Gold Coast Titans halfback Toby Sexton inspires thrilling win over St George-Illawarra Dragons
He orchestrated a thrilling last gasp triumph, but could this returning Titan’s heroics be a one-off? All the fan photos and news from the Gold Coast’s triumph here >>
Local League
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local League. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Toby Sexton’s at the death heroics could prove to be a one-off wonder in 2023, with Titans coach Justin Holbrook confirming Kieran Foran was set for an injury comeback to take on the Broncos.
In his first NRL appearance since Round 20 last year, Sexton masterminded a thrilling 20-18 Gold Coast triumph over St. George-Illawarra, crossing to score the decisive try with three minutes on the clock and send the Cbus Super Stadium crowd into hysterics.
The 22-year-old also laid on a try for Jayden Campbell — his first stint starting at fullback this year in the absence of AJ Brimson — and added three linebreak assists, a linebreak and 51 running metres to his afternoon.
Sexton was called into the side to replace Foran, after the veteran five-eighth succumbed to a calf tear in the Round Four defeat to North Queensland. Now he may have caused his coach a selection headache.
While Holbrook said the 32-year-old was likely to line up in Saturday night’s derby with the Broncos, he was full of praise for the influence Sexton had on Sunday.
“He’s a good chance next week so we’ll see how this week goes at training,” Holbrook said when asked of Foran’s forthcoming return.
“He was terrific for us; he’s obviously waited for his opportunity and got it. He stepped up and played really well for us and scored a try at the end we need it.
“He was terrific, he had a great game.”
A series of magic moments from winger Phil Sami — who finished with a try, 228m, three linebreaks and an incredible 14 tackle busts — dazzled the home crowd.
But by the end of 80 enthralling minutes, this was Sexton’s moment.
Sexton’s renaissance comes after a challenging 2022 campaign, in which he was axed at the end of a 10-game losing streak for the Titans.
However his demotion to the Queensland Cup has seemingly been transformative for the former Australian schoolboys star; linking up with Tweed coach Dave Penna and rediscovering his mojo.
The Palm Beach Currumbin product was encouraged by Penna to add more dimensions to his game, coinciding with a more confident running game that was on show against the Dragons.
Running for 51m from six carries — including a powerful support play run which led to Campbell’s try — the fruits of that were on show, and Sexton credited his Seagulls mentors influence for salvaging him out of the doldrums of yesteryear.
“He just lets you know where you’re at, and I think on top of it there were times when I was pretty down as a player but he always liked to show all the positives about my game,” Sexton said.
“It just reinforces you’re good enough to play, and that was at times last year when we were struggling and he just always used to reinforce that into me.
“When I’m enjoying my footy I’m doing all those little things really well. I think physically and mentally I’m 12 months ahead of where I was last year.”
The Titans’ resilient win, having fallen behind with six minutes to play after Dragons halfback Ben Hunt crossed, comes at the perfect time for the imminent cross-town rivalry clash with the Broncos.
It is a contest Gold Coast captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui already has his eyes on; in particular the chance to resume his running battle with Payne Haas.
“He’s one of the best in the game and when you verse the best you want to compete with them and see how good you actually are,” Fa’asuamaleaui said.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for him and can’t wait to go out there and play against those boys and hopefully have a good game.
“I’m excited, it’s one I’ve written down the books for a long time now. We just have to go to another level and hopefully win here at Cbus again.”
‘It can be a big shock’: Returning Titan opens up on fall from grace (April 7)
“I’m in the best head space I’ve been in for a long time”.
That was the declaration of Titans halfback Toby Sexton, as he readies to replace injured five-eighth Kieran Foran and announce his NRL comeback.
As the veteran recruit nurses a calf tear suffered in the Round Four loss to North Queensland, Sexton has been named to return to the Gold Coast scrumbase for the first time since his 2022 axing.
Once lauded the club’s long-term halfback following Jamal Fogarty’s release, the 22-year-old struggled along with his teammates throughout a 10-game losing streak last year; eventually finishing the campaign in the Queensland Cup.
It is for Tweed Seagulls he has begun his season, rediscovering his zest for rugby league and a running game which alluded him last year.
Across 19 games in 2022, Sexton averaged just 25m each outing to go with 13 try assists and seven linebreak assists. Thus far his four games in the state competition have already yielded four try assists, four linebreak assists and 93m a game.
Sexton may have endured a baptism of fire in 2022, as scrunity around his position reared, but the man himself said he had put that experience behind him and would be returning to take on the St. George-Illawarra Dragons in the “best head space” he had ever been in.
He said Seagulls coach and former Parramatta Eel Dave Penna had been instrumental in that, having helped him emerge from a time where he admitted to being “pretty down as a player.”
“Honestly I don’t really listen to media much, I’ve got a good family environment around me and obviously the footy players here too,” Sexton said.
