Down to 14 men, the Titans still found a way to beat premiers Cronulla

THE already injury-hit Titans were relegated to 14 men, but found a way to record a remarkable 16-12 victory over the NRL champions the Sharks.

Jarryd Hayne celebrates victory against the Sharks.

DEFENDING an NRL title isn’t meant to be easy.

Just when we thought Cronulla were cruising towards the record books, they received a reality check at the hands of a courageous Gold Coast side led by Jarryd Hayne.

The injury-hit Titans were relegated to 14 men in the second half, but found a way to record a remarkable 16-12 victory. The defeat has ended the Sharks’ four-game winning stretch and put a stop to their run of 175 minutes without conceding a try.

Coach Shane Flanagan was bitterly disappointed, blaming his side’s substandard attitude and execution.

Leivaha Pulu scores the match winner.

“It’s a tough one to take, especially after the last two weeks,” he said.

“It’s hard to put your finger on why. Probably our first couple of sets explains why. We turned the ball over and had no respect for the ball.

“It’s just disappointing. We are a better football team than what we showed today, but if you don’t do the fundamentals right that is what happens. We don’t need to change our structures or systems; we just need to change our attitude.”

The Sharks have one win from four attempts at home this season. “We haven’t been good at home and we need to address it,” Flanagan said.

“It’s disappointing, because this has been a fortress for us and we need to get back there.”

Cronulla captain Paul Gallen added: “It is an ordinary loss. We knew they wouldn’t go away and they compete for 80 minutes and we knew they would have got a lot of confidence getting those players back.”

The Titans deserve huge praise for fighting hard under adversity.

Jayson Bukuya charges for the tryline.

Neil Henry’s side lost Chris McQueen (concussion), Chris Grevsmuhl (shoulder) and Dale Copley (back) to injuries. Despite the setbacks, they dug deep for one of the gutsiest wins in the club’s history.

Underrated replacement forward Leivaha Pulu proved the unlikely hero for the Gold Coast with two second-half tries, including the match-winner with four minutes remaining.

Titans coach Neil Henry couldn’t have been prouder of his charges.

“The boys have had some gusty efforts this year, but to get back in a game and close out a game we haven’t experienced,” he said. “We’ve had three wins where we’ve led games late and lost them all.”

Henry was particularly pleased with Hayne, who excelled in his return match from an ankle injury to pick up the Anzac medal as man of the match. The former Test and Origin star hasn’t played since round two against Newcastle and looked rusty at stages, but he still found a way to make an invaluable impact with a try assist and 109 running metres.

“Jarryd was just at the back doing his job,” he said.

“He had to play himself back into a game and he got his job done and that’s all he needed to do.

Paul Gallen is tackled by the Titans defence.

“Nothing spectacular, but be safe and make a few runs when we need him and he’ll be better for that.”

The Titans also welcomed back Kevin Proctor and Konrad Hurrell from injury and both players delivered impressive displays. It was a forgettable night for Cronulla, especially in the second half when the match was there to be won.

The Sharks lead 10-6 at halftime and 12-6 late in the second half, but couldn’t hold out the fast finishing Gold Coast.

The Titans have used a whopping 28 players this season due to injury, which makes their win over Cronulla even more memorable.

The Sharks will look to rebound on Saturday when they take on the Tigers at Leichhardt Oval.

GOLD COAST 16 (L Pulu 2 T Roberts tries A Taylor 2 goals) bt CRONULLA 12 (1 penalty try) (J Bukuya R Leutele tries J Maloney 2 goals) at Southern Cross Group Stadium. Referee: Chris James, Henry Perenara. Crowd: 12,397.

Originally published as Down to 14 men, the Titans still found a way to beat premiers Cronulla