Gold Coast Titans’ final hopes in tatters after second-half collapse against South Sydney

GOLD Coast’s finals hopes are in tatters after a dismal second-half siesta and a slew of battered bodies saw the Titans capitulate 36-20 against South Sydney.

Dejected Titans after the loss.

GOLD Coast’s finals hopes are in tatters after a dismal second-half siesta and a slew of battered bodies saw the Titans capitulate 36-20 against South Sydney.

Already missing 11 players, including Origin trio Jarryd Hayne, Nathan Peats and Jarrod Wallace, the Titans’ injury saga hit crisis point as another four top-liners collapsed at ANZ Stadium.

The plucky Titans were eyeing a Homebush boilover after a courageous first-half catapulted coach Neil Henry’s ‘Nevilles’ to a shock 20-10 halftime lead.

But the heavily-depleted Coast fell apart after the break, with Ryan James (knee) and concussed trio Ash Taylor, Joe Greenwood and Pat Politoni all failing to finish on a night of carnage.

Dejected Titans after the loss.

Classy Souths back-rower Angus Crichton ran riot, posting a hat-trick as the Bunnies scored five second-half tries and 26 unanswered points to effectively kill off the Titans’ season.

Entering this clash, the 13th-placed Titans needed to win eight of their last 11 games, but in reality, coach Henry has a better chance of winning Lotto than delivering a playoffs campaign.

The Titans are simply running out of quality troops to mount a late-season surge. With last-placed Newcastle just two wins behind, the Coast are in danger of claiming their second wooden-spoon in six years.

The Titans fought bravely in the opening stanza but, even allowing for their injury toll, they consistently leak too many tries in midfield to be a bona fide finals force.

Kevin Proctor made his return from a drug ban. Picture: Mark Evans

The Coast had done the first-half hard yards, but their defensive discipline after the break was shoddy as Crichton, Cody Walker and Bryson Goodwin crossed running smart lines.

“We couldn’t sustain it,” Henry lamented. “There was plenty of energy there early but in the end we ran out of troops and missed a lot of tackles.

“We came in at halftime playing decent football and knew we had to maintain it. But we couldn’t sustain possession and we were in trouble from there.”

Pressure is building on Henry. Over summer, the Titans, buoyed by last season’s finals appearance, were rated a top-six team. But unless Henry engineers an urgent revival, the Titans risk becoming the underachievers of the season.

Early on, an ANZ ambush loomed. With the insipid Rabbitohs in dreamland, Titans duo Politoni and Kevin Proctor landed a one-two tryscoring punch to give the visitors a 14-0 lead inside 17 minutes.

Injured and representative Titans watch on.

The Titans’ first-half performance was evidence that big names don’t guarantee success. Effort does. The Coast were hungrier, sharper and ran with more vigour. The Rabbitohs lacked energy and frittered away too much cheap ball.

For half an hour, the Titans dictated proceedings, but when the Bunnies finally found some attacking shape, they exposed the Coast on the edges with two tries in seven minutes.

Crichton (28th minute) found joy on the Titans’ left edge and when Konrad Hurrell raced up on the right, Souths fullback Walker put Alex Johnston (35th) over to whittle the deficit to 14-10.

Ash Taylor was taken from the field late in the game. Picture: Jerad Williams

In reality, the Titans deserved a bigger lead and they got it, Joe Greenwood somehow managing to touch down amid five Souths defenders to give his side a vital 20-10 halftime lead.

But you always got the feeling Souths just needed to wake from their slumber to seize control. When Walker and Crichton crossed five minutes apart just after the break, the Titans lacked the class and composure to bounce off the ropes.

Now their season is on the canvas, the knockout blow delivered by Crichton, a former Australian Schoolboys rugby star who has the talent to one day wear the NSW Origin jumper.

“Angus’ first couple of years here, he had some injuries, but I always saw signs he would develop into a great player,” Souths coach Michael Maguire said.

“The first 20 minutes was something I didn’t expect and the players didn’t either. But the players lifted after halftime and we found a way to win.

“Our young guys really stood up for us, the boys wanted to do it for John Sutton (playing his 300th game).”

Originally published as Gold Coast Titans’ final hopes in tatters after second-half collapse against South Sydney