“Outside my environment, their opinions don’t really necessarily matter much to me. It was tough, and at the end of the day any player who plays NRL is going to be competitive.
“I was fortunate enough to come through the junior ranks and win a lot of games and not be open to a big losing season. Last year I think I won three out of 20 games and I think any player is going to struggle with that.
“It was more so just not enjoying my footy rather than losing confidence. Right now I’m in probably the best head space I’ve been in a long time and I’m really enjoying my footy.
“I’m in a really good head space at the moment and when I get my shot I know I’ll make the most of it.”
Sexton’s yesteryear woes are an experience not unique, with any side’s halfback often shouldering much of the burden when it comes to a team’s flailing attack.
The likes of Jake Clifford and Ash Taylor both received the brunt of expectation as young halfbacks; praised as the heir apparent to the likes of Johnathan Thurston and Scott Prince and called on to deliver immediate results.
However Sexton said finding peace with seperating his football and personal life had been key to him relishing his time on the field, and he called on other developing talents to do the same and learn to escape the magnified environment of the NRL.
“There’s nothing quite like an NRL environment. It’s pretty full on, and for a lot of the young kids you think you’re the be all and end all at school, then you get into an NRL environment and you’re back down to the bottom of the food chain,” Sexton said.
“I guess it can be a big shock, you see now how much pressure kids get put under from such a young age to be with clubs and so forth.
“I’m pretty fortunate I still live at home with mum and dad and two brothers, so they keep me pretty grounded. It’s just about when footy’s on I’m all about footy, but as soon as I’m in my outside environment I can get away from footy and just be normal again.
“Especially last year when we were in bad form I think that’s when I relied on it most and if you’re good mentally it goes a long way to playing good footy and feeling good physically too.”
In a twist of fate, Sexton will line up alongside with the man who unseated him for the halfback jumper in Tanah Boyd, with the latter swapping to the left edge where he will link up with Keebra Park teammate David Fifita.
When the Gold Coast last took on the Dragons, Boyd was guilty of a series of errors off the boot which proved costly — short drop outs, kicks out on the full and failing to find touch on penalties among them.
While the 22-year-old said in the past he had allowed poor performances to impact him in following weeks, he declared he had learned to cope with those setbacks.
“I was very disappointed with how I’d performed, but I knew I had to bounce back pretty quick. You can snowball those performances but I just had the right mindset,” Boyd said.
“I just wanted to flush it and I knew that wasn’t how I play. It takes time, NRL is a different beast. It’s been a big three years of learning, but in saying that I’m still learning.
“I feel like I still have to take control of the team and lead the boys around, but he (Sexton) has to do his job as well. He’s been there and done that, he knows what he needs to do.”
‘I could hardly walk’: Titans stars reveal extent of injuries in defeat (March 27)
AJ Brimson has confirmed he is set to be sidelined for the next four weeks with a hamstring injury, however the Titans star is determined to ensure the setback does not derail him in his pursuit of a State of Origin recall.
The fullback is eyeing off a comeback in the Round 8 clash against the Dolphins, having left the field in the opening 25 minutes of the Gold Coast’s defeat to North Queensland on Saturday.
He will be joined in the casualty ward by star recruit Kieran Foran, who is touch and go to line up against St.George-Illawarra next weekend with a calf injury.
MORE GOLD COAST SPORT
Injury carnage: Who steps up to fill huge Titans voids?
Analysis: Teen Titan makes big debut statement, halves shootout looms
‘Sick, tired, sore, my mum always went to work’ — Sports Star of the Year
“I kind of felt it every time I kind of accelerated up until that moment, and then in that one acceleration there was just that real sharp … not a bang, but enough for me to know I’d done something wrong,” Brimson said.
“As I got up to play the ball I could feel it pretty heavy there, and signalled to the physio I could hardly walk at that stage so there was no way I could continue.
“I’ve been enjoying my footy there and I just feel really comfortable at the back there now and I was looking forward to finding some form and continuing on.
“But hopefully if I only miss a couple of games I’ll come back fresh, so nothing to worry about really.”
Following a 2022 campaign in which he was shifted between fullback and five-eighth, Brimson has seemingly found a home in the number one jumper.
Across the opening three rounds, the 24-year-old had averaged 122 running metres and nearly four tackle busts a game to go along with four try assists.
It is the sort of form which has him dreaming about a return to the Queensland jumper; and the concussion concerns of incumbent fullback Kalyn Ponga could open that door for Game I on May 31.
The Newcastle captain travelled to Canada after suffering his fourth concussion in 10 months early in his side’s Round 2 win over Wests Tigers.
And while Broncos star Reece Walsh has announced himself as frontrunner for a Maroons debut should Ponga remain on the sidelines, Brimson was determined to produce performances that not only launched the Titans into finals contention but him into the selection frame.
“I feel like it’s always in the back of my mind, but I want to try and play some finals footy this year so all my attention is going there,” Brimson said.
