Hannay’s secret to re-signing Tino and Bai

Titans' new head coach, Josh Hannay,  has opened up about how he was able to keep stars Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Cooper Bai after another disastrous season from the club.

This will be Hannay's rookie season as a head coach in the NRL, after previously holding the titles of assistant coach and interim coach at the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and North Queensland Cowboys.

Although Round One is still weeks away, Hannay has already shown promising signs after the Titans' trial win over the Dolphins, and now with the re-signings of the club's young talent.

Tino's deal through to the end of 2030 not only locks in the club's captain but stabilises the forward pack at a time when Brisbane's signing of Payne Haas had created fresh movement in the middle-forward market.

“I think that has shocked all of us,” Hannay told the media regarding the shock signing of Haas."

“To look at (Tino re-signing) in that context, the waters might have become murkier if Tino was still on the market, given what's just happened with Payne.

“The timing for us was perfect.”

Young star Cooper Bai has also committed to the club, extending until the end of 2027, despite attracting strong interest and coming close to exploring an opportunity with the PNG Chiefs.

The Gold Coast product was also highly sought after by Melbourne Storm, his father's former club, but ultimately opted to remain where he began his junior career.

"The sky is the limit for Cooper, and we're excited to see him continue to grow as a player after his debut season." Hannay shared.

Hannay credited the club's internal standards and direction as central to both decisions, pointing to cultural change rather than contract figures as the decisive factor at the Gold Coast Titans.

“The thing I said from day one here—and this relates to Cooper re-signing but also Tino (Fa'asuamaleaui)—is that we needed to create an environment and program here where players felt like they wanted to be part of it,” Hannay added.

“We set the intention as coaches, but it's the players that bring it to life.

“I think once Cooper was able to spend enough time here and see the kind of environment we were creating, ultimately it became one he didn't want to leave.

“That speaks volumes for what we've been able to do here in a short space of time.”