Titans bombshell: Hasler replaces Holbrook in huge shake-up

The Gold Coast Titans have made a huge call on the future of the club, ousting head coach Justin Holbrook for Des Hasler. The former Manly and Bulldogs premiership winner won’t actually take the reigns until the start of the 2024 NRL season, but a blindsided Holbrook has already been shown the door.

Titans bosses rocked the footy world with their announcement on Thursday.

The Sporting Base understands it all happened very quickly behind the scenes. While Hasler has been on the hooks for the Gold Coast job for nearly a week after a 10-day sprint of negotiations, Titans powerbrokers waited until 9.30am this morning to tell Holbrook his services were no longer required by the club. They fired out a press release 30 minutes later.

The decision came from a want to “move in a new direction” from 2024 onward, the club said. Holbrook was in charge for 82 games, winning 31 at a 37.8 percent success rate.

“I just can’t believe it, I feel awful. Totally gutted,” Holbrook told News Corp after the shock morning sacking.

“I did not see this coming at all, that’s what I am pissed off about. I could understand if they said, ‘Look you have three games or whatever time period to do something’, but to be moved on like this… If they were a bit more open about the way things were heading, I would have been able to digest this, but it’s hit me out of the blue.”

Hasler will take the reigns heading ahead of the 2024 NRL preseason. He signed a three-year deal with the Queensland outfit and has been sold as a leading figure in Gold Coast’s plans to win two premierships by 2030.

Holbrook was a title-winner with St Helens in the Super League, but never in Australia.

The 62-year-old helmsman replacing him has tasted success in the NRL. Across his 458-game coaching career he has reached five grand finals and won two, once with the Canterbury Bulldogs and once with the Manly Sea Eagles. He was a high-profile target for the St George Illawarra Dragons recently, though they eventually went with Shane Flanagan.

“I’m looking forward to joining the Titans and to the 2024 season,” Hasler has today. “The club has a strong playing roster, the region is blessed with emerging talent and the organisation is firmly embedded in the community.

“I’m confident we can deliver success to the region in the coming seasons.”