Titans coup as Tino commits future after Hannay revamp
Joel Gould |
Gold Coast captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui has given the Titans a massive boost by pledging his future to the club until the end of 2030.
The 25-year-old had a clause in his contract that allowed him to source other offers for the 2027 season but he knocked back the opportunity to progress talks due largely to the environment created by new coach Josh Hannay.
Fa’asuamaleaui was up front from the start of the process. He said he would test the market but made it clear his desire was to stay and help the Titans get back to finals footy.
The key point the Test and Queensland forward made was that he wanted to be convinced the Gold Coast would provide him and his teammates with a high performance environment to take the club towards success.
Hannay has achieved that in a short space of time and it is a massive credit to him and his staff after the Titans finished 16th last year in ex-coach Des Hasler’s final season in what was a tumultuous two years at the helm.
Fa’asuamaleaui’s manager Simon Mammino told AAP the Perth Bears were the only club his client spoke to officially.
The Bears submitted an expression of interest but did not make an offer. Other clubs were prepared to talk, if and when Fa’asuamaleaui wanted to, and Mammino had several lined up if he wanted to pursue that path.
Fa’asuamaleaui, true to his word, gave Hannay and the Titans a chance to win him over and has now made his decision.
“The Titans mean a lot to me and my family, and my goal has never changed since coming to the club… I want to remain loyal and be part of the team that delivers premiership success to the Gold Coast,” Fa’asuamaleaui said.
“I want to do everything I can to build a winning culture and that’s why I’ve put to bed all the speculation around my future before we start the season.”
Fa’asuamalaeaui, who has another option he enact until 2033 at the end of the 2030 season, said he backed the club’s roster to fire into the future under Hannay.
“I’ve particularly enjoyed the environment he’s created since returning to pre-season training, especially his emphasis on our connection with just not ourselves as a playing group, but also to our wider staff, members and community.
“Leading this club is a huge honour and I’m excited about what lies ahead as we continue our pursuit of NRL premiership success.”
Hannay, who had coached the Titans skipper previously when he was a Queensland assistant, said in all his discussions the skipper had been consistent with his “love for the Titans and his teammates” and desire to help the club be successful.
“We also spoke on developing an environment and a football program that he and our entire club are proud of and want to be part of,” Hannay said.
“We’ve been cognisant of the fact this can take some time and I’m glad he’s had the opportunity to fully immerse himself with the changes we’ve made since returning from representative duties in December.
“He’s one of the best front rowers in the game who’s yet to hit his ceiling. He’s also one of our core leaders who many of our emerging forwards look up to.
“I’m glad he’s here for the long haul as an important cog to us achieving sustained success.”
AAP
