Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Olympics
Football
Netball
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Full Noise by SN
Running It Straight is back!Why star skipper Tino Fa'asuamaleaui inked long-term deal with Titans
Joel Gould, AAP • March 5th, 2026 8:02 am
Gold Coast captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui has detailed the car ride with coach Josh Hannay that sealed the deal for him to commit to the club long term.
The 26-year-old had an option in his contract to exit the club in 2027, but after watching Hannay turn around the culture of the underperforming side, the Test prop put pen to paper until at least 2030.
"We had a catch-up over a coffee meeting at Southport Sharks with my manager," Fa'asuamaleaui told AAP.
"I drove out with Josh to the meeting to discuss his plans for the club and drove back. It was a really good conversation. That afternoon back in his office I told him I was staying.
"I said, 'I am backing you coach. I am all-in and I can't wait to work with you'. It was pretty cool. He was excited, we gave each other a big hug and now it is sorted we have just got to work hard."
It wasn't just one chat that got the Titans skipper over the line. He's taken his time to watch and observe.
"It is the culture Josh is setting with the connection between each other as a team but also with our people," Fa'asuamaleaui said.
The Warriors' biggest strengths & weaknesses heading into 2026 NRL season | Running It Straight
"It's the little things, like whenever our fans are here for every single one of us now it is just natural to shake their hands. On the football side of things his systems are real clear and everyone knows what their role is. There is a lot of clarity.
"Every year you watch the grand final and every year we aren't in the mix. It is pretty emotional watching other boys live out their dreams and last year especially. It really hurts.
"We have a lot of work to do but hopefully we can build towards being in a grand final ourselves."
Hannay said there were "a lot of discussions over weeks and months" with the captain before the chat in the car and subsequent re-signing.
"As we got closer to the start of the season I knew in my heart Tino wasn't going anywhere," Hannay told AAP.
"He had been weighing it up for a number of weeks and then it just got to the point where he was really satisfied with where we are at.
"It was a relief that it was no longer going to be a story because I think it was starting to weigh on him.
"The other thing I think was weighing on him was this public perception in some quarters that he was behaving selfishly. The Tino I know is not selfish at all.
"He just wanted clarity and he had every right to want that. For him to clear all that up and commit to the club long term and get on with life and lead this club forward was a good moment for the club and Tino."
