25 young athletes to watch in 2026, and why Gold Coast Titans star Cooper Bai turned down Melbourne Storm
Teenage phenomenon Cooper Bai has revealed why he turned down master coach Craig Bellamy and the chance to join the club at which his father made his name, Melbourne Storm.
Fresh off inking a contract extension with the Gold Coast Titans, Bai was given the starting lock duties for his side’s preseason trial triumph of the Dolphins – a role he believes he is ready to take on full-time.
The 19-year-old son of former Melbourne winger Marcus Bai was caught in a recruiting tug-o-war with the Storm, and Titans coach Josh Hannay went as far as to say his young forward had “a foot out the door”.
Rising star Cooper Bai has re-signed with the Titans.Credit: Getty Images
However, Bai said that while it was difficult to let his father know he would not be donning his old colours, he had seen enough of Hannay’s cultural shift at Parkwood to suggest it was the best move for his career.
“It was tough making the phone calls to my family to let them know, but they were really excited for me to be able to continue my journey here. It always comes into it when my old man has been to a different club,” Bai said.
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“As long as I was happy, he was happy. I was just enjoying myself here and everything with training, so I was happy to stay. It was good to come into the games with that weight off my shoulders and have everything done.
“I was really happy here and enjoying being under Josh here, the coaching staff and the playing squad, so those were the main things that were biggest for me.”
While Bai’s deal was announced as a two-year extension, the second of those seasons was believed to be a player option in his favour, opening the door for the Papua New Guinea product to join the Chiefs when they enter the NRL in 2028.
