The Gold Coast Titans haven’t been immune to the significant flooding caused by Ex Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
The city’s NRL team has been forced to pack their bags and relocate to Sydney early ahead of their season opening clash with the Canterbury Bulldogs on Sunday.
It comes after the club’s training fields at Parkwood were inundated by flooding, with photos showing water sitting well above the crossbar.
Coach Des Hasler’s famous dojo facility, which the players use for warm-up and wrestling, has also been damaged as a result of the wild weather.
Despite the disruptions, Titans CEO Steve Mitchell has assured fans the team will be ready to play this weekend, eager to make the Titans communities from Logan to Lismore proud.
“For many people on the Coast and across our region, the last few days have been challenging to say the least as families have dealt with the rain and winds that have battered their homes,” Mitchell said.
“First and foremost, our thoughts as a club are for those across our region that are doing it tough as a result of this weather event and immense rainfall that has followed.
“Like many, we have had significant damage to our facilities as well and that means we need to change how we operate while we also mop up the damage”.
Mitchell said the club has reached out and offered support to players and staff severely impacted by the significant weather event.
“Working with our players, staff and their families, we first needed to check on the welfare of our people to make sure they were ok, and we’ve offered our support to those who need it most,” he said.
“With our high performance centre unusable for training this week, we will send our team to Sydney early to ensure they can properly prepare for our first game of the season.
“At the end of what will have been a big week for our community, we hope that a great result against the Bulldogs on Sunday will bring our members and fans some much needed joy.”
The Titans kicks off their season against the Bulldogs at Belmore Sports Ground at 5.15pm on Sunday.
