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  1. #1936
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    What Fifita's decision means for Broncos and Titans

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    Brad Walter
    NRL.com Senior Reporter
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    Thu 9 Jul 2020, 05:52 PM
    Brad Walter
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    Everyone knew at the start of 2018 that David Fifita was set to become the first player born this millennium to make his NRL debut.

    Fifita was that good that only the NRL's eligibility rules held him back from playing for the Broncos before he had turned 18.

    With his 21st birthday on February 25 still more than six months away, Fifita is already regarded as a player to build a club around and Gold Coast's offer to make him the highest paid star in next season's Telstra Premiership is set to have a huge bearing on the future of the club.


    It could also have an impact on the future of Broncos coach Anthony Seibold.

    If Fifita rejects the offer from the Titans, reportedly worth in excess of $1 million, to stay with Brisbane for around $500,000 less, it would be viewed as an endorsement of Seibold, despite the Broncos having lost six consecutive matches.

    It would also be a bitter blow for the Titans, whose image and reputation took a battering when Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans back-flipped on a lucrative deal to join the club in 2016.

    With the Gold Coast's best player Jai Arrow leaving for South Sydney at the end of the season, questions will be raised about why big-name players can't be enticed to the so-called "glitter strip" – even when the club's offer is so much more than their rivals.


    Is Fifita worth $1m-plus price tag? Bennett weighs in

    However, if Fifita takes up the record one-year deal with the Titans, it will be an indication that the Gold Coast is finally heading in the right direction again under the leadership of Mal Meninga, Dennis Watt and Steve Mitchell.

    When Souths were in a similar position in the mid-2000s, the Rabbitohs paid big money for Canterbury prop Roy Asotasi and he helped the club to sign Nigel Vagana and David Kidwell.

    The trio played key roles in turning around the fortunes of Souths after decades of struggling on and off the field and set the platform for the Rabbitohs to end their 43-year premiership drought in 2014.


    Gold Coast officials are hoping Fifita can have a similar effect and they are comfortable with their huge offer to the former Keebra Park High student, who last season became Queensland's youngest State of Origin debutant since Israel Folua in 2008.

    Despite uncertainty about the NRL salary cap for 2021, Titans officials believe Fifita is both affordable and fits in with the playing group they are assembling.

    He is close friends with Storm prop Tino Fa'asuamaleaui who has already agreed to move to the Gold Coast next season, as well as highly regarded Titans front-rower Moeaki Fotuaika, injured utility AJ Brimson and rookie playmaker Tanah Boyd.

    Family and friends are a focal point in Fifita's life and he wants to pay off the mortgage for his mother, Gwen, who is guiding him in his decision after a split with manager Steve Deacon.


    Fifita continues to do the impossible

    As he remains contracted to Deacon until December 31, Fifita only wants to do a one-year deal now and make a decision on his long-term future after their agreement expires.

    The Titans believe the young group of players he is close to and knows so well from school or Queensland junior representative teams can form the nucleus of what they hope will a be a premiership contending side for years to come.

    A forward pack with rising stars Fifita, Fotuaika and Fa'asuamaleaui could be one of the best in the competition.

    After three coaches in four years and plenty of other disruptions the Titans are keen to build a side that can replicate or better the success of the 2009 and 2010 semi-final teams.

    The signing of Fifita, who played under Meninga in Australia's World Cup 9s team last October, could have a multiplier effect.

    The Titans have nine players off contract at the end of 2020 and will lose Arrow to the Rabbitohs at the end of the season.

    Some of those are unlikely to be offered new deals and there is expected to be other movement before the end of the season which would free up further salary cap space.

    The future of former Australian Test prop Shannon Boyd, who is contracted for two more years, is under a cloud and it has been suggested that he may leave earlier to pursue farming interests.


    Another 11 Gold Coast players are coming off contract at the end of the 2021 season and if the Titans can secure Fifita on a one-year deal now there should be sufficient room in their salary cap to accommodate him on a long-term contract.

    While the type of money that Fifita has been offered by the Titans seems excessive, few now question North Queensland's decision to sign Jason Taumalolo on a 10-year, $10 million contract in 2017 or Manly's $10 million deal with Cherry-Evans.

    However, if the Titans again miss their target after making such a huge play for Fifita it will again cast doubts over the club's ability to attract big-name signings and compete with the Gold Coast Suns AFL franchise.

    Alternatively, should Fifita leave the Broncos, it will raise questions about why he wasn't the centre-plank of their retention plans, with the amount of money invested in fellow forwards Payne Haas, Matt Lodge and Tevita Pangai jnr leaving Brisbane unable to match the Gold Coast's offer.

    Former premiership-winning halfback Brett Kimmorley recently told NRL.com that the Broncos had focused so heavily on keeping all of their young talent that it was now impacting on results and would eventually cost them a player of Fifita's calibre.

