‘Meeting with Des was massive for me’: The secret chat that convinced Fa’asuamaleaui to sign NRL’s biggest deal

He just signed the biggest contract in NRL history, but Tino Fa’asuamaleaui has revealed there was no glitz and glamour required to get the deal done, with a simple meeting with incoming coach Des Hasler enough to convince him to stay at the Titans.

The club announced on Friday evening just moments before the game against Cronulla that Fa’asuamaleaui had signed a 10-year extension worth a reported $12 million, while teammate David Fiifta also re-signed for a further three seasons.

It’s the package deal that all Gold Coast fans have been hoping for from the minute it was revealed the pair had get out clauses that could have been activated when Justin Holbrook was axed as coach in June.

Rival clubs were willing to break the bank to sign the representative duo, but in a city known for its beaches and bright lights, all it took was a boardroom meeting with Hasler to get Fa’asuamaleaui to put pen to paper.

“Meeting with Des was massive for me,” Fa’asuamaleaui said of their signing session last week.

“He definitely impressed me a lot. Just to see how passionate he is on bringing success here definitely made me even more passionate and motivated to get the job done on the Gold Coast.

“It was a tough time losing Justin and everything was sort of all over the place, so to see Des sign and then getting to meet him definitely got me over the line.

“I think he’s going to bring the best out of this team and even me as a player because I think he’s going to bring that accountability which I really want. That’s what’s going to take me to that next level of being an established player in the NRL.

“Being young that’s very good and what I need, and we need as a team. I’m happy that he’s on board because he’s been there and done that, and I’m confident he can take us to the next level.”

The Titans have been starved of success since entering the competition in 2007, but Hasler has shown that he has what it takes to deliver immediate success having won two premierships with Manly, while he also took the Bulldogs to two grand finals.

It’s clear the pieces are there for the Titans to do well, with Hasler set to play the role of puzzle master to finish off the work Holbrook and interim coach Jim Lenihan have done with their imposing pack and speedy outside backs.

“I felt the accountability he’s going to bring to this club and that hard work,” the skipper said.

“Jimmy has shown glimpses of it now and it’s what we need, and Des is going to take it to the next level with Brett White, Jimmy and Des working together.

“It’s a really good group and it’s why I want to stay long term because I know those fellas are going to work as hard as they can.

“We’ve got to buy in and work as hard as we can to take our games to the next level to bring that success to the Gold Coast.

“I was set on staying at the Titans and I’m glad it’s all over now so I can really focus on taking this team into some deep ends and come out the other end so we can become that tough team that when teams play us, they’ll know it.

“I’m here for that and I want to be here for that, and I’m excited for the future. We’ve definitely got the squad to do that.”

Signing such a long deal comes with an element of risk for the Titans given there are no guarantees Fa’asuamaleaui will still be so dominant in the years to come.

But if he’s able to maintain the form he’s shown this year for his club and state then the Titans may have pulled off one of the greatest deals ever for a man who is in the top three forwards in the world.

“We’ve got the right people in the right places to make sure they take me to the next level. The coaching staff, the performance staff and all the physios will keep me in good nick,” Fa’asuamaleaui replied when asked if his body would hold up.

“I just see the success that we can bring on the Gold Coast.

“There’s no other team that’s done it (had success here) and there are no other players that have done it so I’m really keen to knuckle down and be able to achieve something on the Gold Coast.

“I really want to do it on the Gold Coast and give back to the community and to our owners, families and friends. Hopefully we can bring that trophy to the Gold Coast one day.”

Fa’asuamaleaui and Fifita showed on Friday night how destructive they can be as a one-two punch against a tiring pack, and the Titans skipper wants to now leave a legacy along with his star edge forward.

“Dave is a game-breaker,” he said.

“At times when you need something, he’s that type of player to do it.

“We have to buy in to working really hard and improving our game to take this team and all the boys around us to success.

“I’m happy that Dave is here because we started together and we really want to finish together and bring some success to the club.”