2023 Squad, Signings and Rumours Thread

[Hail Sezer]

Our OB's are in a weird spot overall

-We've got too many fullbacks and nowhere to play them
-We've apparently re-signed BK, but Jojo and Schoupp are also both there for a while. If so then it would not shock me at all if Schoupp left.
-Spry is a mile off and not even in the conversation
-Our wingers seem fine although a bigger/good yardage body would be nice to have. Maumalo is that guy but I've got a feeling he might not be there in '24. Tony Francis is also that guy but can't get up the pecking order and is off contract so I expect another club will sign him.
-We've got JDG coming in full-time next year (Dev) and I think he may end up as a centre too
-Our junior pipeline for OB's isn't flush with prospects and realistically there is only 1 maybe 2 that will end be full-time with the NRL squad within the next 2-3 years

[JunctionBlock]

Re-signing BK to let Schoupp go? That's a very Titan thing to do if that happens

[Cowabunga]

Schoupp and his missus are having a kid soon and and they're both from Sydney so I can imagine it possibly coming from his side for personal reasons if it happens. Who knows maybe he had a Holbrook clause or some other one.

Is there a reason we wouldn't just keep Francis around on min wage if there's not really anyone on the market + we don't have any other wingers as back up if Maumalo goes? I know we'd rather more experience but if we're not using Maumalo who's that type of player it doesn't make a lot of sense to me with what's on the market currently + Treymain not working out. JDG gives me hope though.

The talent pool is so thin and if we don't have many OB juniors coming through in the next couple years, It seems a bit odd to let guys go go who probably aren't looking for a starting gig (Maumalo might be) and would be back ups anyway unless they really aren't up to standard.

[willhelm]

I haven’t been particularly impressed with Schoupp to be honest

[MaroonTitan]

Schoupp and his missus are having a kid soon and and they're both from Sydney so I can imagine it possibly coming from his side for personal reasons if it happens. Who knows maybe he had a Holbrook clause or some other one.

Is there a reason we wouldn't just keep Francis around on min wage if there's not really anyone on the market + we don't have any other wingers as back up if Maumalo goes? I know we'd rather more experience but if we're not using Maumalo who's that type of player it doesn't make a lot of sense to me with what's on the market currently + Treymain not working out. JDG gives me hope though.

The talent pool is so thin and if we don't have many OB juniors coming through in the next couple years, It seems a bit odd to let guys go go who probably aren't looking for a starting gig (Maumalo might be) and would be back ups anyway unless they really aren't up to standard.

Agree with this. If we can't sign Parker, offer Francis a spot in the 30. If we can sign Parker, resign Francis on a Dev deal or put them both in the 30.

[Cowabunga]

Apparently Parker could be moving to the 2nd row at Manly. Issue with signing someone like Parker is that he would probably want a guaranteed starting spot which after signing Kelly and Jojo probably going to get a good crack at right centre isn't really available. He's to good to be sitting on the bench and I don't think we re-signed Kelly to either.

[Hail Sezer]

Sami extension confirmed

https://www.titans.com.au/news/2023/...three-seasons/

Well deserved.

[AliDavysStep]

Sami extension confirmed

https://www.titans.com.au/news/2023/...three-seasons/

Well deserved.

100%. Passionate Titan and great player. Congrats Phil.

[T0ken]

https://www.titans.com.au/news/2023/..._source=Eloqua

BK confirmed

- - - Updated - - -

So what’s the plan? Des runs these boys through and we just run with what we have for the next 3 years? A lot of players signed till 2026 now

[Titanic]

Badel’s long winded article in today’s SM about the Titans, with our CEO, is an interesting read.

In summary: the club will fight for Tino and Difita + Holbrook was a good guy but had to go + Des will shake up the whole club and bring premierships by 2030 = imo, when CEO’s talk IP and KPI’s, which he does, then we are grasping at straws. I am very happy with the Des signing but shattered about the Bears and the roster management.

“Gold Coast won’t give up Tino without a fight”
https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...30dfc3c00a9161

[Hail Sezer]

Badel’s long winded article in today’s SM about the Titans, with our CEO, is an interesting read. In summary: the club will fight for Tino and Difita + Holbrook was a good guy but had to go + Des will shake up the whole club and bring premierships by 2030 = imo, when CEO’s talk IP and KPI’s, which he does, then we are grasping at straws. I am very happy with the Des signing but shattered about the Bears and the roster management.

Gold Coast won’t give up Tino without a fight
https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...30dfc3c00a9161

Why do you think Mitchell is grasping at straws by saying that T?

[Titanic]

Why do you think Mitchell is grasping at straws by saying that T?

I feel the article offers nothing but what had been said previously and is just a rolling out of the very obvious. It doesn’t address either of the two situations that imo need to be clarified: the clauses and the Bears.

Both of those tangfu’s if not resolved should mean his job. He played his hand but we are 14th and although it can be argued that he has moved to improve that, we all knew that the writing was on the wall a year ago, without the clause issue or the QCup. I think he’s in trouble and I would like to hear some stabilizing comments from Dennis Watt or the Board.

[T0ken]

The bears was 100% an inside job imo the qrl were leading us along with a proper qrl pathway until the 11th hour and pulled the rug out which is annoying. I would also hazard that we had a contingency with Burleigh that “if this then x” and Burleigh played along until the dolphins shook up the feeders by signing norths which gave them an avenue to run with the broncos now they look good again (as an aside I think it will bite them, they already ran their third tier guys through norths so I don’t see Burleigh getting their best like we had been giving them)

I just want to know which way we are affiliating moving forward. We can make a “tweed B” (or promote our northern rivers titans pathway ) for the nsw cup and run a side through that like Melbourne and NZ are doing now or we can affiliate with a Brisbane mob like easts tigers / ippy jets or western Clydesdales. Both options are not ideal for travel

Clauses are clauses and I won’t begrudge them. The hook refusal of clauses is what started 18 months of dragons doomed media narratives. Given that only tino has triggered his I think it’s not been that big a deal tbh and more a media beat up

[Titanic]

Just for the record, I’m not on a witch hunt for anybody’s head, I only want clarity on those two issues. I agree with T0ken that there are options, although far from ideal, for our reserve grade but the disruption to our pathways and the poisonous influence of the ‘Ponies cannot be ignored. On the clauses though, I am less accepting as having them is one thing but mismanaging them is another completely. I realize there could be extenuating circumstances and that is why I believe the Club Board should speak out and stop the media circus and public conjecture.

[Cowabunga]

Frizelle is on Face to Face, I don't know how deep they'll go into stuff but there is some stuff about what went down in the promos for it.