    "They are unfortunately going to have to suffer some pain from their own success because they are going to have to let one of these good young kids go to get the system right," Kimmorley said.

    The upside for the Broncos is that they would have 12 months to get it right and lure Fifita back.

    https://twitter.com/bradwaltersport/...492140549?s=21
    #TitansThruNThru #WeAreReady

  2. #1937
    Moderator Bayside Titan's Avatar
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    Given we have a game today and Ponies tomorrow I suspect that he will say who he will sign with no Sunday / Monday.
    #TitansThruNThru #WeAreReady

  3. #1938
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    Hopefully Doggies get the job done. At least that will be a win for us.

  4. #1939

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    Quote Originally Posted by willhelm View Post
    Who do you reckon the next Pearce/Ponga could be? Luke Keary and Brandon Smith are the only two that fit the bill for me. There’s Tom Dearden and Harry Grant that are looking likely but they don’t have the runs on the board yet.
    Ponga has way less runs on the board than Harry grant. I don’t think we have a chance of getting Harry but he would be the perfect player for us

  5. #1940
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    Quote Originally Posted by FalconSloth View Post
    Ponga has way less runs on the board than Harry grant. I don’t think we have a chance of getting Harry but he would be the perfect player for us
    ?

    Ponga has played 56 club games and 3 Origins. I think Harry has just as much potential as the Pong, but he has only played 8 club games.

  6. #1941

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    Quote Originally Posted by willhelm View Post
    ?

    Ponga has played 56 club games and 3 Origins. I think Harry has just as much potential as the Pong, but he has only played 8 club games.
    I meant when the knights first signed Ponga. Grant has way more runs on the board than Ponga did when the knights signed him

  7. #1942
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    Quote Originally Posted by FalconSloth View Post
    I meant when the knights first signed Ponga. Grant has way more runs on the board than Ponga did when the knights signed him
    Oh I see, fair enough. I don't necessarily agree as I think Ponga showed a lot in his time at the Cowboys. I'd put them on par at the same stage of their careers. I'd absolutely love to take a punt on Grant like Newcastle did with Ponga. In fact I don't think it would even be that much of a punt. They both just exude confidence and have the ability to go with it.

  8. #1943
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    I’m confused as to why we keep talking about a guy who is signed to Melbourne till 2023.

  9. #1944

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    Quote Originally Posted by JunctionBlock View Post
    I’m confused as to why we keep talking about a guy who is signed to Melbourne till 2023.
    Because if Smith chooses to play on or Grant stays, you can't tell me he will be happy to play off the bench for the next 3 years. They could play him at lock but he's the NZ hooker so you would think he might be at least half interested in a starting number 9 role for big money. It would at least be worth the question to either him or Grant

  10. #1945
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    Quote Originally Posted by JunctionBlock View Post
    I’m confused as to why we keep talking about a guy who is signed to Melbourne till 2023.
    He’s publicly stated his intentions to explore his options if Grant returns and takes the 9 jersey.

  11. #1946
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    Quote Originally Posted by JunctionBlock View Post
    I’m confused as to why we keep talking about a guy who is signed to Melbourne till 2023.
    What’s a contract these days

  12. #1947
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    Didn’t we dodge a bullet with tesi nui. Thompson and AJ are light years better.

  13. #1948
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    Quote Originally Posted by elltee View Post
    Didn’t we dodge a bullet with tesi nui. Thompson and AJ are light years better.
    He’s only 18. I think he will be a good player but he’s definitely not the day 1 Star the Brisbane media talked him up to be

  14. #1949

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    Thompson has been a shining light and cant wait to see the competition between him and AJ.

    Agreed much happier with Corey and AJ over tesi

  15. #1950

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    Bryce Cartwright opens up on injuries, NRL future and his stance on vaccinations

    Behind the brickbats for his on-field form and his family’s stance on vaccinations, few see Bryce Cartwright’s courage just to remain in the NRL.

    Peter Badel, The Sunday Mail (Qld)

    Bryce Cartwright sometimes worries about how much longer he can soldier on, fighting the good fight with the pain barrier.
    The Titans forward knows he has his critics.

    He jokes he is convenient “click bait”. If he’s not getting bagged about his defensive efforts on the field, he is getting hammered off it about his refusal to follow the NRL’s COVID-19 guidelines on flu shots and his family’s stance on anti-vaccination.

    But behind the brickbats, few see Cartwright’s courage just to remain in the NRL.

    He is 25 but he has the knees of a 50-year-old. He is bone-on-bone in both knees, the shock absorption of his cartilage long scraped away by surgeons. At 19, he broke his ankle so badly in his debut NRL season in 2014 a doctor told him his NRL career was over.

    Six years on, Cartwright, his gait pigeon-toed, has defied medical wisdom.

    On Friday night, he played his 112th top-grade game, helping the Titans to a gutsy 16-12 defeat of the Warriors, but there are days where he ponders his mortality in such a brutal sport.

