Titans 18
Warriors 32
The Titans hoodoo is over – and the Warriors have something to build on heading towards the finals.
This wasn’t quite the statement performance that the Auckland club might have desired but it was more than good enough, especially given their struggles over the last two months.
They produced an effective, effective performance – with moments of brilliance – for a comfortable 32-18 win over the Gold Coast on Saturday night.
The win buried the recent hex against the Titans, who had claimed six of the last seven clashes between the two sides.
The Warriors broke the game open in the first quarter – with three tries, including a brace to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck – then sealed the deal with two touchdowns either side of the hour mark, before the home side grabbed two late consolation tries.
The result means the Warriors maintain their place in the top four, with fate in their own hands ahead of the last two rounds.
They will have to improve considerably to be competitive in the playoffs but this was at least a step in the right direction.
Their completion game was impressive, their defensive intent strong and they managed some neat tries. The concern will be the attacking output and intensity in the red zone, given the amount of ball they had and the modest level of the opposition.
The Titans made a brilliant start, with a third minute Tino Fa’asuamaleaui try, after an error from the kickoff return by James Fisher-Harris, then a penalty, which meant the Warriors had to make 20 consecutive tackles before the Titans captain crashed over near the posts.
That might have prompted some nerves but there was a quick response, with Marata Niukore powering across minutes later, off a short ball from Tanah Boyd.
From there the Warriors settled into their groove, while the Titans insisted on high-risk football, with subsequent errors. The visitors were rewarded, with Tuivasa-Sheck’s double inside five minutes. The first came from swift passing inside – with crisp transfers from Boyd and Chanel Harris-Tavita – while the second was similar and the product of trademark Rocco Berry kick pressure, which forced a turnover.
By this stage the Warriors were humming, looking for a fourth try to put real distance on the opponents. Berry couldn’t find Dallin Watene-Zelezniak in space, then later the centre was held up after a smart take of a Boyd bomb.
There was nice variation from the Warriors, with a couple of kicks early in the tackle count to trap their opponents in goal. But they couldn’t ice the advantage, before an escape moments before halftime, with a Titans’ knock on as they looked set to score.
Their momentum continued in the early stages of the second half, without any polish. Watene-Zelezniak was denied by a desperate AJ Brimson intervention but otherwise it was mostly uninspiring work inside the red zone, while they conceded consecutive seven tackle sets with misplaced kicks.
They seemed to be content to sit on their lead, a potentially dangerous strategy against the unpredictable Titans and Nicoll-Klokstad had to be alert to defuse a Titan’s opportunity. A Warriors breakthrough finally came just before the hour, with Pompey across after Tuivasa-Sheck leapt well to contest a Harris-Tavita kick and the five-eighth was alert to the opportunity.
Any remote opportunity of a Titans comeback was extinguished by their fifth try in the 64th minute, with rookie Eddie Ieremia-Toeava grabbing his first in the NRL, after well-constructed pressure.
The Warriors faltered a little in the final stages, allowing tries to Beau Fermor and Brian Kelly, as the Titans cut loose to salvage some pride.
Titans 18 (Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Beau Fermor, Brian Kelly tries; Jayden Campbell 3 cons)
Warriors 32 (Marata Niukore, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2, Adam Pompey, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava tries; Tanah Boyd 5 cons, pen)
HT: 6-18