'Ostracised' Meninga to quit Titans after coach bombshell

1 year ago 95

UPDATE: Gold Coast's elder shot advisor and rugby league Immortal Mal Meninga was kept successful the acheronian astir the club's program to sack manager Justin Holbrook, and present looks acceptable to discontinue his relation astatine the club.

The Titans dropped the bombshell connected Thursday, showing Holbrook the doorway instantly and announcing Des Hasler volition instrumentality the reins successful 2024.

Hasler departed Manly past twelvemonth successful messy circumstances.

Meninga, who has been a Titans advisor for respective years and whose erstwhile rubric was caput of precocious show and culture, only recovered retired astir the board's program aft it happened.

"I didn't cognize until contiguous which disappoints maine a small bit," Meninga said connected SEN radio.

Gold Coast Titans advisor Mal Meninga. (Getty)

"The nine rang maine this greeting and I don't cognize however to consciousness astir it to beryllium honest.

"It's a immense determination successful the mediate of the twelvemonth and we are connected the precipice of the finals.

"They made a determination based connected the measurements they employed implicit the off-season astir their defence. (The board) felt we needed to look astatine the bigger picture.

"Justin is simply a large idiosyncratic truthful I'm evidently feeling a small disappointed for him. I anticipation it doesn't harm Justin's reputation."

When asked astir the imaginable signing of seasoned halfback Ben Hunt, Meninga admitted helium is not kept successful the loop by the Titans anymore.

Stream the NRL premiership 2023 unrecorded and escaped on 9Now

"I person nary idea, I consciousness ostracised a small bit," Meninga said.

"I've got a spot of reasoning to bash astir what I bash successful the future.. I don't envisage being portion of the nine moving forward."

Holbrook earned a beardown estimation arsenic a manager successful the Super League, and was signed by the Titans successful 2020, but "as the nine works towards the 2030 strategy of bringing success, the determination has been made to determination successful a caller direction", a connection released by the nine connected Thursday read.

Justin Holbrook (Getty)

"We are grateful to Justin for his publication to the nine implicit the past 4 seasons," Titans CEO Steve Mitchell said.

"We are present to bring occurrence to the Gold Coast and successful bid to bash truthful we consciousness that this is the alteration indispensable to present connected our committedness which is to triumph premierships."

Gold Coast played 1 finals crippled successful the three-and-a-half years Holbrook was successful charge, and presently sits ninth connected the contention ladder with six wins from 13 games.

According to Nine's Danny Weidler, the Titans told Holbrook helium was nary longer needed astatine 9.30am connected Thursday pursuing a 10-day dialog with Hasler.

Hasler, 62, coached Manly to premierships successful 2008 and 2011, earlier leaving and taking complaint of Canterbury.

Des Hasler. (Getty Images)

He led the Bulldogs to expansive finals successful 2012 and 2014 but the squad couldn't triumph a premiership during his clip astatine the helm.

He returned to the Sea Eagles successful 2019 but past near Brookvale successful a unreality of contention aft past season, falling retired with nine absorption implicit the infamous rainbow jersey saga that derailed their campaign.

Hasler volition reunite with Kieran Foran connected the glitter strip. The manager and prima fractional won the 2011 Manly rubric together, with Hasler besides signing Foran to articulation the Bulldogs and instrumentality to the Sea Eagles.

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!