Gold Coast coach Neil Henry won’t be able to sign replacement players for stood-down State of Origin pair David Taylor and Greg Bird in time for next month’s NRL season-opener.
Taylor and Bird are among five Titans facing charges of supplying cocaine after being served with notices to appear in court by Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission.
The quintet have all been stood down and are set to front the board within the next fortnight to discuss why the club shouldn’t rip up their contracts.
Until a decision is made on whether to sack the players or not the Titans are unable to sign replacements and will have to draw from their current squad for the season opener against Wests Tigers in two weeks time.
While fringe first-grader Jamie Dowling and Kalifa Faifai Loa’s absence isn’t set to harm Henry’s plans too much, the lack of Bird and Taylor as well as first-choice hooker Beau Falloon leaves the club light in the forwards.
Titans chief executive Graham Annesley confirmed on Monday the players won’t be available for selection until the matter appears before the courts.
“Anything involving the Crime and Corruption Commission and allegations of involvement in drugs is not something where we believe we can allow the players to continue with their training or playing commitments until we get some resolution around that,” Annesley told Triple M radio.
“Unfortunately at this stage they won’t be taking the field.”
The Titans are still to confirm where they will train this week after walking away from their arrangement with The Southport School on Friday when the allegations first broke.
It’s believed temporary training arrangements will be announced later on Monday.
None of the players or coaching staff would speak to waiting media as they arrived for a club recovery session at a council-owned swimming pool.
NRL chief executive Dave Smith says the league remains 100 per cent behind the Titans and it is a minority which continues to bring the code down.
“The vast, vast majority of people in rugby league are great people,” Smith told Fox Sports News.
“They are good athletes, they give a lot back to the community. They do the right thing.”
