NRL 2021: Canberra Raiders beat Gold Coast Titans 20-4 | Match Report
It’s only early in the season, but a key Titans injury in the loss to the Raiders could see the up and coming Gold Coast squad struggle to recover.
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This was Gold Coast’s chance to prove the doubters wrong with a win against one of the competition’s heavyweights.
Instead, their season is in limbo after going down to a Raiders side that defended like a seagull protecting the final chip at Bondi Beach.
After all the pre-season build-up, this was the game that would determine whether the Titans were the real deal or simply overhyped after they had beaten the awful Broncos and Cowboys, but stumbled against the Warriors.
Based on this performance, they are neither a top-tier team nor out of the finals race; a unique situation given the massive gap between the top and bottom teams in 2021.
They had enough chances to beat the Raiders on Saturday night but lacked the polish it takes to match it with the premier teams.
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“It was a bit of a shambles all round,” coach Justin Holbrook said.
“We played well the past couple of weeks and we had to play better today. But out of the three weeks, we missed our chances.
“If we took our chances then we could have won that. We’ve got a young side that will learn a lot about game management and taking our opportunities.”
Canberra produced three sublime defensive efforts to deny the Titans in the first half, but the Titans beat themselves in the final 40 minutes with a raft of errors that don’t cut it at this level.
Jamal Fogarty came up with two cold drops, including one on halfway that gifted Canberra field position that led to a try. To make matters worse, Josh Papalii ran over the top of him to grab the all-important four-pointer that stretched the lead.
There was a schoolboy penalty when they dragged Charnze Nikoll-Klokstad back into the in-goal, Jaimin Jolliffe dropped the ball after they’d had three sets in the red zone, while they lost all direction when Fogarty came off with a calf injury.
The chaotic attack looked good but amounted to nothing, and that’s where they fall short compared to teams like Canberra, the Panthers and the Storm.
They were able to get on the outside a number of times thanks to the fancy footwork of Corey Thompson who holds all the high scores on dance machines on the Gold Coast, but sometimes simple stuff is all it takes to compete with the big boys.
“The upside is we created plenty of chances and we’re going to get better,” the coach said.
“We’re not far off as a group, and I’m happy about that.”
Tino’s Titanic effort
A few eyebrows were raised when the Titans announced they had pinched Tino Fa’asuamaleaui from the Storm on a long-term deal, but it now looks like the deal may be the steal of the season.
It was never going to be easy leaving one of the most settled systems in rugby league for a team that has struggled for so long, but he has come straight in and become the alpha male in a pack that can match it with the big guns.
He was unstoppable in the first half, racking up 132 running metres from 11 carries including a big bust up the guts against a star-studded Raiders team that usually controls the middle, and finished with a game-high 196 metres.
“I thought him, Dave Fifita and Corey Thompson were the three best players on the field,” Holbrook said.
Challenging decision
We’ve seen some terrible challenges, but Jordan Rapana may have shot straight to the top of the leaderboard thanks to a baffling referral that should see him banned from ever questioning a decision again.
In fact, it was so bad that the Raiders should lose next week’s challenge after he asked his skipper to query a penalty against him for stopping short to block Anthony Don from contesting a bomb.
The Bunker barely took five seconds to dismiss the protest, proving definitively that wingers and props should not be allowed to challenge.
“Jack (Wighton) and Toots (Jarrod Croker) both said ‘don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it’,” Ricky Stuart laughed.
“I don’t know if Raps understands what tactical means.”
Don’s cursed night
He’s the cult hero who has scored more tries than any other Titan, but the immediate future of Anthony Don is up in the air after the winger was helped off by two trainers midway through the second half.
Don went down with a non-contact injury, and the early fear is he’s done damage to his hip-flexor.
It capped a horror night for the winger who was denied twice in the first half with what ordinarily would have been regulation tries in the corner.
“Donny hurt his hip, but I’m not too sure about him. It makes it hard when you’re chasing the game,” Holbrook said.
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