Warriors 16
Titans 24
What is it about the Gold Coast Titans?
Twice in 2024, Andrew Webster’s side were bested by the Gold Coast, in matches they were expected to claim victories.
From Tanah Boyd who buried the Warriors at Go Media Stadium with a kicking masterclass on Anzac Day, before the Auckland club were handed a record 66-6 hiding on the Gold Coast.
Now, a week after producing one of the greatest finishes in the club’s history through solo heroics from Leka Halasima in the final play of the game, the Warriors have been humbled – again – by the bottom-of-the-table Titans with a 24-16 scoreline in front of a sold-out home crowd.
The Warriors had a chance to further cement themselves in the NRL’s top four after the Brisbane Broncos’ shock loss to the Paramatta Eels on Friday, but that well and truly went begging.
It was a game with no shortage of significant milestones – being the first time Warriors half Boyd played against his old club, Warriors second-rower Marata Niukore’s 150th NRL appearance and Titans coach Des Hasler’s 500th game at the helm of an NRL side.
It may also have been the last time Kiwis half Kieran Foran takes the field on New Zealand soil after the Titans five-eighth opted to call time on his career at the end of the season.
Strong sets from the Warriors set the momentum early for the home side, and a set restart saw them with their first real attacking chance of the game in the opening minutes.
It was Boyd’s game management and vision that saw the ball spread to centre Adam Pompey, who put on his trademark left-foot step to crash over in the fifth minute of the game.
The Warriors were awarded a penalty late in the set after the subsequent kickoff, allowing them to work their way down the field again and force a goal-line dropout.
If he couldn’t be stopped from 45m out in the final play of the game last week, in no world were the Titans stopping Warriors second rower Leka Halasima from 10m after he crashed onto a short ball from Chanel Harris-Tavita and powered his way over the line. Boyd’s conversion struck the left upright and sailed away to retain a 10-point lead.
It looked as though the Warriors would put a cricket score on the Titans after scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes. But it would only take a line-break for a major momentum swing.
Titans fullback AJ Brimson took on the line, freed up his arms and got an offload away to half Jayden Campbell, who strode down the field and delivered the final pass to centre Jojo Fifita, diving over in the corner untouched. Campbell slotted the sideline conversion.
It went from bad to worse for the Warriors after hooker Wayde Egan suffered a head knock while tackling in the lead-up to the Titans try, forcing him to leave the field in the 12th minute. Egan later failed his HIA (head injury assessment), meaning he’ll also be unavailable next week.
The Titans crossed over for the fourth try in the opening 15 minutes after a set restart saw them work their way up the field. Warriors centre Kurt Capewell rushed out of the line and Brimson delivered a pinpoint cut-out pass to winger Phillip Sami, who dove over in the corner to tie the score up 10-10.
A Campbell penalty was all that could separate the sides at halftime after Harris-Tavita was pinged for a crusher tackle.
The Titans threatened in the opening minutes of the second half and finally crossed over for their third try in the 48th minute after a major overlap on the left edge saw Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak caught in no man’s land, watching as a long cut-out ball from Foran sailed into the arms of Sami for his second of the night. Campbell again nailed the conversion from wide to extend their lead to eight.
Watene-Zelezniak shortly after found himself sent to the sin bin for a professional foul after tackling a man without the ball near the tryline. The Titans took full advantage, crashing over through Fifita once again.
Now a 14-point margin, the Warriors needed something, anything.
Sharp hands and a strong run from Te Maire Martin, who dished a long pass to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck saw the Warriors cross over in the 62nd minute and peg back six points.
Fighting against the clock and an eight-point comeback, the Warriors couldn’t produce yet another last-minute masterclass, falling to perhaps their toughest loss of the season.
It will take a lot of soul searching to recover from that against the Dolphins next week.
Warriors 16 (Adam Pompey, Leka Halasima, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck tries; Tanah Boyd 2 cons)
Titans 24 (Jojo Fifita 2, Phillip Sami 2 tries; Jayden Campbell 3 cons, pen)
HT: 10-12