Former Gold Coast coach John Cartwright has questioned the leadership and experience of the Titans NRL board following the sacking of Neil Henry.
The Titans board agreed to end Henry's tenure with the club a year early following a board meeting on Saturday, before the decision was confirmed on Monday.
The Titans have six highly-accomplished business people on their board, who have helped lift the club out of the financial sponsorship doldrums they found themselves in two years ago.
But none of the group have previously played or coached in the NRL.
And Cartwright, who was released mid-season by the club in 2014, questioned if the football inexperience had been evident throughout the past month.
"It's probably a sign of bigger issues," he told Fox League's NRL360.
"Some of the stuff that has come out of there over the past few weeks, it's contradicting and there seems to be a lack of a leadership there ... It's inexperience perhaps on the board.
"Do you go total business orientated people or do you need some football people on the board?
"The biggest thing just looking at it, it looks like a lack of leadership."
Two board members remain from Cartwright's final year at the club, while the rest have been the subject of an NRL clean out after they took over the embattled franchise in 2015.
The decision to sack Henry comes following a feud with star player Jarryd Hayne, who was brought to the club late last year.
Again Cartwright, who is now an assistant at Manly, believed this was an indication of the board's inexperience.
"When they signed Jarryd 12 months ago there was a lot of people with their arms around him getting photos," Cartwright said.
"There were a lot of people then claiming that Jarryd was the greatest signing the club has ever made.
"But now, 12 months later - again I think it comes back to leadership."
Cartwright's comments come after foundation player Matt Rogers revealed to News Corp he applied for a spot on the Titans' board two years ago, only to be knocked back by a recruitment officer who didn't know his background in the game.
"The club lacks leadership in numerous areas," Rogers said.
"I can't see the Gold Coast fulfilling its potential until they get it right at the top end."
