Gold Coast Titans Possible Rebranding and Move...

[Tigerlily]

**Gold Coast Titans targeted for shock move to Brisbane**

NRL PREMIERSHIP
July 17, 2019 9:10pm
by STAFF WRITERS
Source: FOX SPORTS

The Titans are reportedly being targeted for a move to Brisbane.
Source: AAP

The Gold Coast Titans are reportedly being targeted by a consortium to make a shock move to Brisbane to be the cities second rugby league team.

The struggling glitter strip club, who sacked coach Garth Brennan on Sunday would potentially play out of Suncorp Stadium as a rebranded Brisbane team.

“Some rugby league heavy hitters are involved in a top secret plan to transform the Gold Coast Titans into Brisbane’s second rugby league team,” Channel 9 reported.

“Nine news understands up to eight Titans games a season would be played in Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium under a new name.

“Super League heavyweights and former Melbourne Storm bosses John Ribot and Chris Johns are said to be involved.”

The potential move comes on the back of the turmoil surrounding the club with declining crowds and their dire on field form, that sees them sitting last in the NRL.

“I heard the plan was to relocate the club and move them out of the Gold Coast and into Brisbane,” Ben Ikin told NRL 360.

“Eight of the games would be played at Suncorp Stadium and the other four would be played outside of Brisbane.

“John Ribot and Chris Johns have had success in the past and are both very intelligent guys so there would be something deeper behind this.”

 

[newtiger]

I wonder how the players contracts would be if they were rebranded and moved?

 

[balmain boy]

When there's a second Brisbane team they need their own stadium, not the crap hole casm of suncorp. A joint gc/Brisbane team would be a spectacular failure. Both cities would abandon the team.

 

[happy_tiger]

I was about to say it is the stupidest idea ever until I saw Ribot was involved ....

Still think it has to be at Ipswich or Sunshine Coast to try and build a rivalry

 

[innsaneink]

Meh.. Who cares

 

[GNR4LIFE]

They should relocate to the Central Coast and call themselves the Bears. Talk about about a club with no history or significance.

 

[TIGER]

I suggested this a month ago. (Yes I'm a genius)

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Should have happened from the start.

This is what the fourth attempt to try an establish a club there?

They get rationalisation and expansion in the one go if they go ahead with this.

 

[krayola]

Ahhh, so the media has settled on this season's 'club in crisis' / 'basketcase'.

Surprise it took so many years for them to choose the Titans.

 

[Yossarian]

I can't see the NRL wanting to vacate the GC to the Suns. The club is a basket case but if they had a decent team they'd be alright. Nice stadium, growing population. I just don't see the value in what's being proposed. Another Suncorp based club I don't see working unless they really do it properly.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

I can't see the NRL wanting to vacate the GC to the Suns. The club is a basket case but if they had a decent team they'd be alright. Nice stadium, growing population. I just don't see the value in what's being proposed. Another Suncorp based club I don't see working unless they really do it properly.

They've got a whole region to themselves and they can only generate just shy of 8,000 members in a dedicated home stadium they don't share with anyone else.

We're a basketcase, haven't made the finals for 7 years, play in all corners of the Sydney Basin and we still generate 20,000 members.

 

[jirskyr]

I can't see the NRL wanting to vacate the GC to the Suns. The club is a basket case but if they had a decent team they'd be alright. Nice stadium, growing population. I just don't see the value in what's being proposed. Another Suncorp based club I don't see working unless they really do it properly.

They've got a whole region to themselves and they can only generate just shy of 8,000 members in a dedicated home stadium they don't share with anyone else.

We're a basketcase, haven't made the finals for 7 years, play in all corners of the Sydney Basin and we still generate 20,000 members.

I agree and I don't get why the Titans can't do better with the local population. Well, I'd say you need to have a number of consecutive winning seasons to really build the culture of a new club, and that just hasn't been happening for Gold Coast.

Perhaps the locals are fatigued with the previous club failures, or perhaps the previous clubs have failed because it's not truly a rugby league stronghold. I've only been to Goldie a few times, perhaps the locals are more interested with lattes and blackjack than rugby league, same as the modern gentrified Bondi / Balmain / Redfern / North Sydney populations are not the same as those that spawned the foundation clubs.

If you look at Sydney Swans by way of comparison, they took 15 years to be competitive and probably another 10 years after that to have a serious and stable following. It needs to come through the new fans, through some sustained on-field success, and into the next generation of kids. Those kids who grow up never knowing another team apart from Titans, who truly identify with Titans as the local team, the enemies of Brisbane etc.

Same with the kids being born now who really know nothing of Magpies or Balmain except the stories.

Goldie has 3x the population of Townsville, within striking distance of another million folks in South Brisbane and some 150K across the Tweed - 6th biggest population centre in Australia and first after the 5 main capital cities (comfortably bigger than Canberra or Newcastle). The people are there, they need the team to perform and the population to sign on.

 

[Snake]

@Cultured_Bogan Your not talking Campbelltown are you ... West’s a whole area to them selfs and could not generate 8k at games sounds awfully like it .. oh wait sorry your were talking about GC !

