Centaurus Metals: a Classic Countercyclical Investment Opportunity – Darren Gordon (ASX: CTM)
The Hole Truth: Mining Investment PodcastShow Notes
Everyone knows the nickel price is down, but Centaurus Metals (ASX: CTM) MD Darren Gordon says that's why there's a great investment opportunity. The company is in talks with potential partners regarding its Jaguar Nickel Project in Brazil, it also has active copper and gold exploration activity in the country. Mr Gordon is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ experience in the mining industry as a senior finance and resources executive. Mr Gordon has had extensive involvement in financing resource projects from both a debt and equity perspective and is a non-executive Director at Ordell Mineral Limited. Mr Gordon has over 15 years’ experience operating in Brazil and as a result has a deep understanding of the regulatory framework and general operating environment required to develop a mining project in country.
Produced by Resource Media
The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast is a product of Read Corporate. Please note that Read Corporate does not provide investment advice and investors should seek personalised advice before making any investment decisions. RESOURCES LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/the-hole-truth-podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI4sZkSfEpPi_u7OrD7lQ-tZHbdy6EhCC&si=iOcGscff7kMSw8c7 Website: https://resourcesrisingstars.com.au/the-hole-truth-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theholetruthpodcast/ Company Website: https://www.centaurus.com.au
1. Counter-cyclical Opportunity in Nickel Centaurus Metals is positioning its Jaguar Nickel Project in Brazil as a classic counter-cyclical investment, taking advantage of the current downturn in nickel prices (around US$15,000/t) to prepare for the next upswing. Gordon believes the market has hit its floor and that investors entering now could see significant upside as prices recover
2. Strategic Partnering to Unlock Value Centaurus is advancing strategic partnering talks with downstream players seeking sustainable nickel supply for the EV battery sector. The goal is to secure a minority partner with offtake and equity funding, enabling development of the US$400 million Jaguar Project while maintaining operational control. A partnership announcement could trigger a major share price re-rating within the next few months
3. Low-Cost, Sustainable Nickel Sulphide Production Jaguar’s economics remain robust even at current prices, with all-in sustaining costs (AISC) of ~US$4.40/lb, placing it in the lowest cost quartile globally. The project’s low-carbon footprint and nickel sulphide resource differentiate it from Indonesia’s environmentally damaging laterite operations, making it highly attractive to Western EV supply chains
4. Copper-Gold Growth Pipeline in the Carajás Alongside Jaguar, Centaurus is expanding into copper-gold exploration in Brazil’s Carajás region, including the Boi Novo and Rio Novo projects. These assets offer exposure to high-grade copper intersections (up to 35 m @ ~1.8% Cu)and the potential for short-term share price catalysts through upcoming drilling results
5. Funded for Dual Momentum After a successful capital raise in August, Centaurus plans to deploy funds for both Jaguar’s development and new drilling programs at Boi Novo. With near-term exploration newsflow and an imminent funding deal, the company is offering investors two growth pathways—nickel development and copper-gold discovery—positioning it strongly for a 2026 value uplift.
More from The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast
It would seem opportunity knocks for investors in Sunstone Metals. There appears to be a big disconnect between the market cap of the company and the amount of metal they have in the ground. Guest bio Patrick Duffy is Managing Director of Sunstone Metals Limited (ASX: STM), an Ecuador-focused gold-copper explorer advancing the Bramaderos gold-copper project in the south of the country and the El Palmar gold-copper project in the north. Duffy is a Chartered Accountant who began his career at Ernst & Young. He was Chief Corporate Development Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Red 5 Limited (now Vault Minerals), where he led financing for the King of the Hills gold mine and the sale of the Siana mine in the Philippines. Earlier he was Chief Financial Officer of the Tampakan copper-gold project and Director of Strategy and Performance at Xstrata Copper and for the Koniambo Nickel Project, and has worked in management consulting, mining private equity and agricultural technology. He joined the Sunstone board as a Non-Executive Director in November 2023 and became Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in April 2024. Produced by Resource Media The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast is a product of Read Corporate. Please note that Read Corporate does not provide investment advice and investors should seek personalised advice before making any investment decisions. Resources LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/the-hole-truth-podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI4sZkSfEpPi_u7OrD7lQ-tZHbdy6EhCC Website: https://resourcesrisingstars.com.au/the-hole-truth-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theholetruthpodcast/ Company website: https://www.sunstonemetals.com.au/ Key Insights
Xpedra has generated some sensational drilling results from its Springfield gold project in New South Wales. The company and the project appear to be at an inflection point. Another round of drilling is about to start. There's plenty of gold. It's just a question of how much.
