Donnelly to debut off bench for Titans
Former Ballina rugby league junior Ian Donnelly will make his debut for the Jetstar Gold Coast Titans off the bench against Wests Tigers in the NRL round 14 match at Campbelltown on Sunday.
Donnelly arrived at the Gold Coast last week after transferring from the Melbourne Storm.
Titans coach John Cartwright says his presence will stiffen the Gold Coast front-row, which he describes as ’skinny’ after season-ending injuries to key players such as Brad Meyers.
Donnelly said last week after signing with the Titans: “I am a North Coast boy from Ballina, so this is a dream come true for me to come up and play rugby league with the Jetstar Gold Coast Titans right in my family’s back yard.
“The Titans look to be a very ambitious club. They have already established a first class roster and I can’t wait to get there and make a contribution.”
At 185cm and 110kg, Donnelly is a powerful, disciplined prop with a huge appetite for doing the hard yards. He was an instrumental member of the Melbourne Storm’s successful forward pack last season.
Coach Cartwright said: “We had actually looked at the possibility of signing Ian during the early stages of assembling our team because we recognised that his size and strength would be a huge asset to the side, so to get him at this stage of the season and know that he is also on the books for 2008 is a real bonus.”