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

I can't see the NRL wanting to vacate the GC to the Suns. The club is a basket case but if they had a decent team they'd be alright. Nice stadium, growing population. I just don't see the value in what's being proposed. Another Suncorp based club I don't see working unless they really do it properly.

They've got a whole region to themselves and they can only generate just shy of 8,000 members in a dedicated home stadium they don't share with anyone else.

We're a basketcase, haven't made the finals for 7 years, play in all corners of the Sydney Basin and we still generate 20,000 members.

I agree and I don't get why the Titans can't do better with the local population. Well, I'd say you need to have a number of consecutive winning seasons to really build the culture of a new club, and that just hasn't been happening for Gold Coast.

Perhaps the locals are fatigued with the previous club failures, or perhaps the previous clubs have failed because it's not truly a rugby league stronghold. I've only been to Goldie a few times, perhaps the locals are more interested with lattes and blackjack than rugby league, same as the modern gentrified Bondi / Balmain / Redfern / North Sydney populations are not the same as those that spawned the foundation clubs.

If you look at Sydney Swans by way of comparison, they took 15 years to be competitive and probably another 10 years after that to have a serious and stable following. It needs to come through the new fans, through some sustained on-field success, and into the next generation of kids. Those kids who grow up never knowing another team apart from Titans, who truly identify with Titans as the local team, the enemies of Brisbane etc.

Same with the kids being born now who really know nothing of Magpies or Balmain except the stories.

Goldie has 3x the population of Townsville, within striking distance of another million folks in South Brisbane and some 150K across the Tweed - 6th biggest population centre in Australia and first after the 5 main capital cities (comfortably bigger than Canberra or Newcastle). The people are there, they need the team to perform and the population to sign on.

The Titans come out of the gate well. They made the top four in their third and fourth seasons.

The had good foundations to start off, the community has not engaged them for whatever reason.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

@Cultured_Bogan Your not talking Campbelltown are you ... West’s a whole area to them selfs and could not generate 8k at games sounds awfully like it .. oh wait sorry your were talking about GC !

I said 8,000 members, not crowds. And Campbelltown is not a dedicated region for WT. We don't live there full time.

GC has a stable catchment area and plays in the one spot and actually made the finals in the last 3 seasons. We play at 6,986,324 grounds a season and two catchment areas, neither of which we play in for a reasonable amount of the season and we have over twice as many members. We couldn't bribe our way into the finals either.

 

[NT_Tiger]

@jirskyr I think for any new venture to succeed they need the NRL to be a stable platform. Here we read rumours that The GCT may be moved to Brisbane. Will that impress local fans?
Our own fans express continuing displeasure with the lopsidedness of the existing competition. I imagine that in itself would be keeping potential future fans away from the NRL competition as a whole and from struggling teams like GCT in particular.

 

[jirskyr]

The Titans come out of the gate well. They made the top four in their third and fourth seasons.

OK but that's a little honeymoon period IMO. They recruited well with an empty salary cap - some experience, some toughness, some fellows looking to move back closer to home. Luke Bailey, Minichiello, Scott Prince, Laffranchi, Preston, Gavin Cooper and a returning Mat Rogers. Some reasonable average-priced players - Brad Meyers, Hodgson, Nathan Friend, Paea, Lelany, O'Dwyer, Swain, Sideshow Bob.

After 2 seasons, Ash Harrison, Kevin Gordon, Mead, Zillman, Tagatese, Bodene, Greg Bird.

Since then - where are the local players? No top local talent comes to mind? Goldie should be competing with Broncos, Storm and Cowboys for the best of QLD talent.

I think they have a decent roster this year, terrific forward pack, but the halves are killing them wtih Ash Taylor being both the most talented and most over-priced / underwhelming output halfback going around.

I don't rate Garth Brennan at all and John Cartwright started well before falling away.

Goldie also probably have the disadvantage of living in the shadow of the Broncos.

Two finals in four years, then best finish 8th in the following 8 years, including a wooden spoon, isn't going to do it for the locals.

Goldie are probably on a trajectory like Cowboys - it's going to take another 4-10 years, one true elite-level tent-pole player, plus a savvy coach to get them consistently playing finals. It took the Cowboys 10 seasons to make the finals for the first time, they missed it 4 of the next 6 seasons, then made 7 consecutive up to 2017.

Neither side has (had) the luxury of rusted-on supporters like Tigers or Eels or Bulldogs do.

 

[Madgic]

@Tigerlily They don't need to move but should be rebranded as GC-Logan. Logan is halfway (okay, nearly) to the GC anyway and has a HUGE talent pool. They could still play at CBUS, it's a half hour drive. If the population of Logan / Albert supports them who cares about Brisbane? I am Brisbane born and raised but would NEVER support the Broncos.

 

[Madgic]

@jirskyr "Terrific forward pack" 😅 Raiders still laughing that they bought Shannon Boyd. In good *uninjured * players they really only have Kevin Proctor.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

I remember being at Ctown in 2007 when we played them, their first year in, and seeing people in Titans jerseys. I couldn't get my head around it. Maybe its because they are still a relatively new club compared to most others, but they have always been a soulless club with no connection to anything imo.

Bring back the Bears.