GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 08: Ryan James of the Titans looks on during the round six NRL match between the Gold Coast Titans and the Canberra Raiders at Cbus Super Stadium on April 8, 2017 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Jason O'Brien/Getty Images)

The Gold Coast Titans are set to lose one of its major sponsors over Ryan James' grand final speech blunder.

According to The Daily Telegraph, National construction and event hire giant TFH, which have been the Titans jersey sponsor and naming rights for its Parkwood training centre, have formally told the club that the six-figure deal for 2020 is off.

TFH has held James' appearance at the NRL grand final accountable, labelling it “embarrassing” and “offensive”, where he failed to finish the Welcome to Country address, as well as the Titans' poor performance this season.

It caps off what was been a disastrous 2019 for the Titans, claiming the wooden spoon and sacking coach Garth Brennan.

TFH director Brett Thomas wrote a letter to to the Titans, stating that the company was terminating the sponsorship agreement “effective immediately”.

“The embarrassing performance of Ryan James in his speech last weekend was offensive and weighed heavily on this decision,” Thomas wrote.

“Additionally, the well documented doubts regarding the club’s future in 2020 was also relevantly considered …”

It is believed that the Titans will look to enforce the contract, with a legal showdown looming.

15 COMMENTS

  1. Penrith should get Garth Brennan back for the lower grades coaching. He was an excellent Canterbury Cup coach while there.
    Why didn’t James go out with the speech in a written form as well? Better to read it out , than forget it & walk away. Anyone can suffer nerves perhaps, in front of a big crowd. The officials overseeing the event should have made sure he had it written down & a copy of it with him.

  2. This alleged assertion by the sponsor lacks reason and credibility. We should all just take it for what it is that the sponsor is probably under some form of financial strain and looking for any old BS excuse to cut cost, whilst not alarming its creditors and stakeholders.

  3. I want to see craig bellamy drive a bus from melbourne with his full top squad and dump them all at titans headquarters.

    Then i want craig bellamy to drive the bus back to melbourne storms headquarters with the titans full top squad.

    Then i want to truly see how good a coach he really is without an elite squad behind him after all bellamy has never coached a poor squad such as the titans.

    And lastly i believe he would never do that “why coach a team of duds” when the nrl give craig bellamy a team of champions to make him look so good fact.

  4. THE TRUE FACTS WHY RUGBY LEAGUE HAS 7,000 FANS ACROSS THE PARK EACH WEEK IS BECAUSE.

    1. 2 REFS/THE BUNKER
    2. A WOMAN REF
    3. A WOMAN LINESMAN
    4.WOMAN ON THE FOOTY TV SHOWS
    5.WOMAN FOOTY TEAMS
    6. AS A DIEHARD TRAGIC SOUTHS MEMBER I ONLY PAY OUR FAMILY MEMBERSHIP YEARLY BECAUSE OF THE LOVE WE ALL HAVE WITH SOUTHS.
    7. THE GAME HAS GONE SOFT TOO MANY RULE CHANGES GO BACK TO ONE MALE REF AND TWO MALE LINESMAN AND WATCH THE FANS RETURN.
    8. THE NRL MUST NOT TURN A BLIND EYE NO MORE TO SUCH TEAMS OF THE PAST LIKE THE BRONCOS WITH A STELLAR LINE UP PACKED WITH INTERNATIONALS AND OF RECENT TIMES THE STORM. BUT THE NRL HAVE LET EASTS/POLITIS CORRUPT THE GAME FOR DECADES FOR ALL TO SEE THE FANS OF ALL OTHER CLUBS ARE NOT BLIND. WAKE UP NRL YOU HAVE BECOME CORRUPT SINCE SUPER LEAGUE STARTED FACT.

  5. BRING BACK THE OLD DAYS THE GAME IS STERILE AND BORING AND THE RULES THAT ARE EMPLOYED TODAY SHOULD ALL BE SCRAPPED AND BRING BACK THE 1950 RULE BOOK WHEN FOOTY WAS TOUCH AND EXCITING AND LASTLY THE FANS UNDERSTOOD THE GAMES REFEREEING DECISIONS.GOD KNOWS WHERE OUR GREAT GAME WILL BE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME IF IT LASTS THAT LONG ANY ONE FOR MARBLES?…SHADOWS FACTS…

  6. TFH is an absolute disgrace in laying the blame at the hands of Ryan James. I hope nobody uses their product or service!

  7. I agree parrasylum. All footy fans should boycott TFH.
    The current clubs, including manly should cut ties with TFH.
    The response bt TFH was abhorent to a truly human error by James.

  8. Shadow, your comments about women in the game are pretty sad. Are you like some sort of woman hater? Its creepy and weird..

  9. I think Shadow buys his family the beanie and scarf with a Souths badge and no game day tickets nembership pack like half the other pauper Souths members, just so they can keep up with the Jones to say, yep I’m a Souths member.

    Then Shadow raps all the scarfs around his melon and lives up to his name of hiding in the Shadows whilst he stalks woman from a distance.

    Shadow the nut case is twisted, check out all the fool comments from the nutter. Just rubbish after rubbish. People on this site have exposed this flip as penso.

  10. Goddamn!? is that the original shadow warrior? If it is, you’ve certainly come in from the shadows. Only thing I agree with you on is that the game is soft & littered with fairies. I mean players spend more time on their hair products & moisturisers before a game then actually warming up.

    Regarding James, I feel sorry for the bloke, not his fault sh!t happens. Titans will find better sponsors hopefully.

    Oh btw, I found a souths cap today amongst the donated goods we picked up to distribute for charities. Was basically still in new condition. Just sayin.

  11. Thanks shadow, I know why you shouldn’t drink metholated spirits.

    Ryan James is an outstanding employee of the nrl, their sponsor has pissed off more people than it has gained with this move.

  12. I just had word that the Gold Coast or on the verge of attaining a new sponsor. ALCATEL looks like the new sponsor. Wayne Bennett said earlier this year how he would love to coach the Gold Coast.

    Well it appears this is a reality when the Souths Alcatec sponsored Team relocate to the holiday coast from 2021

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