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NRL news: David Fifita theory shot down amid ugly claims surrounding Gold Coast Titans coach Des Hasler

Gold Coast captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui has shot down suggestions David Fifita's relationship with coach Des Hasler is "untenable", amid reports the forward has been shopped around to rival clubs. Fifita was spectacularly axed for the Magic Round loss to the Bulldogs after paying the price for the Titans' 50-18 thrashing by North Queensland the week before. It came after Fifita reportedly made a stunning request to play on the left edge of the Gold Coast attack, where teammate Beau Fermor has been impressing this year. It's understood Hasler rejected Fifita's request and dumped him to reserve grade, where the former Maroons forward featured for the Ipswich Jets in their 32-0 loss to Northern Pride over the weekend, before suffering a fresh injury blow. The Gold Coast titans have responded to reports David Fifita's relationship with coach Des Hasler has become untenable. Pic: Getty Fifita had pre-season surgery on his troublesome ankle but it's since emerged that the 25-year-old has been experiencing complications that have required pain-killing injections. Fifita has reportedly been playing through pain for the opening nine rounds, which would explain why his form has been so inconsistent in 2025. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement The hulking forward has since been ruled out of Gold Coast's NRL round 10 clash at Newcastle on Friday night and the Jets' home clash with the Townsville Blackhawks on Sunday. No timeframe has been given on an expected return date for Fifita at the Titans but Code Sports went as far as suggesting that he may have played his last game for the club due to a breakdown in the relationship with coach Hasler. But Gold Coast skipper Fa'asuamaleaui - who is close with Fifita - rubbished those suggestions and praised the way the Maroons forward handled his controversial axing, before the latest injury setback. Fifita's attitude has also come under scrutiny from critics, with another narrative emerging that he hasn't been putting in maximum effort at training. But Fa'asuamaleaui has defended his teammate and says those claims about Fifita are simply not true. "Dave was really good last week with all the media talk and a lot of things being said," Fa'asuamaleaui said. "He turned up with the right attitude and got us ready to play the game on the weekend." Hasler addressed the star's axing after the Magic Round loss to the Bulldogs and said Fifita "had some thinking to do in some areas" of his game. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement RELATED: Titans captain backs coach after David Fifita axing But Fa'asuamaleaui said his teammate's relationship with the coach is not the issue, and backed Hasler's call after accepting that Fifita was not playing to the incredible potential he's capable of. "There's some areas he needs to work on in his game and sort some stuff away from (training)," the Titans skipper said about Fifita. "They definitely get along. Des has backed him since the beginning." ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement The Titans have now lost five games in a row and Hasler has started Fifita from the bench in four out of six of the matches he's played. But Fa'asuamaleaui says the entire squad has to accept responsibility for their poor form this season, and revealed he's made sure to check on Fifita's mental wellbeing after his well documented struggles. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui says teammate and good friend David Fifita has handled his axing at the Titans well and denied reports he's had a falling out with coach Des Hasler. Pic: Getty "I'm trying to keep him up and making sure he's okay and how his personal life is and his head ...being there as a mate," the Gold Coast captain said. "The coach is the coach for a reason and makes decisions for what's best for the team and club. Whatever the coach says, I back." Titans CEO Steve Mitchell has also moved to squash reports that Fifita is being shopped around to rival clubs after insisting he remains a huge part of the club's future plans. Fifita is one of Gold Coast's top earners and his $1 million-a-season deal does not run out until the end of 2026. Reports claim Fifita would be willing to take a pay cut to move to a rival club but the Titans say they want him to stay and have not granted the forward permission to speak with other teams. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement 'Dave is an important part of the roster,' Titans CEO Mitchell told Code Sports. 'We expect him to have a big role to play moving forward.' Fifita extended with the Titans last year after backflipping on a big-money move to join the Roosters. He was also linked with a return to the Broncos where salary cap restraints were an obvious issue before ultimately reaffirming his commitment to the Titans. with AAP