Josh Hannay has pushed back on claims the Gold Coast Titans could go to the open player market to solve their struggles, especially defensively, slamming the idea as a “sugar-hit” that wouldn’t help.
Questions were raised again on Saturday evening after the Gold Coast again failed to keep a tight defensive structure, conceding over 30 points for the fifth time in a row.
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While some outside the Titans may think it’s time to panic, though, Hannay has made it very clear he’s working on the squad for a long-term future, and doesn’t want to turn to easy short-term fixes with his players.
“The most important thing, and I sort of addressed this a few weeks ago, [is] to become experienced, you’ve got to go through it. You don’t go out and buy experience. You’ve actually got to gain it, you’ve got to earn it, you’ve got to play 100 games,” he said when challenged on the Titans roster.
“This idea we constantly want to go out and buy solutions… It’s just garbage, mate. It’s not the answer. If you feel confident you’ve got the right people, then you persist.
“You’re going to go through some shit, but if you’re confident you’ve got the right people, then you persist, and then when they come out the other side and next time they’re in that position, they know exactly what to do.
“Once they gain experience, they’re going to make better decisions. That’s what matters.”
He then asked the Gold Coast faithful — few in numbers after so many down years, but still around when it matters — to stay patient just a little longer.
“It might be 12 months away. Things can turn quickly. [We’re] pretty clear on the group we’ve got here and persisting with the group. There’s no sugar-hit sort of solution where you just go and buy an experienced player to fix everything. You’ve got to commit to something and see it through.”
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The Titans are largely lucky that the St George Illawarra Dragons struggled so much early in the 2026 season under then-sacked coach Shane Flanagan. They’ll finish on 18 points, only four ahead of the wooden spooners.
That said, they could beat the Dolphins next weekend to wrap up the year.
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