“But I feel like everyone would be lying if they don’t at least read into things or see those sort of injuries in similar positions.
“Obviously I want to play Origin, but the main focus is get my hammy back as quick as I can.”
Brimson was joined on the sidelines against the Cowboys by five-eighth Foran, who was taken from the field 23 minutes in with a calf concern.
The veteran confirmed he had suffered a calf tear, and would be touch and go to line up against the Dragons next week after the Gold Coast’s bye.
“It’s a little bit of a calf tear there but nothing too serious; maybe two to three weeks. But we’ve got the bye so I’ll try and get right for the next game,” Foran said.
“I’m still a chance for sure (for the Dragons), if I don’t feel quite right I might have to miss that one but I’ll definitely try and get right for that one.”
‘I didn’t have anything’: Brutal blow exposes concussion crackdown issue (March 24)
Titans coach Justin Holbrook has joined the chorus of league figures calling for the NRL to instil a sideline doctor in order to hasten recently amended concussion protocols.
Speaking ahead of the Gold Coast’s clash with the Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday, Holbrook threw his support behind the game’s crackdown on head knocks in light of the growing concerns around its impacts later in life.
But he admitted a faster process should be considered to avoid the on-field stresses his side recently faced.
The Titans lost halfback Tanah Boyd for 15 minutes in their narrow win over the Melbourne Storm, after he copped a brutal hit from Justin Olam and was sent for a HIA.
Boyd told News Corp there had been no contact made with the head and he felt no concussion-like symptoms in the aftermath of the blow.
MORE GOLD COAST SPORT
Revealed: Alarming numbers that expose Titans’ Taumalolo problem
Analysis: Rookie’s NRL push, Sexton’s evolution, axing inspires try queen
Cathrine Tuivaiti makes shock return to Aussie netball
“That was just precaution I’m pretty sure, the Bunker just picked that up. I didn’t have anything at the time, I didn’t feel dazed or anything,” Boyd said.
“He kind of just got me on the neck there but it was all right; I had to get up and keep going.
“He’s obviously a presence Justin and got me with a beauty the big fella. It was unfortunate but I had to do it.”
Under the NRL’s stance on concussions, the Bunker’s independent doctor is able to intervene when they see something of concern and enforce a player to be taken from the game for a 15 minute assessment.
The protocols have drawn the ire of rugby league greats; with Newcastle legend Andrew Johns calling for a medical professional to be on the ground and the ones making the verdict.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, Knights mentor Adam O’Brien, Dolphins mastermind Wayne Bennett and Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould have also slammed the current system within the opening rounds of the season.
On Saturday, the Titans conceded three tries while Boyd was taken from the field, and no penalty was awarded for the Olam hit — backing the Keebra Park product’s assertion the contact came around the neck.
Despite the circumstances, Holbrook backed the NRL’s emphasis on player safety however believed a quicker process needed to be considered to prevent instances similar to Boyd’s.
“It’s tough but I understand what the game has to do. We’ve got to protect the players and it’s a big talking point concussion,” Holbrook said.
“It is difficult if you don’t get a penalty but then the player has to come off; you think either it’s high or it’s not. But it’s not an easy one and it’s just part of the game now.
“As a coach you’re chopping and changing players all the time during the 80 minutes due to the head knocks, but I think as a game they’re doing the right thing.
“There’s always going to be a heap of opinions on it, our week’s too busy as head coaches to try and dive into that stuff so I’ll leave it for the experts.
“I like the idea of talking about things, and in cases like that if there’s some quick test you can do in one minute and you go ‘actually, you know what he’s OK’ that’ll be great.
“But there’s so much to consider in that area so I’ll leave it with the experts.”
Holbrook also confirmed the club’s interest in Super League hooker Kruise Leeming.
A veteran of 191 first-grade appearances, the Leeds Rhinos’ grand final captain has been granted a release request by the English giants as he plots his next move.
Gold Coast dummy-half Sam Verrills has been sidelined for at least two months as he recovers from a broken collarbone, and Holbrook said Leeming was one man they had identified who could fill the void.
“He’s one that we’re looking at, there’s a number of players and obviously that’s sort of come out and he is unlikely to continue at Leeds,” he said.
“We’ll have a look at that over the next week and if something happened there that would be a good thing as well.”
The Titans also announced on Thursday night the signing of winger Ken Maumalo on a three-year deal, with the former Kiwi international expected to arrive on the Glitter Strip next week.
You pick: Vote now for ultimate Qld Schoolboys team of the year
Vote now: Discover the top schoolboys rugby league players in Queensland and pick your ultimate team of the year from the NRL’s elite Year 10 and senior competitions. Cast your vote here.
‘Rather go surfing’: How Elgey lost, rekindled, rugby league love
Kane Elgey burst onto the NRL scene but by 25 he was lost to the game. Five years later, he has cleaned up in his rare return. He opens up on loving life as a termite inspector and why he doesn’t regret a thing.