As Gold Coast nears the end of a disastrous NRL campaign in 2022, CEO Steve Mitchell doesn’t shy away from his claim that the Titans will win more premierships by the end of the decade.
Mitchell’s promise in October last year came after a 2021 season in which the Titans reached the finals for the first time in five seasons, albeit with a record losing streak.
There will be no final this year, however, with a drought win over Manly last week, only the Gold Coast’s fourth triumph of the season.
Even if the Titans manage to win the three remaining games, starting with Saturday’s clash against St George Illawarra in Wollongong, the club will once again fail to win more games than they lose in a campaign.
Not since reaching the preliminary final in 2010, when the Titans were 15-9, has Gold Coast had a winning season, a streak that now spans 12 consecutive seasons.
Only four clubs in NRL history have had a worse losing streak: South Sydney’s 22 consecutive years between 1990 and 2011, Penrith’s 18 seasons from 1967-84 and Parramatta’s 16 seasons (1947-62) and North Sydney (1966-81).
It should be noted that the Panthers, Norths and Eels have had seasons where they have won more than they have lost in those runs, but due to draws they have not won more than half of their games.
The Gold Coast has only had two winning seasons since entering the competition in 2007 (2009, 2010), but Mitchell does not depart from his long-term vision for the club.
“We can’t get there without going through this year,” Mitchell told AAP.
“This is an important part.
“This is our way. This is what we aim for. We are serious and we are responsible for it. There are a lot of people who are doing a lot of work to make this happen ”.
Mitchell said the club’s bet on delivering the keys to an inexperienced backbone clearly backfired and would not be a mistake that would repeat itself in 2023, especially with the arrival of veteran playmaker Kieran Foran and Sydney Roosters hooker. Sam Verrills.
Even coach Justin Holbrook is still seen as the right man to achieve Mitchell’s goal of making the Titans a consistent and successful force despite outside speculation that his work was at stake during their miserable season.
“Justin has a lot of strengths as a manager,” Mitchell said.
“He is a great coach, the players love to play for him, but like all of us we all have growth and we all have areas where we can be better and he is also the first to admit it.
“So it’s about aging a year, learning from your mistakes. Do it well in the future ”.
THE LONGEST PITCHES WITHOUT A WINNING SEASON IN THE FIRST YEAR OF RUGBY LEAGUE:
South Sydney: 1990-2011 (22 seasons)
Penrith: 1967-1984 * (18 seasons)
North Sydney: 1966-1981 * (16 seasons)
Parramatta: 1947-1962 * (16 seasons)
Bulldog: 1948-1959 * (12 seasons)
North Sydney: 1923-1934 (12 seasons)
Gold Coast Titans: 2011 – present (12 seasons)
(* indicates a season with more wins than losses, but with draws, i.e. less than half of the games won in a season)