NRL 2021: Titans beat Bulldogs 30-20, match highlights, report
It clear that the Bulldogs don’t have the cattle, but the signs are promising for Canterbury if it can reproduce a similar attitude. The same cannot be said of the triumphant Titans.
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Titans fullback AJ Brimson celebrated his $3 million contract with the match-winning try and staked a claim for Queensland’s No.1 jersey as the Gold Coast escaped with a 30-20 win against the battling Bulldogs.
Brimson iced a much-needed win for the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday with his second try in the 77th minute to sink the plucky Dogs.
In a match marred by high-contact controversies, the Bulldogs had a sniff at recording only their second win of the year when they drew within four points of the Titans with 10 minutes to go.
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But two days after inking a five-year contract extension, Brimson stood up and delivered the killer blow on Canterbury to clinch the Gold Coast’s fifth win of the year.
With Maroons fullback favourite Kalyn Ponga (groin) sidelined, Brimson ran for 207m in his best game of the year to show Queensland coach Paul Green he is ready for Origin I at the MCG on June 9.
“I love the Maroons,” Brimson said.
“Any time I get to play for them is a blessing.
“Obviously I’m going to put my hand up.”
Titans prop Moeaki Fotuaika was also strong, running for 178m and busting 11 tackles as he pushes for a Maroons recall with Queensland missing props Lindsay Collins (knee) and Josh Papalii (suspended).
PLAYERS MILKING PENALTIES
The NRL must stop rewarding players that milk penalties or the game risks turning into soccer with players lying on the ground looking for attention.
A trend has emerged of players waiting for The Bunker to review a play which may have included high-contact that the on-field referee missed.
The attacking player knows at worst they will be told to play the ball after the review. At best, they receive a penalty and potentially have a rival player sin-binned.
Bulldogs prop Dylan Napa was sin-binned for a high tackle on Titans rival Jarrod Wallace.
Napa’s contact on Wallace was high and a clear penalty, but the Bulldogs big man made his displeasure known as Wallace lay on the ground waiting for The Bunker to intervene.
The sin-binning could have been considered harsh, but that is the reality of the NRL’s high-contact crackdown and the players now know it.
They are staying down for the most minor incident because they know they will receive a penalty if there has been any sort of high-contact and may even have a rival sent off the field.
Titans co-captain Kevin Proctor was penalised and placed on report for an incident that had nothing in it.
“It’s getting difficult,” Titans coach Justin Holbrook said. “I understand what we’re trying to do as a game, we’re all in agreeance, we don’t want to see direct contact (with the head)
“Hopefully that doesn’t last too long. We don’t want to become the English Premier League. They stamped it out.
“It’s putting pressure on everyone. We’re all in agreeance to get the dangerous ones out.”
TITANS ARE SOFT UNDERNEATH
The Titans may have won but they have a soft underbelly that will prevent them from genuinely succeeding in the NRL.
The Gold Coast’s defence has been horrible for the past month and they concede points far too easily.
The Titans had an 18-6 lead with one minute to go in the first half. All they had to do was aim up for one set and enter the break with a healthy buffer.
Instead, Tanah Boyd kicked dead for a seven-tackle set, they gave away a six-again and then conceded a try in the final seconds of the half. That sort of limp defensive attitude will stop the Titans from being a genuine NRL premiership contender.
Nevertheless, it was a crucial two points for the Titans to remain in top eight contention.
“It was really important we won, it was really important for our season,” Holbrook said.
“We had to make ourselves accountable. We had a few key guys out so it was important we won. We’ve got to keep building, we’ve got to get a lot better. We’ve got to work on weathering the opposition’s momentum but I’m still happy with a win.”
DOGS OF WAR
The Bulldogs may lack talent, but they certainly had a crack and that sort of attitude will help the club move forward. The 20 points they posted was the most Canterbury has scored in a game all season and they competed until the final siren.
After the first month of the season it looked like the Bulldogs may not win a game in 2021.
They have only scored one victory but with a bit of extra talent they will improve.
Prop Luke Thompson was inspirational with 22 runs and 167m and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak had a big game at fullback but finished with a foot injury.
“There is a lot of effort there but we’re not good enough for long enough periods,” Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett said. “We’re not building enough pressure and not good enough when we’re fatigued.
“You’ve got to compete for 80 minutes under heavy fatigue. The best players can execute under heavy fatigue. It’s probably cost us three games this year.
“We should have won that game.”
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