Gold Coast coach Neil Henry has refused to buy into speculation surrounding his future after the Titans slumped to their fourth-straight loss with a 42-16 defeat at the hands of the Dragons.
Despite being contracted for another year, there has been talk about Henry having his tenure cut short and Saturday's result will only fuel the fire with the Titans now in 14th spot with the worst defensive record in the NRL after going down 54-0 at home last week against the Broncos.
It's been a disappointing season for the injury-hit Titans who have failed to back up last year's fairytale to the finals and are in danger of recording their fewest wins since 2011.
"No, I think it's media banter," Henry replied when asked if he was concerned about his future.
"Coaches are under pressure all the time so I've got to get on with my job and prepare the team with my assistant coaches the best I can each week and we'll continue to do that. I can't stop the speculation. It's up to all of us to play some decent footy and get on with our jobs."
Henry said he wouldn't go to the Board to seek assurances about his future beyond 2017, telling reporters he had more important things on his plate, starting with next week's showdown with the Eels.
"They (the Board) will make decisions around the governance of the club," he continued.
"I'm contracted for next season and that's how I'm preparing and I think that's how Darryl (board member Darryl Kelly) said we're planning. There's no secret that the club is under an ownership change; that's going to come in the coming months and that's been in the media so I think we're in a bit of a holding pattern until that time.
"We've been going on with our recruitment and announcing Jai Arrow to the club and a few young recruits and we've re-signed guys so we're planning towards the future. Our immediate concern and my concern at the moment isn't about the future, it's about next week's short turnaround for Parramatta and getting up for a game of football that we're competing in and a game we can win."
A lot of the media speculation has surrounded Henry's relationship with prized recruit Jarryd Hayne who has had a mixed career on the Gold Coast since joining the Titans late last year.
"I've got no comment. He's a player in the team and we talk and converse and do things as we do all the time," Henry said.
"There's been a lot of media about him at the moment, and the thing that makes the media go away is performance for the team and individuals and that'll take care of things.
"I'll have to have a look at it (Hayne's performance against the Dragons). I thought he had a couple of strong touches early and brought the ball back, but it's very hard to get into a game when you haven't had a lot of possession."
Titans skipper Ryan James said it was the players who were letting down the coach, not the other way around.
"He's not the one out taking the hit ups or making the tackles. Everyone's quick to chuck the blame on someone else but the fault is on the players. We've talked to ourselves and we know that we're not playing good enough footy," James said.
"Fair enough if King (Henry) was out there kicking the ball and making the tackles, but he's not. It's up to us as a group to come together and play some good footy."
