‘Huge honour’: Tino chooses loyalty to stay with Hannay’s Titans long-term

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui has decided to stay with the Gold Coast Titans, with the club captain today declaring that he wants to “build a winning culture” alongside new coach Josh Hannay and lead the Queensland team to a maiden NRL premiership.

The Titans skipper has been in the headlines for some months now, after he activated a clause in his lengthy contract (it originally ran through to 2033) that allowed him to speak to rival clubs. He fielded semi-serious approaches from interested parties like the Sydney Roosters and St George Illawarra Dragons, and a proper offer from the Perth Bears.

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In the end, though, Tino was sold on the plan Hannay is building. “I want to remain loyal and be part of the team that delivers premiership success to the Gold Coast,” Fa’asuamaleaui said, while confirming he’d re-signed to at least 2030.

The Titans mean a lot to me, and my family, and my goal has never changed. To achieve that, I want to do everything I can to build a winning culture, and that’s why I’ve put to bed all the speculation before we start the season. I’m fully committed to the Titans and genuinely believe we have so much potential with the roster we’re assembling, and Josh at the helm.”

“Big Tino,” who started preseason a little late after touring England for the 2025 Ashes series, said he’s already enjoying the environment Hannay has been building, especially the emphasis on connections in the group.

Hannay has also been bringing in staff, fans, and community members regularly, The Sporting Base understands, in a bid to keep the star Gold Coast players more closely tied to the beach-side city and its culture.

“Being part of this club is a huge honour, and I’m excited about what lies ahead,” Tino said.

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This season will now be Fa’asuamaleaui’s sixth since he left Melbourne to take up a lucrative deal with the Gold Coast in 2021. Sometime this season, Tino is expected to play his 100th match for the Titans, where he was also just recently given the captain’s armband.

Hannay welcomed the news, telling SEN: “My language around Tino’s been consistent from day one in that I’ve not heard anything from him or seen anything from him since I’ve got here that suggests he wants to be anywhere other than on the Gold Coast. I know skippering this club means a lot to him. Seeing this club, become a force and successful is important to him.

“He’s done the hard yards over the last four-to-six years… he wants to be here, that’s what he’s communicated to me. I think naturally there’s been a frustration from him, maybe over the last 12 months in particular, around a sense that the club wasn’t moving forward, that they were sort of stuck in this constant state of repetition around poor performance.

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“I’ve got a really long relationship with Tino; we go back 10 years, so it’s a little bit more than a coach-player relationship. We’ve had some really honest conversations, and I’m confident he’s going to commit his future short-term and long-term.”

Hannay’s Gold Coast squad starts its preseason with a hit-out against the Dolphins on Thursday, February 12.