision for once after 10+ years of stupidity?
I think Daryl Kelly in insisting Walters comes to us and your arguments on here have convinced me to flip to the Holbrook preference too.
I’ll get behind whoever it is (for all of 2020)
Surely the only reason Kevvie is getting a look in is for short-sighted commercial reasons.
Asking Jarrod Wallace about the coach that dropped him LOL Hope he threw Walters under a bus and then backed it up.
Justin Holbrook set to be announced as next coach of Gold Coast Titans
"Justin Holbrook has won the race for the Gold Coast coaching job, with David Furner and Tony Iro set to be his assistants."
From the Mole: https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/the-mol...4-b4954648b208
Thank Christ for that! Is the Mole who posted about Holbrook here weeks ago the same Mole who works for 9?