“Does anyone care?”: Corey Parker's challenge for the Gold Coast Titans in 2025

Queensland Maroons legend Corey Parker has challenged the Gold Coast Titans to compete with the best teams in 2025, saying it’s time the club “puts their hand in the air”.

Under new coach Des Hasler, the Titans finished 2024 in 14th with eight wins and 16 losses, struggling with injuries and signings drama throughout the year.

However, the club’s biggest issue was their inability to compete for the full 80 minutes, losing numerous leads in winnable games.

Parker says now is the time for the club to announce themselves with a standout 2025 season.

“Respectfully, does anyone care about the Gold Coast Titans?”, Parker said on SENQ Breakfast.

“Their biggest weakness… is their inability to stay in the contest for long periods of time. They are not mentally tough enough… they are not prepared to go toe to toe with the best sides.

“They either capitulate by backing up with an error… they are looking for the easy option every time... attacking wise we’ve seen… they can attack with some of the better football sides in the competition.

"The Gold Coast Titans need to put their hands high in the air and go have a look at us… and they need to do it sometimes boring.

“A pass mark for the Titans would be playing finals.”

Parker identified the club’s other pressing issue being their struggle to settle on a spine.

With the club having AJ Brimson, Jayden Campbell, Keano Kini, Kieran Foran, Carter Gordon, Sam Verrills, and Chris Randall vying for positions in the starting line-up, the overabundance of quality and inflexible players gives Parker cause for concern.

“They've chopped and changed, and they need to settle on what looks best for their spine,” Parker insisted.

“They've got AJ Brimson who is signed until 2030 on 800,000 plus a year… is he a fourteen? Probably not at 800k at club level but Keano Kini is a lock at fullback for me.

“Campbell just has that x-factor and unpredictability about him, he has to be in the team (but) I don't think he’s a seven, so he has to go in the six.

“Foran, who’s still got a year or two left, comes in at seven so that's going to be a conundrum for the Titans.”

Rumours emerged recently that Hasler was preparing for a halves combination of Brimson and Campbell to start the season, moving Foran to the bench, but this is still unconfirmed.

The Titans’ first game of 2025 will be on March 16 against the Bulldogs.