The Gold Coast Titans have endured a horror start to the 2024 season.
Following the appointment of premiership winning coach Des Hasler, and a brilliant off-season, expectations were rightfully very high for those on the holiday coast.
Unfortunately for those fans, the Titans sit winless after two games (and a bye) having crossed the line just once. All while playing the unfancied Dragons and Bulldogs.
Adding to their woes, club captain and star player Tino Fa'asuamaleaui will now watch on from the stands for the entire season having suffered an ACL injury.
Suddenly a season that promised so much is looking more like an absolute nightmare.
Without an 'easy' fixture in their near future, things are threatening to get worse before they get better.
Unfortunately, though, the Titans' biggest issue may still yet rear it's ugly head, that being the contract status of their other superstar forward David Fifita.
News has again broken that Fifita's contract contains yet another out.
Just a little over 12 months ago, Fifita extended his stay at the club for a further three years, all despite huge interest from the Raiders.
Following the sacking of Justin Holbrook, it was revealed that both Fifita and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui had clauses in their contracts that allowed the pair to look around should Holbrook be sacked.
The Titans scrambled to re-sign both to staggering contracts. Both in terms of yearly value and contract length.
Fifita stayed on his three-year deal, with a reported slight upgrade. Meanwhile, Fa'asuamaleaui signed a decade-long contract worth over a million dollars per season.
Fifita was quick to comment that he "wasn't going anywhere" after putting pen to paper.
Titans fans were sure that this time they had their two monster, rep-quality forwards signed to the club for the foreseeable future.
Yet, here we are just six months later looking at another nervous wait.
There has been no suggestion that Fifita, or his team, is actively looking to take up their option, which reportedly has to be activated by Round 10.
Having seen his team start the season poorly, and his fellow forward leader go down with injury, nothing less than Fifita publicly waiving any supposed option will calm the nerves of Titans fans.
With the greatest of respect to the current Titans outfit, they are far more likely to be wooden spoon candidates than finals contenders.
Yes, it's only week three, and the Titans have only run out twice, but the early signs are diabolical.
One try has been scored in 160 minutes of football. That is awful under any context. Let alone the fact they played two teams they were expected to beat.
Des Hasler has stuck with arguably the most unexciting halves partnership in the competition.
Other than moving AJ Brimson back into the halves, two weeks into having moved him to the centres, I don't see any other option.
Why wouldn't Fifita's head be turned by a potential mega-money offer to take up a spot in the nation's capital?
What is stopping the Warriors from re-investing the funds previously allocated to Addin Fonua-Blake to lure the wide-running weapon across the Tasman?
More pressing, though, is how the Titans continue to let this happen!?
How, just months after closing a get-out clause are they facing the very real prospect of being burned by another get-out clause?
Is the only way the club could get Fifita to put pen to paper was to bend over and allow a repeat of last season's shenanigans?
This is a team that cannot afford distractions of any kind, let alone the fact their biggest (healthy) star is packing his bags and leaving them high and dry.
Unless this is all an elaborate ploy to talk Fifita into leaving and re-investing his million dollars elsewhere?
Perhaps this was the plan all along. Re-sign both players, get the fans back onside then frame it as Fifita leaving is out of their contract, make him the bad guy and chase a quality halfback.
Except that is absolutely ridiculous and less than no chance of having ever happened and I am only using it to set up having a crack at the Titans.
I do think it would be an unexpected benefit if Fifita were to tap his manager on the shoulder and find him a way out of the current chaos.
I was shocked when the Titans out-payed such ridiculous money for two non-spine players, albeit match-winning ones.
At least, or so I thought, it would allow the Titans to not only stop worrying but also star planning around their two weapons.
Little were we to know that the Titans only achieved this by offering up another way out for Fifita.
Titans fans, and Des Hasler, will now be hoping that Fifita is a man of his word and meant he was never going to leave the club.
Right now, his word is all they have.
Winless and almost scoreless, the Titans simply don't need the distraction of Fifita's contract loophole right now. Or again next year!
