Titanic loss to Warriors

Manu Vatuvei's marker scored a hat-trick of tries but the big winger's return to New Zealand Warriors lineup was still a memorable experience as the team moved inside the top eight with an enterprising 34-14 defeat of the Gold Coast Titans yesterday - the team's fifth win in six games.
David Mead marred Vatuvei's return from a knee injury but the speedster's second career treble didn't override an error-ridden performance from his Titans teammates - and a free-wheeling display by a Warriors side relishing a firm surface at Skilled Park.
A six tries-to-three thrashing sets them up nicely for the second leg of their road trip, a 10th round match against Newcastle next Sunday.
Four Warriors players backed up from last Friday's Anzac test but it was no impediment as Lewis Brown, Simon Mannering, Ben Matulino and Lance Hohaia all made strong contributions, although Vatuvei's comeback was always going to overshadow their double shift.
Vatuvei played only 14 minutes of the season opener against the Eels in Auckland on March 12 before Etu Uaisele's infamous head-first tackle.
And just minutes into his comeback he showed what the Warriors had been missing for the previous seven rounds when he exposed the Titans' frailties under the high ball.
His leap to contest a Brett Seymour bomb was sufficient for David Mead to lose control of the ball, Feleti Mateo swooped and transferred to Brown who crabbed his way to the line. Mead soon atoned for his defensive lapse, and embarrassed Vatuvei down the right flank.
Five minutes later the Kiwis star was on his knees, head in hands over the sideline when Mead took a wide Preston Campbell pass and evaded Vatuvei again to put the Titans up 8-6.
State of Origin hopeful Ashley Harrison spilled Krisnan Inu's restart and from the resulting possession Maloney, Kevin Locke and Brown probed the left edge for a clearly subdued Vatuvei to power over.
Preston Campbell then joined the Titans butter-fingered brigade in the 24th minute when Seymour's bomb bounced back into Maloney's hands before Simon Mannering touched down near the posts.
The Titans struggled to make headway in the second quarter and when a rare break from William Zillman was thwarted by the five-eighth's forward pass the Warriors swept downfield to terrorise Campbell again.
This time a Mateo high kick had Campbell grabbing at thin air, the ball bounced favourably and an alert Elijah Taylor crossed after referee Jared Maxwell ruled the second rower had not been held by Esi Tonga.
The Titans centre stood transfixed as Taylor leapt to his feet and played on after hearing Maxwell's call to produce an unassailable 22-8 halftime lead. The Titans finally gained valuable field position in the third quarter but the defensive blunders continued, although Mead again humiliated Vatuvei.
- NZPA