NRL 2025: Gold Coast Titans’ defiant in defence in stirring home win over the Knights

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui was at his stirring best as the Gold Coast Titans produced a defiant defensive effort to claim their opening win of the NRL season over Newcastle.

The Gold Coast Titans have produced a defiant defensive effort to claim its opening win of the NRL season over Newcastle.

As a barber shaped fans into Tino Fa’asuamaleaui lookalikes outside Cbus Super Stadium the club’s captain and leading mullet man was cutting up the Newcastle Knights defensive line to lead the Titans to a 26-6 Round 3 win in front of 14,602 spectators on Saturday.

Fa’asuamaleaui was at his blistering best and was largely the difference in an opening half where his workrate and offloads set up tries and laid the platform for one of the most complete displays the team has produced under coach Des Hasler.

It’s a huge response from the 40-24 loss last week to Canterbury and comes ahead of a Friday night showdown with the Sydney Roosters.

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui starred for the Titans. Picture: Getty Images

“It was probably the response we were looking for after last week,” Hasler said.

“We managed the game well. The halves were particularly good. Certainly the forwards gave us a really good platform. The ball was in play quite a bit. It was difficult conditions.

“There were a couple of parts where we defended our try line well which was particularly pleasing. It helps us springboard into next week against the Roosters who I think have been impressive the last two weeks.”

Beau Fermor's freakish show of strength to score try

THE GRIND

It was a win full of grit. Gold Coast entered the grind and were willing to stay there, showing a resilience rarely sighted at the club on a night where players were cramping in warm and muggy conditions.“I’m just glad all that hard work during the game paid off at the end. It’s just the start for us. We have to go back to training and work hard and make sure we get the little things right so we can get the little things right.”

For Newcastle Knights coach Adam O’Brien said his side were made to pay for going for the “quick kills”.

“We didn’t come here without effort, we just put it into the wrong areas early on,” O’Brien said.

“We probably tried to play a little bit like the Titans and that isn’t who we are.

“We chased the big plays, the in between moment type tries and got obsessed with doing that and got a bit lateral.

“We play our best footy when we are kicking into corners and building it with our defence. It is an area of discipline when you are trying to chase the quick kills.”

Adam Elliott’s Knights wasted almost every opportunity to score. Picture: Getty Images

FIFITA FEELING IT

David Fifita started on the bench again after playing just 31 minutes last week but the big hitting Titan nearly doubled that in Round 3.

He had an impact when he came on just shy of the 30th minute mark in the first stanza, exhausting a tiring defence, and even scored late to ice the game.

Recruit Reagan Campbell-Gillard played 49 minutes as the Titans continue to get conditioning into its big forwards who are shaping up to be an imposing threat in 2025.

Newcastle centre Dane Gagai takes on the Titans defence. Picture: Getty Images

KICKING GAME

The Titans had no problem putting points on the board but one thing that is of concern is the kicking game produced by halves Jayden Campbell and AJ Brimson.

Every time either was within the attacking 30m they struggled to produce a kick that produced a positive result.

Multiple were caught on the full, handing Newcastle seven-tackle sets, while others were lobbed into positions that posed no threat to the Knights.

What the duo did do was punish Newcastle with their ball running, creating multiple opportunities while creating space and exploiting it.

Originally published as NRL 2025: Gold Coast Titans’ defiant in defence in stirring home win over the Knights