Titans: Jonah Lomu to the Titans in 07?

[DeeGan]

I am certain a medical of some description will be looked when dealing with a guy who had a kidney transplant and has failed to reach any great height since returning to rugby.

[SuperCliffy#01]

As i said before we aren't silly if he gets through a medical and eager to play then i say sign him, remebers any publicity is good publicity, it gets our name across, i say we should go for it and let us not write off this champion player just yet, and since when was 31 old, i'd to be 31 again.cya. :fence:

[Go_The_Doggies]

I am certain a medical of some description will be looked when dealing with a guy who had a kidney transplant and has failed to reach any great height since returning to rugby.

But that hasnt been because his Kidney, its been because injury to other parts of his body, eg: Ankle.

[PROMETHEUS]

This on the League Unlimited site..
http://www.leagueunlimited.com/article.asp?ID=12377

[Crushers]

When I click on the link, I get nothing. What it is supposed to say?

[Darren Lockyer]

The Titans and Jonah ? all PR?
Written by: Jeff Wall
18/10/2006
For a team that is yet to hold its first training session, let alone play a match, the Gold Coast Titans have managed to achieve extensive publicity with the ?possibility? that Jonah Lomu will join the Titans next year.

Even the Daily Telegraph devoted close to a full page to the story yesterday ? it has even pushed Willie Mason out of the headlines on television. Was that the real agenda? There are aspects of the sudden interest the Titans have in a rugby union legend that tests the story's credibility.

Firstly, it is 11 years since Lomu was at his dominant best during the 1995 World Cup. Two years ago he had a kidney transplant after being close to death. His rugby union career has hardly recovered from an illness that is debilitating for anyone, let alone an international footballer. He could not find a regular position in the North Harbour provincial ? yes, provincial ? team in Auckland this year. He has not been offered a contract by any of the five NZ teams in the 2007 Super 14 competition, and as a result, is not even under consideration for the All Blacks squad for next year's rugby World Cup. So rugby league is hardly recruiting a union player at his ?prime? ? or anywhere near it.

But the credibility of the Titans' move really came under question when the CEO told the media, with a straight face, that the Titans wanted to give Lomu the chance to be a ?dual international?, implying that he would get a walk-up start into the Kiwis' Test team. One of the most respected medicos in sport, Swans doctor Nathan Gibbs, has described any switch to the Titans as ?madness? given Lomu's medical condition.

The meeting yesterday between Lomu and the Titans was inconclusive. A decision may be ten days away.

Lomu and his wife were shouted lunch at the Gold Coast's premier resort and given a helicopter view of the Gold Coast. The Titans received massive publicity at the very time it is launching its season ticket campaign for 2007. A happy coincidence?

And that is where the Lomu and rugby league story should end. A good PR exercise, full stop.

Theres the full story

[Crushers]

Maybe there is a great risk if Jonah plays after all.

Doctors blast Lomu idea
By Dean Ritchie
October 17, 2006 A LEADING Sydney doctor has described as "madness" the possibility that kidney transplant-recipient Jonah Lomu could play in the NRL next season.

Lomu, 31, will fly into the Gold Coast this morning for discussions with Titans officials about a one-year contract with the fledgling club.

Titans managing director Michael Searle denied Lomu would become a "freak show" while Mat Rogers said the wing would be "destructive".

Gold Coast management want to check Lomu's fitness and health levels and discuss a possible salary although the club will not pay anything more than $100,000.

Lomu did not finish New Zealand's NPC competition in North Harbour's first XV or even on the bench and he also failed to secure a Super 14 contract.

The former All Blacks winger - rugby union's biggest name during the 1995 World Cup - has been cut down by a series of injuries since undergoing a kidney transplant three years ago.

It has been alleged that the side-effects of Lomu's dialysis treatment led to severe nerve damage in his feet and legs.

Nathan Gibbs, a former Souths player and now the Sydney Swans doctor, warned Lomu against joining the ferocious NRL competition.

"You would have to be very wary, medically, to let a player play given he's had a transplant," said Dr Gibbs.

"Playing contact sport could jeopardise the benefits he has received from transplant surgery.

"I would advise that anyone who has had this surgery, and wants to play football, should have heavy counselling against such a move.

"It would be madness."

Bulldogs doctor Hugh Hazard added: "There have been instances in the past where players with only one kidney have been strongly advised to not play the game."

Lomu has told Titans officials he is now weighing 125kgs and running 100 metres between 11 and 12 seconds.

