Kent slams Titans’ handling of coaching search

NRL 360 co-host Paul Kent has blasted the Gold Coast Titans for the way they have gone about replacing Garth Brennan as head coach.

The Titans parted ways with Brennan earlier this month, and are set to announce St Helen's coach Justin Holbrook as his replacement, as early as Wednesday.

However, Kent believes the Titans have executed their search the wrong way, suggesting they need to go out and assert themselves in the market.

“Instead of being the nice guys who always run 14th and 15th, go out there and get a hard edge to your club and get out there and win some games," Kent said on Tuesday night.

“Stop being so courteous and professional, and get a winning edge to yourself.”

Kent's initial comments were in response to those of Titans chief executive Steve Mitchell, who said on Tuesday Holbrook to the Gold Coast wasn't a done deal.

“The process isn’t finished so we have still got to get to the pointy end of that before we can actually comment on it because of the confidentiality of the whole process and everyone involved," Mitchell said.

“Holbrook brings a lot out of what he has done and where he has come from and what he has done with St Helens but so do all of the other parties.

“We have had some wonderful candidates come through.”

Kent went on to say Holbrook has the job, and said the Titans didn't even interview anyone else, which is contrary to what they've been saying publicly.

“The fact is Justin Holbrook will be the coach,” Kent told NRL 360.

“The reason they’re not announcing it is because St Helens are trying to come up with a plan to announce that he’s leaving the club. And out of respect to St Helens, that’s when they’ll announce it, after St Helens do.

“Other coaches didn’t even get interviewed. This exhaustive process they’ve been through is just a complete furphy because all the good names that got thrown up didn’t even get the courtesy of an interview.

“ … Mal ran (the process), along with Dennis Watt and Anthony Laffranchi, who is the football manager. They sat down, got onto Holbrook nice and early and they went after him. Which is fine.

“If you identify your man and you go out and you get him, that’s fine. Don’t try and bullshit with all the ‘we’re going to go through an exhaustive process and we’ve got this guy and we’ve got that guy’. Nobody got a phone call. Nobody else got a phone call.

“I spoke to several coaches who were mentioned today — didn’t get the courtesy of a phone call.

“They rang a few people around the club — they’ve all got contacts — Mal rang (someone): ‘what do you think of Anthony Griffin, what do you think of Trent Barrett, what do you think of Craig Fitzgibbon’.

“Holbrook is the only coach who actually got the courtesy of a phone call.”