Gold Coast Titans 2024 season preview
2023 recap
2023 was another underwhelming year for the Titans, who fell away in the second half of the season to finish a disappointing 13th. If one game summed up their season, it would be the round 8 clash with the Dolphins, where Gold Coast threw away a 26-0 lead to lose 28-26 – the biggest comeback in NRL history. Coach Justin Holbrook was sacked later on in the season with the team still as high as 9th, but after his departure they won only two of their remaining 10 games to finish a long way short of the finals.
2023 position: 13th
Key signings
Keenan Palasia (Brisbane Broncos), Harley Smith-Shields (Canberra Raiders)
Key departures
Aaron Booth (retired), Patrick Herbert (released), Kruise Leeming (Wigan Warriors)
Players to watch
If the Titans are going to get back into finals contention in 2024, they’ll need captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui at his best. The prop missed five games in 2023 and the side won only one of them in his absence. His new 10-year, $12m contract will out extra pressure on him to help deliver a finals spot this year.
David Fifita is the Titans’ other big-money man with pressure on his shoulders to deliver. The second-rower is one of the most destructive ball carriers in the NRL on his day, but his time on the Gold Coast has been a mixed bag so far. Still, there were plenty of promising performances from him on a personal level in 2023, and for $800,000 a year, he’ll be expected to be one of the team’s leaders.
Young gun
Tom Weaver will be breathing down Tanah Boyd’s neck in the battle to be the Titans number seven this year. The 20-year-old made three appearances in 2023, and the homegrown talent isn’t short of ambition, having declared his desire to lead the club to their first Premiership and be the first-choice half for his entire career. Any injury or loss of form for Boyd could see him get his chance sooner rather than later.
Our prediction – 16th
I can see 2024 being a long hard season for the Titans. Their squad lacks the depth to be a Premiership contender and there are plenty of much stronger teams in the running for a finals place. If they can keep everyone fit, they’re a chance of finishing higher up the ladder, but injuries are part and parcel of an NRL season, and with four players likely to be called up for Origin, their squad won’t be able to compete.