Asked would Lomu be a freak show, Searle said: "I don't think so. He is the biggest name in rugby union. It would be great for the NRL. Kiwi fans would come to watch him play in all cities we play."

Then asked was Lomu too old given he has not played rugby league, Searle said: "I don't think. I think the expectations on his return were unrealistic given his illness. He'd be a force in the 13 man game."

Rogers, who signed with the Gold Coast from rugby union, said Lomu would be a sensation at rugby league.

"Jonah's got it all - he's big powerful, fast and destructive," Rogers said. "He was the best rugby union player of his era."

Titans coach John Cartwright said there were issues to resolve before signing Lomu.

"The main thing is his health and whether he could stand up to the rigours of NRL," he said. "But doctors say once an operation like his takes hold, he'll be 100 per cent."

NRL chief executive David Gallop added: "Clearly there cannot be any salary cap concession but there's not many bigger names than Jonah in terms of what he has achieved."

[travis burch]

Let's get real for second... the Titans don't need any PR stunts !

People are talking about us without even having training session. They were talking when we only had a handfull of players. They were talking before Lomu, and they will be talking after Lomu. (With a little luck... during Lomu)

At least up until State of Origin- the biggest NRL story of 2007 is the Titans.

[Titanium_BD1103]

Let's get real for second... the Titans don't any PR!

People are talking about us without even having training session. They were talking before Lomu, and they will be talking after Lomu. (With a little luck... during Lomu)

LOL the Titans do a lot of PR, and very well might I add, and that comes from a person who is a PR professional...

This however I think is less about PR and more about Jonah wanting an opportunity, he approached the club, he wants to play here, the club is now just doing the reasonable thing and looking into it and if he signs, it will be on his accord.

GC didn't chase him to create a story, he chased the GC therefore there really is no need to call it a publicity stunt.

[travis burch]

LOL the Titans do a lot of PR, and very well might I add, and that comes from a person who is a PR professional...

I have mis-typed...

I have fixed it.

[W.I.L.T]

I hope that Lomu Joins the titans, he deserves a chance to proove his worth, I bet with a bit of training he would be devastating once again. He was too great a player to just lose all his talent.

[DeeGan]

The Titans and Jonah ? all PR?
Written by: Jeff Wall
18/10/2006
For a team that is yet to hold its first training session, let alone play a match, the Gold Coast Titans have managed to achieve extensive publicity with the ?possibility? that Jonah Lomu will join the Titans next year.

Even the Daily Telegraph devoted close to a full page to the story yesterday ? it has even pushed Willie Mason out of the headlines on television. Was that the real agenda? There are aspects of the sudden interest the Titans have in a rugby union legend that tests the story's credibility.

Firstly, it is 11 years since Lomu was at his dominant best during the 1995 World Cup. Two years ago he had a kidney transplant after being close to death. His rugby union career has hardly recovered from an illness that is debilitating for anyone, let alone an international footballer. He could not find a regular position in the North Harbour provincial ? yes, provincial ? team in Auckland this year. He has not been offered a contract by any of the five NZ teams in the 2007 Super 14 competition, and as a result, is not even under consideration for the All Blacks squad for next year's rugby World Cup. So rugby league is hardly recruiting a union player at his ?prime? ? or anywhere near it.

But the credibility of the Titans' move really came under question when the CEO told the media, with a straight face, that the Titans wanted to give Lomu the chance to be a ?dual international?, implying that he would get a walk-up start into the Kiwis' Test team. One of the most respected medicos in sport, Swans doctor Nathan Gibbs, has described any switch to the Titans as ?madness? given Lomu's medical condition.

The meeting yesterday between Lomu and the Titans was inconclusive. A decision may be ten days away.

Lomu and his wife were shouted lunch at the Gold Coast's premier resort and given a helicopter view of the Gold Coast. The Titans received massive publicity at the very time it is launching its season ticket campaign for 2007. A happy coincidence?

And that is where the Lomu and rugby league story should end. A good PR exercise, full stop.

Theres the full story

Nice article, though the holier than thou ending I could do without.

Everyone has a right to an opinion though labelling this as one massive PR stunt is incorrect.

A few points:

1. We haven't the time nor need to be creating some massive PR stunt in October. PR wise we are doing brilliantly on our own without the need of a former All Black icon to boost publicity. Sounds like a good consipiracy theory though.

2.

