Jai Arrow dominates for Titans to lock in an Origin gig

While one big Origin hope was left limping from the field in Townsville, another proved he’s almost certain to be pulling on the Maroon jersey in a month.

North Queensland Cowboys against Gold Coast Titans at 1300Smiles Stadium. Titan players react to Justin O'Neill's try. Picture: Evan Morgan

While one big Origin hope was left limping from the field in Townsville, another proved he’s almost certain to be pulling on the Maroon jersey in a month. Here’s the five things we learned from the Cowboys v Titans clash.

Jai Arrow was on fire in the Titans loss. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

1. ARROW’S FLYING INTO ORIGIN

Last night’s match moonlighted as an early Origin audition and even had Queensland coach Kevin Walters watching on with intent as part of his Fox League commentary duties. Thirteen players were in serious Origin contention last night. Jai Arrow was clearly the standout, with 215 running metres, 23 hit ups and 35 tackles.

Jason Taumalolo breaks through the Titans defence. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

2. BUNG KNEE DOESN’T SLOW JT

Welcome back to the NRL, Mr Taumalolo. In his first game back after completely rupturing his MCL in his knee, he picked up where he left off. The $10 million monster ran for a team high 216m, made five tackle busts and scored a try. It’s no secret his presence alone gave the Cowboys an extra boost of confidence and it showed last night.

Josh McGuire before a calf injury forced him from the field. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

3. TITANS FURIOUS WITH REFS

The Titans are seething at two disallowed tries which changed the momentum of the match. Coach Garth Brennan is planning to speak with referees’ boss Gerard Sutton and Graham Annesley about Tyrone Peachey’s disallowed try in the 25th minute when Cowboys rake Jake Granville was allegedly run off the ball.

Kevin Proctor and his Titans teammates rue a Cowboys try. Picture: Evan Morgan

4. SEASON ALL BUT DONE

Mal Meninga described it as a “season-defining” match last night and if that really is the case, the Titans season is in serious worry. The Gold Coast have come crashing back down to earth following their two-game winning streak. They put in a resilient performance but didn’t have the polish to find the win.

5. SYSTEM ERROR FOR BOTH OF THEM

Both sides will need to work on their ball control after a sloppy evening in Townsville. There were 25 errors all up, with many coming from dropped high-balls. Adding to the poor ball handling, both teams weren’t up to scratch in defence with the Cowboys (28) and Titans (30) missing far too many tackles to be genuine finals contenders.