Gold Coast Titans 2026 season preview
2025 recap
Positives were few and far between in 2025 for the Titans, although they did just manage to avoid the wooden spoon.
A win over the Tigers in Round 27 saw them climb to 16th and avoid finishing bottom of the ladder for the first time since 2019.
It was a small crumb of comfort for a side who won just six games all year and had the worst defence in the NRL.
2025 position: 16th
Key signings
Kurtis Morrin (Canterbury Bankstown-Bulldogs), Luke Sommerton (Penrith Panthers), Lachlan Ilias (St George Illawarra Dragons), Adam Christensen (Burleigh Bears), Jensen Taumoepeau (Canberra Raiders), Max Feagai (The Dolphins)
Key departures
Alofiana Khan-Pereira (New Zealand Warriors), Isaac Fa’asuamaleaui (Catalans Dragons), Reagan Campbell-Gillard (London Broncos), Tom Weaver (Castleford Tigers), Carter Gordon (Rugby union), Kieran Foran (Retired), Ben Liyou (Released), Harley Smith-Shields (Released), Jacob Alick-Wiencke (Released), Ryan Foran (Released), Tony Francis (Released), Sean Mullaney (Released), David Fifita (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Brian Kelly (Parramatta Eels)
Players to watch
Lachlan Ilias has arrived on the Gold Coast with a point to prove after a disappointing couple of seasons. 2024 was virtually a write-off due to injury, then a move to the Dragons in 2025 didn’t work out as intended, with Ilias playing just seven games before being dropped for the rest of the campaign. Hopefully, a move to the Titans can reignite his career, and at 25, he still has plenty of footy ahead of him.
Max Feagai is another new arrival who saw a lot less footy than planned in 2025. The former Dragons centre managed just appearances for the Dolphins last year, and with just 31 games across five seasons in the NRL, this feels like a big season for him.
Young gun
Keano Kini burst onto the scene in 2024 before a serious neck injury derailed his 2025 campaign. Still only 21, the fullback should have his best years ahead of him and he looked in good shape for the Kiwis at the Pacific Championships at the end of the year. I’d expect him to regain his number one jersey for the Titans pretty quickly.
Our prediction – 17th
I think this could be the year the Titans finally finish rock bottom again. They haven’t notably strengthened the squad and they’ve lost some big players. 12th-14th would be a good year for them, but that looks a long shot, and a top eight finish looks borderline impossible.