But the credibility of the Titans' move really came under question when the CEO told the media, with a straight face, that the Titans wanted to give Lomu the chance to be a ?dual international?, implying that he would get a walk-up start into the Kiwis' Test team.

Guilty as charged as reading a little too much in a rather general comment.

IF Jonah comes to terms with the club, we DO lay the platform for Jonah to become a dual international given he is playing in the NRL and would become eligble to New Zealand. Michael is not inferring he would be a walk up start to any New Zealand team. Sounded good though and helped perhaps back up his main point that being this is all designed for publicity.

It doesn't matter what we or any NRL club do in the NRL, there are those out there wanting to pick up apart most stories that border on becoming "too good to be true". It is all too common in rugby league or any professional sport.

[Grimmace]

Lomu health not a problem
By Dan Koch
October 18, 2006

GOLD Coast Titans last night tabled a formal offer to lure former rugby sensation Jonah Lomu to the club for its inaugural season.

Titans chief executive Michael Searle and coach John Cartwright spoke to Lomu yesterday, discussing everything from his health and fitness to his motivation for the potential code switch.

Lomu, 31, and his wife and manager Fiona then went on a quick tour of the Titans' facilities.

The meeting left Searle and Cartwright in no doubt the hulking winger was over the health problems that forced him to undergo a kidney transplant in 2004 and the ankle problem which curtailed his game time last year.

The Titans are believed to have made an offer of a one-year deal worth slightly more than $100,000. While Lomu could earn substantially more playing rugby union in Italy, Searle is optimistic.

"Jonah was well aware of our restrictions in terms of the salary cap, but, as we have said before, this is about the challenge for a supreme athlete, not about the money," Searle said.

"He did well for himself in rugby, so the financial aspect of things isn't a major priority for him. The kidney issue is really a non-issue for us.

"After meeting him I know he is not the sort of guy who would put himself in a risky situation. His surgeon and a series of specialists have given him the all-clear. He has been back on the field for two years without it being a problem.

"He is still a very impressive athlete. He is big, extremely strong and his pace and fitness are coming back. Obviously he hasn't played a lot of football over the past few years, so he is still finding his feet again.

"But he has played eight games in a row in New Zealand and is improving with every match. We have no doubt he can make an impact for us next season."

A veteran of 63 Tests for the All Blacks, Lomu, who approached the Titans just over a week ago, was giving little away.

"We are just here to have some talks with the Titans and see what is happening," Lomu said. "They are putting a proposal to us, so we will make a decision from there.

"They seem like a great bunch of guys and a very professional outfit, but we still haven't made any decision yet."

Searle said the fact Lomu hasn't played a great deal of football in the past three years weighed in his favour, pointing to the performance of 30-year-old Irish winger Brian Carney this season as evidence that miles in the legs is what counts.

Carney, who will link with the Titans next season, scored 15 tries in 20 appearances for the Newcastle Knights this season. He led the competition in line breaks and metres gained and was named the Dally M winger of the year.

"Brian showed that, just because you are 30, doesn't mean you can't produce," Searle said.

"Jonah hasn't had the wear and tear that comes with playing every week and is really motivated to come across and do something special."

While still a way off his physical peak, the veteran winger cuts an imposing figure and the Titans are convinced a pre-season under fitness guru Billy Johnstone will have him back to his destructive best.

A Canberra Raiders fan in his younger days, Lomu played rugby league until he earned a scholarship at rugby nursery Wesley College, but has remained an avid fan of the game, closely following the NRL and attending several matches in his homeland, including last Saturday's Australia-New Zealand Tri-Nations Test in Auckland.

Cartwright said he had been impressed by Lomu's drive, not just to make the switch but to make a genuine impact and slammed suggestions the move would be a sideshow.

"He is a guy whose image and standing in rugby goes beyond any other player in that game's history and he is not about to jeopardise that legacy," Cartwright said.

"This is a serious challenge for Jonah, who I see as one of the great athletes in the world. He wouldn't have bothered making the trip if he wasn't serious. He knows it is a long road, but seems very determined to make it work."

Source: The Australian

[PROMETHEUS]

Up yours Jeff Wall!! eace:

[Titans4UK]

I'd love to see Jonah playing for us, although he's had a bit of a rough ride! I was at the Leeds Tykes Vs. Cardiff Blues Rugby Union match about half a year ago and he played really bad! He got dumped by a guy called Dave Doherty who was 18! But I think his style of just carrying the ball and driving could help us!