Panthers assistant Brennan has joined the Titans as head coach, his first opportunity in first-grade, after the departure of Neil Henry last year.

Gold Coast have been hit by upheaval and the messy departure of both Jarryd Hayne and Henry in the past 12 months.

The club finished second last on the table in 2017 and has only made the semi-finals once in the past seven years.

Utility Roberts, who knows Brennan well from their time together at the Knights, hailed his appointment to replace Henry.

The 45-year-old has 15 years experience coaching in the Newcastle and Penrith NRL systems.

"Garth's a great coach, he coached me all through the juniors," Roberts told Inside Sport.

"It's just his interaction with players. He knows where they've come from and how to approach them, which is the key to getting the best out of them.

"I know Garth, he deserves it [the Titans job]. It's been a long time coming for him - that's for sure. He's won a few NSW Cup titles."

Roberts spent two seasons with Gold Coast, making 41 appearances, after joining from Newcastle in 2016.

He played across the backline in south-east Queensland, featuring at halfback, five-eighth, fullback and even hooker.

But in 2018 the 26-year-old will be plying his trade in Super League with Warrington after leaving the Titans.

 


 

Gold Coast offered Roberts a new two-year contract but the halfback knocked back the deal to move to the UK.

"I was there when they said that if you play good we'll extend and upgrade your contract," he explained.

"And then halfway through the year it didn't happen and I was asking questions why. Then we lost the coach so I was all in doubt about what was going on. That's when I spoke to Warrington and a couple of other clubs.

"They respected me as a player and it was the experience as well [of moving to the UK]. I spoke to a lot of people before I made the decision - it wasn't an easy decision. Gold Coast offered me two years. I spoke to family and everything like that.

"I spoke to my missus, she's always wanted to travel and she put that on hold to stay with me. I owe her a lot, that experience she missed out on."