Searle rules out Friend counter-offer
TITANS boss Michael Searle has ruled out increasing the club's offer to off-contract hooker Nathan Friend in a last-ditch bid to keep him on the Gold Coast.
The revelation Friend would quit the club at season's end yesterday sent shockwaves through the Gold Coast and left fans asking why the Titans haven't done more to retain him.
With the Titans and Friend unable to reach an agreement on a new deal, the headgear wearing rake looks set to accept a three-year offer from the Warriors believed to be worth close to $1 million.
It is understood the Gold Coast's final offer was a two-year deal, with a one year option, worth just over $700,000.
"We have got a budget we have got to work within," Searle said.
"Financially there is only so much you can spend.
"The offers he is obtaining, from what we understand, are substantially higher than ours.
"I would be being irresponsible if I tried to match some of the offers he appears to be attracting.
"It is not as though he has been put in a position where he hasn't been given an offer.
"We will be disappointed to see him go.
"He has been great for our club."
It will not be the last tough decision surrounding the salary cap this season for the Titans.
More than a dozen players are up for renewal in what is shaping as the biggest personnel shake up since the club's inaugural season in 2007.
Topping the list of off-contract Titans are ageing stars Luke Bailey, Preston Campbell, Brad Meyers, Anthony Laffranchi and Clinton Toopi.
At the other end of the spectrum, Joseph Tomane, Esi Tonga, Kayne Lawton, Riley Brown, Will Matthews, Jordan Rankin, Luke Capewell and Shannon Walker are also facing pivotal seasons in their burgeoning NRL careers.
Titans skipper Scott Prince said he would like Friend to stay.
"Of course I would like him to stay. This team is better with him in it. We have seen it this year. His contribution, his workload has been missed," Prince said.
"The chemistry of this team has been hampered by his absence.
"But he has to look after himself and his family. That is the profession we are in. Loyalty is not a factor any more. That is just the facts of the situation.
"The clubs run it as a business and so must the players.
"I also know both Friendy and the club would want this resolved quickly because I certainly do not want it to be an issue for the team."
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2011/04/07/306025_gold-coast-titans.html
