Titans 2024 preview: Des will need time to leave stamp on stars

The Gold Coast Titans come into the 2024 NRL season armed with one of the biggest off-season signings from among any club… and no, it’s not a player. It’s incoming head coach Des Hasler.

Gold Coast’s rugby league team has arguably never had a truly top-tier coach running the show since its foundation in 2007.

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That’s not to say the bosses with their feet under the Titans’ desk haven’t been great in some regards, but outside flashes of brilliance⁠—most notably John Cartwright’s sizzling runs in 2009 and 2010⁠—the club has never had an enterprising veteran in the dugout that can lift its roster to that much-needed next level.

That is, of course, until Des Hasler this campaign.

Last year’s finish: Fourteenth, nine wins and 15 losses

Last ten NRL campaigns: 14th, 13th, 8th (elim), 9th, spoon, 14th, 15th, 8th (elim), 14th, 14th

Predicted Round 1 lineup

1. Keano Kini
2. Alofi Khan-Pereira
3. AJ Brimson
4. Brian Kelly
5. Phillip Sami
6. Kieran Foran
7. Tanah Boyd
8. Moeaki Fotuaika
9. Sam Verrills
10. Tino Fa’asuamalaeaui
11. Beau Fermor
12. Klese Haas
13. Keenan Palasia
14. Erin Clark
15. Jaimin Jolliffe
16. Isaac Liu
17. Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui

Coach: Des Hasler

Biggest losses: Toby Sexton Biggest gains: Des Hasler, Keenan Palasia

How 2024 is looking for Gold Coast

With Hasler⁠, a bonafide NRL winner⁠, at the wheel, The Sporting Base can see the Gold Coast’s fortunes turning quite quickly.

Not so quickly that 2024 is going to be a scorching year for the club on Queensland’s glitter strip though. The roster is dripping with talent, not least out-and-out superstars like Fa’asuamaleaui, Fifita, and Brimson, but Hasler is going to need time to get them all playing on the same page and digging in with the efforts championship squads produce.

Instead, expect a developing year as Hasler gets a feel for the problems rooted deep in the Titans infrastructure and weeds out the players who don’t want to play his style. There’ll be flashes of brilliance as everything comes together.

Predicted 2024 finish: 12th

First five: Dragons (H), BYE, Bulldogs (A), Dolphins (H), Cowboys (A)

TopSport odds: Premiers $51, Make Top 4: $7.50, Make Final 8: $2.80, Miss The Top 8: $1.42

Pass mark: Start looking like a finals team together.