East Coast Tiger said:
It'd be nice to see a few more Queenslanders in the side, or a few from the Northern Rivers. The whole point of having a third Qld side in the NRL is to give more Queenslanders a shot in first grade. Of course there's only so many Queenslanders available but hopefully within two or three years the majority of players at the Titans will be Gold Coast/Nthn Rivers locals or at least from Qld.
The Gold Coast Titans recruiting policy heading in to our debute season will simply be to sign our Top 25 players who will all largely have NRL (or comparable e.g. Super League) experience. We are going to have a squad of 35 players training with the team which will provide a great opportunity for those playing for our feeder clubs Burleigh, Tweed Heads and Ipswich.
This from the Big League magazine;
Head Coach John Cartwright wants the inaugral top 25 to all have top-level experience but has not ruled out drafting players from the Queensland Cup feeder teams of Ipswich, Burleigh or Tweed Heads or even elite youth players from the area.
In closing, Carty is quoted as saying
"We may keep a hanful of places up our sleeve for players who come in to form towards the end of the year, but it's no surprise we'll be ready to push hard come July 1.
"We want to be competitive from day one, so I'd day the top 25 will be full of players with NRL experience, but like most clubs we'll have towards 35 players training with us, so there be plenty of opportunities for young talent and Queensland Cup players to push through."
In the modern era whether it be now or in two to three years time, it is IMO unrealistic to expect our club to be a team comprising only players from Queensland, Gold Coast and/or the Northern Rivers region. Whilst that would be the ideal and something we would work towards, like has happened in Newcastle, like has happened in North Queensland, we will most likely be a team made up players from different states and/or countries. The Elite Academy and our committment to our juniors in our catchment areas will always be a priority in order to give locals the opportunity to fulfill their NRL dream.
Titans Website said:
GOALS
A key objective of the Gold Coast Titans is to support junior rugby league in South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales, and provide a direct pathway for all players who wish to pursue a career in Rugby League. It is of the upmost importance that the Gold Coast Titans have a strong presence within the local competitions and schools in and around the immediate regions of the Gold Coast and Northern NSW and offer support and resources.
It is not only the junior players and the young adults of our game but also the coaches who give countless hours to develop our future in Rugby League, it is these coaches we must also educate and offer a corridor of opportunity to further their knowledge of our great game.
ONGOING PROGRAM
The Gold Coast Titans will soon have cemented two key positions within the organisation, those of the Head of junior Recruitment and Development Manager. Both will be responsible for the Rugby League development programs and the participation within our junior systems. These programs will assist in the identification of Queensland’s and New South Wales’ most promising young juniors - players that may eventually go on to play for the Gold Coast Titans. The grassroots of our game are what builds a club’s success both in the short and long term.
When these positions have been appointed, all schools and junior clubs will benefit from the input and commitment of the Gold Coast Titans to Junior Development.
