Tino Fa'asuamaleaui

Stunning twist at Titans with contract clauses revealed

Two players could head for the exit.

Published by
Scott Pryde

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and David Fifita are both reportedly free agents following Justin Holbrook's sudden exit from the Titans.

There have been no rumblings of unhappy players from within the Titans camp, although there is little doubt Holbrook's sudden exit from the club came as a surprise.

Holbrook was unceremoniously dumped a fortnight ago from the Titans, effective immediately, with former Manly Sea Eagles and Canterbury Bulldogs coach Des Hasler appointed from the start of the 2024 season.

While the exit of Anthony Griffin - who was the first coach to be sacked this year - from the St George Illawarra Dragons, has led to plenty of public discussion and discourse, the Titans, like their quiet and unreported sacking of Holbrook, have managed to quell any dissension from within the ranks.

That might be all about to change though with News Corp reporting that both Tino Fa'asumaleaui and David Fifita have clauses in their contracts that effectively mean they are free to leave following the departure of Holbrook.

It's not known if any other players have similar clauses tied to Holbrook's status as head coach at the club, but it's something clubs are well-known to avoid. The Dragons themselves avoided the same with Ben Hunt, who wanted to have a clause linked to Anthony Griffin inserted into his new deal.

Club captain Fa'asuamaleaui is signed until the end of 2024, with mutual options potentially tying him to the Titans until at least the end of 2026, while Fifita re-signed recently after heavy speculation he could move away from the club on a deal that will see him remain at Robina until the end of 2026.

The duo could decide to flip the NRL transfer market on its head though, as unlikely as it may seem.

Fa'asuamaleaui in particular has openly spoken of his desire to remain at the Titans for as long as possible, suggesting there was no real decision to make when he signed his last deal, while Fifita's long-term show of faith on a reduced wage also seems to suggest he is more than happy remaining at the club.

That said, both players have been thrown up as a potential for the Dragons in recent weeks, who could send Hunt to the Titans - the Titans need salary cap if they are going to sign Hunt though, and it's unclear if simply moving on the reportedly free to leave Toby Sexton would free up enough cash.

Plenty of other clubs could come to the party for the duo as well, with a severe lack of talent remaining off-contract at the end of the 2023 season.

Published by
Scott Pryde