    “I do worry about how much longer I can keep going,” he said.

    “I had a meniscus tear when I was 15 and the surgeon scraped out all the cartilage. Then two years ago, I did the meniscus in my other knee. Since then, it’s been bone-on-bone.

    “The critics don’t see what you go through. Two weeks ago, I had to get my knees drained. I had 100ml of fluid taken out. My knees swell up and I have to get it drained all the time. That’s the price some players pay in this game.

    “We get paid good money, but it’s not an easy ride.

    “It’s hard mentally on me at times. But I always believe in never giving up. I will battle as long as I can until I retire.”

    Two years after breaking his ankle, Cartwright was so dominant for his former club Penrith he was touted as a NSW Origin superstar. He was swatting away defenders, chip-kicking and ball-playing with such confidence he resembled a forward version of former Eels wizard Jarryd Hayne. That 2016 season gives Cartwright hope his ankle won’t stop him recapturing his match-winning mojo for the Titans.

    “Initially, the doc didn’t want to tell me the truth because he didn’t want to put me off, but when I came back to playing, he said my ankle was like something out of a car crash,” Cartwright said. “My injury was so bad it was shown in a study over in the United States in colleges and universities.

    “The doc didn’t think I would run properly again. I have worked my ass off to get back to this level. I lost a ****load of speed and strength. For seven months, I didn’t take a day off with rehab, I worked every day to fix my ankle.

    “All the training and strength work we do at the Titans is amazing, I wouldn’t be on the field without the professional help I get from our trainers.

    “What keeps me going is the feeling I haven’t reached my best. I do get disappointed at my inconsistency and I want to get back to playing the football I know I can. I want to repay the Titans for giving me a chance after I left Penrith.”

    Cartwright was embroiled in a different health saga in May when he refused to follow the NRL’s edict for flu shots for all players under the code’s strict COVID plan to restart the competition.

    Temporarily banned from training, Cartwright was ultimately cleared to return after being granted a medical exemption. He was slammed for jeopardising the entire NRL competition.

    “I’m used to being in the headlines, I seem to be click bait for whatever reason,” he said with a laugh, speaking for the first time about the issue.

    “It was just a personal decision. I have my own ways of looking after my body and I didn’t feel having a flu shot was relevant to what needed to happen.

    “I didn’t feel I should be forced to do it. In the past, I’ve had a bad reaction to the flu shot. I won’t go into exactly what it did to me, but I got a medical certificate to explain the reaction I had and I am happy the NRL accepted it and let me play.

    “We have to fill in an application every day. If we have a runny nose or a headache, you have to go and get a coronavirus test. The NRL players are well protected so if you have the slightest problem, the clubs are across it. I feel fine and everyone is well protected.”

    His partner Shanelle has spoken out on social media about their decision not to vaccinate their two young children, sparking community outrage at a time when a measles outbreak in Samoa killed 83 people, mostly babies.

    At the height of Cartwright‘s anti-injection stance, Shanelle was ambushed by paparazzi while grocery shopping with their kids. Placid by nature, Cartwright gets emotional over that incident.

    “It was disgusting what they did to Shanelle,” he says. “It was harassment for someone with a camera to come right up to her in a car park at a shopping centre with my children.

    “It was pretty low. It’s quite sad, it’s effectively stalking. I don’t see why a personal decision by our family should lead to us being stalked by a photographer and makes us public property. It’s a joke.”

    Asked to articulate his and Shanelle‘s stance on vaccination, Cartwright sets the record straight.

    “I understand vaccination is a big issue in the world and it will create huge conversations,” he said. “I reckon it’s a 50-50 thing for me. I don’t get emotional about it. It’s just the way me and Shanelle want to live.

    “I’m not against people who choose to vaccinate, but it’s not for me or Shanelle. It’s our decision. Our kids aren’t vaccinated. They are healthy, we look after them and they are healthy and happy kids so we’re comfortable with our decision.

    “I can’t speak for my wife. Look, she is very passionate and vocal on it but I let her do her own thing. She has her opinions and that’s fine with me. People make a big deal out of it all, but I feel we all have a right to decide what goes in our bodies and we’ve made our choices as a family.

    “Shanelle and I have never once come out and said we are anti-vaccinations. We are pro-choice and pro-freedom. We believe we should have a say in what goes in our bodies.

    “If people want to vaccinate, that’s their choice, I have nothing against them and I don’t tell them what choices to make.

    “We have friends and family who vaccinate and we don’t debate that. We all have a choice. I feel like it’s all been blown out of proportion.”

    In football, Cartwright also has a choice. He is off-contract next year, but wants to sign a new deal with the Titans.

    “I love the place,” he said. “Sydney was a rat race, but I feel really settled on the Gold Coast.

    “I want to make the people of the Gold Coast proud of the Titans and I don’t want to let my teammates down either. I want to help the Titans get back into the finals. I would like to finish my career with the club.”


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