NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS 28 GOLD COAST TITANS 20
WILL KERRIGAN, Go Media Stadium, Saturday

ALOFIANA KHAN-PEREIRA grabbed a double against his old side as the Warriors brought the Titans thudding back to earth.

Six days after Gold Coast piled 52 points on Parramatta, New Zealand put them to bed early, racing to a 22-0 half-time lead.

The first two tries belonged to Khan-Pereira, who crossed 53 times in 54 appearances for the Titans before falling out of favour last year and moving to Auckland.

The final scoreline flattered the visitors, who added three late consolation tries with the contest already decided.

Front-rower Jackson Ford continued his extraordinary 2026, tallying a game-high 48 tackles and 226 running metres, combining effectively with fellow enforcer James Fisher-Harris.

Tanah Boyd and Erin Clark – who both played alongside Khan-Pereira at the Titans – also enjoyed strong afternoons against their former team-mates.

These two teams entered this match with hard-to-read form lines typical of this topsy-turvy season so far.

The Warriors started 2026 like a house on fire before dropping two on the trot then snapping their 17-game losing streak against the Storm in Melbourne last Saturday.

On the other hand, the Titans lost their first three matches before kick-starting their campaign against the Dragons, pushing the Broncos and racking up a shock half-century against the Eels in their last outing.

Gold Coast boss Josh Hannay brought Jaylan De Groot and Klese Haas into his line-up, with AJ Brimson staying at home for the birth of his second child and Chris Randall succumbing to a calf complaint.

On the other hand, New Zealand coach Andrew Webster strengthened his squad with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (neck), Kurt Capewell (calf) and Mitch Barnett (thumb) all making impactful returns from injury.

The Titans had surprisingly beaten the Warriors on their last three trips to Auckland but the hosts quickly quashed any whiff of another upset.

After an Ali Leiataua bust put New Zealand on the front foot, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Boyd and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck combined to put Khan-Pereira in the left corner.

And after Kurtis Morrin bobbled a potential reply, Khan-Pereira acrobatically dived over for his second.

Harris-Tavita somehow managed to find the whitewash despite the attention of four Gold Coast defenders on the half-hour mark.

Then opposite winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak flew over the right corner post to claim the Warriors’ fourth try of the first half.

And once Boyd nailed a difficult penalty goal resulting from Leka Halasima being felled without the ball, the Aucklanders carried a healthy 22-point buffer into the break.

Jojo Fifita eventually got the visitors on the scoreboard, although Clark immediately linked up with Fisher-Harris to restore the Warriors’ healthy advantage.

With the two competition points effectively wrapped up, New Zealand clocked off early while Gold Coast finished strong.

Right winger Sialetili Faeamani kicked off the late Titans surge with eleven minutes left, then Tino Fa’asuamaleaui regathered a towering Jayden Campbell bomb to send ex-Featherstone forward Arama Hau streaking away.

Morrin added a third consolation try but it was too little, too late.

GAMESTAR: Warriors prop Jackson Ford entered round seven as the unlikely leader of the Dally M leaderboard, and produced another best-on-ground display here.

GAMEBREAKER: The game was effectively decided at half-time, with Tanah Boyd booting a penalty to make it 22-0 at the break.

MATCHFACTS

WARRIORS
22 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
3 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
4 Ali Leiataua
5 Alofiana Khan-Pereira
6 Chanel Harris-Tavita
7 Tanah Boyd
8 James Fisher-Harris
9 Wayde Egan
10 Jackson Ford
11 Leka Halasima
12 Kurt Capewell
13 Erin Clark
Subs
1 Taine Tuaupiki (not used)
14 Sam Healey
15 Marata Niukore (not used)
16 Demetric Vaimauga
17 Jacob Laban
23 Mitchell Barnett

Tries: Khan-Pereira (6, 23), Harris-Tavita (30), Watene-Zelezniak (35), Clark (53)
Goals: Boyd 4/6

TITANS
1 Keano Kini
2 Sialetili Faeamani
3 Jojo Fifita
18 Jaylan De Groot
5 Phillip Sami
6 Lachlan Ilias
7 Jayden Campbell
8 Kurtis Morrin
9 Sam Verrills
10 Tino Fa’asuamaleaui
11 Arama Hau
12 Beau Fermor
15 Cooper Bai
Subs
14 Oliver Pascoe
16 Moeaki Fotuaika
17 Adam Christensen (not used)
19 Klese Haas
20 Zane Harrison (not used)
21 Josh Patston

Tries: Fifita (51), Faeamani (69), Hau (73), Morrin (79)
Goals: Campbell 2/4

SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 10-0, 16-0, 20-0, 22-0; 22-4, 28-4, 28-8, 28-14, 28-20

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Warriors: Jackson Ford; Titans: Tino Fa’asuamaleaui

Penalty count: 3-4
Half-time: 22-0
Referee: Wyatt Raymond
Attendance: 24,112