The Titans have good reason to be happy this season, with exciting roles and a new clubhouse in the works

WORDS JASON SINTOME & LISA HUGHES

Luke Bailey

Hopping off with the Kangaroos

The season will go on a bit longer for Jetstar Gold Coast Titans players Scott Prince, Luke Bailey and Anthony Laffranchi, with all three named in the Australian Rugby League train-on squad ahead of the October 14 Test Match against New Zealand. Bailey will join Laffranchi, fellow Titans’ co-captain Scott Prince and the rest of their Australian Kangaroo squad members this month in Sydney.

If Bailey and Laffranchi are the Jetstar Titans’ engine, Scott Prince is the club’s heart. The diminutive half-back has been one of the club’s best during its inaugural season, and he’s mentioned every time selectors meet to decide on a squad, whether they be from the Queensland State of Origin hierarchy or the Kangaroos’ management.

And one more feather to Prince’s crown – selectors have just announced the co-captain will play for the Australian Prime Minister’s Xlll team in Papua New Guinea, also scheduled for this October.

A Hub to Call Home

Steve Murphy, Anthony Laffrnchi Just 24 games old and already the Jetstar Titans are the talk of the Australian sporting community! While the players are now enjoying a well-earned break after their first season in the National Rugby League (NRL) , the club is now kicking goals off the playing field. Managing director Michael Searle has announced plans for a state-of-the-art training and office facility at Robina, right next door to the AU$160 million, purpose-built Skilled Park precinct.

To be constructed at a cost of AU$20 million, Michael Searle says the five-storey office and training complex will be unrivalled in the country and the envy of sporting teams the world over. “Players coming to the Gold Coast will not only be playing out of an amazing, brand-new 25,000-seat, purpose-built stadium in Skilled Park, but they will also be provided with the best facilities in the country to train and prepare in.”

Also earmarked for the Robina site are a rugby leagues’ club and training fields.

A 450sqm gym will dominate the first floor of the Jetstar Titans’ training centre, complemented by a 25m heated pool and two walk-through hydrotherapy pools, change rooms, medical facilities and a merchandise outlet.

Those fortunate enough to pull on the club’s colours will also enjoy the luxury players’ retreat, including a bistro and commercial kitchen, an indoor training area fitted with climate-control to simulate away-game conditions and a theatrette and audiovisual room for match-day and opponent analysis.

The new facilities will be completed by the end of the 2008 season; the Jetstar Titans will play out of Skilled Park in 2008.

Leading the Young Guns

Unbeknownst to many, under-20s coach Steve Murphy is the only member of the Jetstar Titans’ coaching team not to have played in the NRL. Murphy is actually a former representative of Australian touch football – a game far removed from the sport of collision that is rugby league.

On a daily basis, Murphy works alongside coach John Cartwright, an NRL premiership winner and State of Origin representative; Queensland State of Origin legend, assistant coach Trevor Gillmeister; and one-time State of Origin representative and NRL premiership winner, assistant coach Scott Sattler.

When he’s not taking drills with the Jetstar Titans or analysing opposition play and finding tactical weaknesses, you’ll find Murphy at Palm Beach Currumbin high school, working full-time as a science and physical education teacher. Despite the challenge of juggling teaching, the NRL and family life, Murphy says he wouldn’t have it any other way. Luckily, his wife Renee is a Queensland touch football representative who understands her husband’s dedication.

Come November 1, however, Murphy will take a year’s leave of absence from teaching to take on the position of Jetstar Titans’ under-20s head coach full-time; he’ll also maintain his assistant coaching duties with the senior side.

“We need happy and fulfilled players on the books and that means getting the balance between study and training just right. It’s up to me to prove myself in the coaching arena, I’ll give it my all and have a great time doing it.”

PLAYER PROFILE: Matthew Petersen

1. Ultimate car? Bentley
2. Last concert you went to? Xavier Rudd
3. Best birthday present? Cold rock ice cream cake
4. Favourite subject at school? Geography
5. First Job? Tyre shop – sweeping the floors

Member Question: What are your plans for life after football?
I’m currently enrolled at Bond University on the Gold Coast in a Bachelor of Sports Science and I plan to pursue a profession within the sporting industry.

GET THE GEAR

Show your colours by buying a Jetstar Titans jersey

Why not check out the great range of Jetstar Gold Coast Titans merchandise, like these official jerseys RRP AU$150 (adult mens only). To see the full range, and to purchase Jetstar Titans’ merchandise online, visit www.jetstar.com/titans

All prices are in Australian Dollars. Prices do not include postage and handling and are subject to change without notification.

Membership Renewal
A reminder to all Jetstar Titans members that the renewal process has begun! We look forward to sharing another exciting year of rugby league action with you!