Canterbury Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould’s secret meeting with Gold Coast Titans hooker Sam Verrills hints at spine shake-up
A meeting between Canterbury chairman Phil Gould and Sam Verrills has led to speculation that the disgraced Gold Coast hooker could be on his way to Belmore.
Verrills, whose contract expired at the end of the season, fell out of favor with the Titans. The former premiership-winning Roosters puppet half was dropped into the interchange bench against his former club last week before being overlooked for Sunday’s Magic Round clash against Newcastle at Suncorp Stadium.
Titans coach Josh Hannay instead opted for Oliver Pascoe for the number 9 jersey, while former Panthers player Luke Sommerton was also on the bench.
Gould’s meeting with Verrills and agent Joshua Traficante in Brisbane, which went viral on social media on Saturday, comes at a time when many critics are questioning whether the Bulldogs’ backbone is jelly.
His decision to part with hooker Reed Mahoney, who was on good terms for the Cowboys last year, in favor of Bailey Hayward was questioned by fans and critics. Earlier this week, Bulldogs officials met with Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf after he was allowed to negotiate with other clubs.
Canterbury ultimately chose not to offer Metcalf a contract and he subsequently signed a three-year deal with St George Illawarra from next season. But these meetings seem to be an admission that the backbone is not working; This was also highlighted by the 38-16 defeat against Cronulla on Friday night.
The latest defeat leaves the Bulldogs 13th in the standings and in danger of missing the finals. At the same point last season (with Mahoney and halfback Toby Sexton in the squad) the blue-whites were leading the competition.
The slow start to the season will also result in increased scrutiny of the Lachlan Galvin-Matt Burton halves combination, which has failed to fire consistently so far.
At this point, Verrills did not request a release from the Titans. In a deal reported to be worth $600,000, it’s unclear whether the club would be ready to release him immediately if he wants a fresh start.
The Titans place high value on junior Jai Bilish, who comes from the Pascoe, Sommerton and Palm Beach Currumbin State High School system and signed a contract extension this year that will keep him with the club through 2030.
