Titans stun Warriors 36-12 to leave NRL finals race open
A WIN would have all but secured the sliding Warriors a finals berth, but they instead imploded against the Gold Coast to leave the top-eight door ajar for the Tigers or Raiders.
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GARTH Brennan has lauded the Gold Coast’s rising stars after the Titans crushed New Zealand’s top eight credentials in a 36-12 boilover on Sunday.
The Titans turned a 12-8 halftime deficit into a 24-point hammering in front of a stunned crowd of 15,149 at Cbus Super Stadium to keep the NRL finals race wide open.
A win would have all but secured the fading Warriors a finals berth, but they were labelled “soft” by coach Steve Kearney after imploding against a Gold Coast team playing for nothing but pride.
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The Titans had lost 14 of their past 15 encounters against New Zealand, including the past six matches, and were looking to snap a three-game losing streak after dropping out of finals contention.
Another Warriors win was looming when the visitor’s bounced out to a four-point lead at the break, only to be trounced by the youthful Titans in a second half blitz.
Titans young guns AJ Brimson, Phillip Sami and Brenko Lee shredded the lethargic Warriors to give a glimpse of the Gold Coast’s future under coach Brennan.
“They showed what they’re capable of,” Brennan said.
“We’ve seen signs throughout the year but that was our most complete 80-minute performance of the year.
“I’m excited with where this club is heading. We’ve got some super kids coming through and some experience to help them.
“There is a massive upside for the Titans. We’ve had some heartbreaking times this year but I know we’re heading in the right direction.
“We’re very determined to finish the year strong.”
The Titans started fast when Konrad Hurrell scored against his former club in the seventh minute, but tries to Shaun Johnson and ex-Gold Coast utility Karl Lawton gave the visitors a handy halftime lead.
The eighth-placed Warriors had everything to play for in the second half but instead melted on a sunny Gold Coast afternoon.
First, Titans right-side duo Anthony Don and Lee scored to give the Titans a 20-12 lead before rookie five-eight Brimson produced an excellent solo effort to score his third try of the year.
A double to flying winger Phillip Sami, including a sublime step on Warriors fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, sunk another dagger into New Zealand’s top eight hopes with five games to play.
The Warriors’ for-and-against took a hammering in the 24-point loss and has ensured the top eight race is still on with the Tigers and Raiders lurking.
“I’m still scratching my head trying to figure it out,” Kearney said.
“I was very disappointed in the second half. There were signs of it in the first half.
“It’s been a real concern for us. I don’t like using the word, but it was pretty soft in the second half.
“There was a fair bit on the line and to produce a second half of that standard makes it very disappointing.”
The Warriors’ for-and-against took a hammering in the 24-point loss and has ensured the top eight race is still on.
GOLD COAST 36 (P Sami 2 A Brimson A Don K Hurrell B Lee tries M Gordon 6 goals) bt NZ WARRIORS 12 (S Johnson K Lawton tries S Johnson 2 goals) at Cbus Super Stadium. Referee: Gerard Sutton, Phil Henderson. Crowd: 15,149
Originally published as Titans stun Warriors 36-12 to leave NRL finals race open