Gateway appears to have cracked the code at its Yandal Gold Project in Western Australia, with some cracking results. The upside now could be huge. Guest bio Richard Pugh is Chief Executive Officer of Gateway Mining Limited (ASX: GML), a Perth-based gold explorer whose flagship Yandal Gold Project covers 1,780 square kilometres on the eastern flank of the Yandal greenstone belt in Western Australia, alongside the Glenburgh South and Barrelmaker projects. Pugh is a geologist with more than 18 years of industry experience, having worked as a senior consulting geologist and exploration manager for ASX-listed explorers. He came to Gateway with the ground already familiar. As Technical Director of the Yandal Gold Project at Strickland Metals, he ran the work that turned Millrose from an unloved asset into a $61 million sale to Northern Star Resources, and led the drilling at Horse Well that more than doubled the resource there and established what controls the gold along the belt. Gateway acquired the Yandal project from Strickland in August 2025 for $45 million in convertible preference shares, and Pugh was appointed Chief Executive Officer shortly afterwards. Pugh holds a Bachelor of Science in Exploration and Resource Geology from Cardiff University and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, acting as Competent Person under the JORC Code for the company's results. He works alongside Executive Chairman Andrew Bray, a foundation shareholder and former Chief Executive Officer of Strickland Metals, and Non-Executive Directors Anthony McClure, David Morgan and David Crook. Produced by Resource Media The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast is a product of Read Corporate. Please note that Read Corporate does not provide investment advice and investors should seek personalised advice before making any investment decisions. Resources LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/the-hole-truth-podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI4sZkSfEpPi_u7OrD7lQ-tZHbdy6EhCC Website: https://resourcesrisingstars.com.au/the-hole-truth-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theholetruthpodcast/ Company website: https://www.gatewaymining.com.au/ Key Insights
Kaoko's share price has run wild on the back of the first two holes at its copper project in Namibia. The company is clearly onto something. The only question is, how big is it? Guest bio Gerard O'Donovan is Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kaoko Metals Limited (ASX: KAO), a West Perth-based explorer advancing the Chalkos Copper-Silver Project in Namibia's Kaoko Copper Belt and the Karibib Copper-Gold-Tungsten Project in the Damara Belt. O'Donovan brings more than 18 years of experience across exploration, project development and mining operations, spanning IPO delivery and growth-stage resources companies. Before co-founding Kaoko, he held roles with Pilbara Minerals, Fortescue Metals Group and Rio Tinto. He formed the company in 2024 with geologists Callum Standing and Harry Madley around a deliberately contrarian strategy of true greenfields exploration in highly prospective ground, and took Kaoko to the ASX in May 2026 through a $6.5 million IPO at 20 cents a share. O'Donovan holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil and Structural, Honours) and is the company's largest individual shareholder. He is joined on the board by Non-Executive Chair Mark Thompson, founder of Talga Group and Catalyst Metals, and Non-Executive Director Jody Dahrouge of Dahrouge Geological Consulting. Produced by Resource Media The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast is a product of Read Corporate. Please note that Read Corporate does not provide investment advice and investors should seek personalised advice before making any investment decisions. Resources LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/the-hole-truth-podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI4sZkSfEpPi_u7OrD7lQ-tZHbdy6EhCC Website: https://resourcesrisingstars.com.au/the-hole-truth-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theholetruthpodcast/ Company website: https://kaokometals.com.au/ Key Insights
Lachlan Star is churning out some fantastic drilling results from its New Waverley Gold project. It's a brownfields exploration campaign. The project has sat relatively dormant for many years in the hands of private prospectors, and now Lachlan Star is hitting it hard with the drill rig. Guest bio Andrew Tyrrell is Chief Executive Officer of Lachlan Star Limited (ASX: LSA), a Perth-based gold and base metals explorer advancing the New Waverley Gold Project near Norseman in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields. Tyrrell brings more than two decades of minerals industry experience built around gold exploration and discovery. He joined Lachlan Star as CEO in February 2024 after serving as General Manager of Discovery at Gold Road Resources, where he led the company's transition into a national explorer and restructured its Discovery Group into a self-generating business development model. Before that, he spent a decade at AngloGold Ashanti, including as Technical Manager overseeing global greenfields exploration and as Exploration Manager for the company's USA operations, where he played a key role in the discovery of the Silicon epithermal gold project in Nevada. Tyrrell holds a Master of Science in Ore Deposit Geology from the University of Western Australia and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Geology from Curtin University, and is a member of the Society of Economic Geologists, the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and the Geological Society of Nevada. Produced by Resource Media The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast is a product of Read Corporate. Please note that Read Corporate does not provide investment advice and investors should seek personalised advice before making any investment decisions. Resources LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/the-hole-truth-podcastYouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI4sZkSfEpPi_u7OrD7lQ-tZHbdy6EhCCWebsite: https://resourcesrisingstars.com.au/the-hole-truth-podcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theholetruthpodcast/Company website: https://lachlanstar.com/ Key Insights 1. A chance meeting at a Norseman servo delivered a 90%-owned high-grade gold project.New Waverley was privately held for close to 40 years by two individual prospectors before Lachlan Star got involved. The most recent, David "Golly" Pascoe, a Norseman local who picked up the ground around 15 years ago, granted the mining lease only last year. Lachlan Star's field team crossed paths with Pascoe by chance at the local service station while working an adjoining project, and months of conversation turned into a deal: Lachlan Star acquired 90% of the project for cash and shares, while Pascoe retained a 10% free-carried interest through to pre-feasibility, a 1% net smelter royalty, and shares in the company. The ground includes the old Waverley open pit, mined by Great Fingall Mining Company NL in 1988 for around 4,500 ounces at an average grade of roughly 14 grams per tonne, before the gold price crash sent the operator into administration and the tenement lapsed. 2. Early drilling is already turning up shallow, high-grade gold.Since completing the acquisition in March 2026, Lachlan Star has pushed through roughly 5,500–6,000 metres of combined diamond and RC drilling, with the RC program expanding well beyond its original scope on the strength of what the rig was turning up. Results include intercepts such as 16m at 5.3g/t gold (including 4m at 20g/t) and 4m at 13.83g/t gold (including 1m at 53g/t), with the individual quartz-reef veins themselves regularly assaying at an ounce or two per tonne. Crucially, the mineralisation sits close to surface — around 40 to 50 metres deep at Waverley Pit, and effectively at surface at Trial Pit, where the company panned free gold from a quartz vein just six metres down. 3. The system is open in every direction across a 400-metre strike — and there are signs of much more.Lachlan Star has now traced the same style of quartz-vein mineralisation across 4