Experienced coach and administrator Phil Gould says Gold Coast's decision to sign a young David Fifita on huge money two years ago was "irresponsible" and detrimental to the wider NRL player market.Fifita was only 20 years old when he joined the Titans from Brisbane on a deal worth $1.25 million a season, instantly making him the game's highest paid player.At that time he had already made his State of Origin debut for Queensland, and was considered the best up and coming backrower in the country.But Gold Coast has not improved in the two seasons since he joined, and Fifita himself has fallen down the pecking order of the game's elite forwards.Gold Coast scraped into finals in 2021 but the club's prized recruit was benched for seven of the last eight games that year.Fifita started on the bench only three times this season, but the Titans went backwards badly and finished 13th on the ladder."If you go out and pay $1.2 million for a rookie forward who's had 30 games because he scores a try every now and then, then what's James Tedesco worth? What is Nathan Cleary worth?" Gould queried on Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
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