Titans end year-long home drought with win over Warriors

The Titans clinched a four-point victory against the Warriors to end their year-long winning drought at home.

Warriors winger David Fusitu’a flies high to catch a ball against the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium but it was the home side that rose to the top. Picture: Getty Images

The jerseys might have been an eyesore but at least the scoreline was a pleasing sight for the Titans as they clinched a 16-12 victory over the Warriors to end a year-long winning drought at home.

Trailing 12-10 with 15 minutes to go, the Titans seemed down and out with million-dollar man Ash Taylor injured and taken from the field. But up stepped young halfback Jamal Fogarty.

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A 75th minute grubber kick by Fogarty into the in-goal was pounced on by young gun Beau Fermor — in just his second NRL game — to seal the win in the dying minutes of the game.

It was a gutsy effort by the home side despite an error-riddled game, epitomised by a busted Keegan Hipgrave spurring on his teammates to victory.

Hipgrave was in “a lot of pain” after the match and will undergo scans this weekend after a 29th minute tackle left him clutching his shoulder and continued to do so for a further 40 minutes before he was substituted to the bench.

The Titans celebrate victory against the Warriors at Cbus Super Stadium on Friday night. Picture: Getty Images

Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook said it wasn’t pretty but the resilient win was rewarding.

“We had backrowers playing as centres and we’re a pretty busted side at the moment and we haven’t won here for a while so to get a win, I’m just happy,” Holbrook said. “Keegs (Hipgrave) is in a lot of pain and not in a good way but that’s what we needed. For him to keep going as long as he did, played a huge factor in us winning the game.

“The easy thing for us at half time was that we couldn’t have played any worse. We couldn’t get going in the first half.

“I’m really happy with the way we just hung in there.”

The win takes the pressure off the Titans, for now, who now face a daunting month, with clashes against three of the top four clubs in the Storm, Panthers and the Roosters. It also takes the Gold Coast two spots clear of the Broncos on the ladder, in more bad news for the Brisbane club.

New Zealand’s controversial “bush shirt” uses traditional Wellington colours of yellow and black and was hoped to “spark some joy” amid the current global crisis.

Instead, it sparked nothing but criticism in Friday’s game on the Gold Coast.

From “nanna’s tea towel” to a “picnic rug”, the jersey copped plenty of flak online.

Last night’s win ends the Titans’ 10-game losing streak at their home ground. It hasn’t been since Round 6 last year when they last got to celebrate a win in front of their home fans.

And it all came off the back of the Titans’ young, inexperienced players such as Fermor, Fogarty and Moeakie Fotuaika.

On several occasions, the Warriors took advantage of the Gold Coast’s two centres Bryce Cartwright and Fermor.

Why? Because they’re both traditionally edge forwards and not outside backs.

An absolute brain fade by Cartwright in the first half nearly gifted the Warriors an easy try if not for a contentious penalty call by the video referee.

Warriors forward Jack Hetherington, on loan to the club from Penrith, seemed to bag his first NRL try but was denied by the bunker, much to the dislike of the rugby league community.

In the end, Fermor made up for the four missed tackles and three errors between them by scoring the winning try.

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