Off-contract Titans lock Jai Arrow says his preference is to remain on the Gold Coast, as rival NRL clubs line up with buckets of cash to try to lure the representative star away from his home town.
Arrow is a free agent at the end of 2020, but has been given permission by the Titans to test his value on the market before November 1 by, with the club keen to get the issue settled as quickly as possible.
Speaking in Sydney where he is part of the Australian team for the World Nines, Arrow told website sportingnews.com that he continues to be driven by the dream of a successful Titans team on the Gold Coast, and believes incoming Head Coach Justin Holbrook is the man to deliver that dream.
“I would love to stay on the Gold Coast, that's my preference,” Arrow said.
“That's where myself and my partner are from. I'm a Gold Coast local, and grew up there my whole life.
“I definitely want to be a part of a successful team on the Gold Coast because we haven't had that for a while.
“I’m sure there's a lot of fans on the Gold Coast that want to see a sporting team do well, and hopefully we can be that team.
“I want to see the Gold Coast do well, so I think that'll definitely come into play, and obviously my partner comes into play as well.
“I’ll sit down with her and have a chat and do what's best for us a team. I'm sure I'll make the right decision.”
Arrow said the opportunity to reunite with Holbrook, who arrives on the Gold Coast having won the Super League grand final with St Helens, was a major attraction to staying loyal to the Titans.
The pair worked together previously in 2015 when Holbrook was the coach of the Junior Kangaroos, in charge of an Australian team that included Arrow and Titans halfback Ash Taylor.
But the 24-year-old insists the responsibility is on the Titans playing group to lift their own standards to ensure Holbrook’s success in England continues on the Coast.
“Hopefully, Justin can bring in some stuff from the Super League. Hopefully, we can learn off him and start playing some good footy in the 2020 season,” Arrow said.
“I think it'll be a good thing for us, knowing that he's had some success over there.
“The coach can only bring so much, us as players have to drive those standards that the coach brings and make sure we're all jumping on board and doing the right things and hopefully gelling as a team.
“Obviously it's hard to win a comp anywhere, so for him to do that over there and only a couple of years over there, it's exciting for us.”
