NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS 16 GOLD COAST TITANS 24
TOM SMITH, Go Media Stadium, Saturday
DES HASLER toasted his 500th NRL game as coach with a massive upset over the Warriors.
35-year-old Titans stand-off Kieran Foran – who played his first game under Hasler 16 years ago at Manly – wound back the clock, while wide men Jojo Fifita and Phillip Sami each bagged a brace.
Gold Coast missed Tino Fa’asuamaelaui (knee), David Fifita (ankle) and Sam Verrills (personal reasons) for the trip across the Tasman, whereas the Warriors regained fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad from a knee injury.
And the hosts snared the first two tries before the Queensland club manufactured one of the boil-overs of the season to leave the Aucklanders’ top-four spot at risk.
Adam Pompey and red-hot back-rower Leka Halasima both crashed over down the left edge inside the opening ten minutes.
But Jayden Campbell’s long-range break put Fifita in for his first and Sami found the left corner to restore parity, then Campbell’s penalty-goal put Gold Coast up by two at the break.
The Bunker denied Jaylan De Groot but a looping Foran cut-out gift-wrapped Sami’s second.
Things got harder for the Warriors when Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was sin-binned for obstructing a kick chase, and Fifita bounced off four defenders to complete his brace.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck crossed just after the hour mark and Sean Mullany was binned for a late hip-drop, but the visitors clung on for their coach.
WARRIORS: 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3 Adam Pompey, 4 Kurt Capewell, 5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6 Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7 Tanah Boyd, 8 James Fisher-Harris, 9 Wayde Egan, 10 Jackson Ford, 11 Leka Halasima, 12 Marata Niukore, 13 Erin Clark. Subs (all used): 14 Te Maire Martin, 15 Jacob Laban, 16 Demitric Vaimauga, 17 Tanner Stowers-Smith
Tries: Pompey (4), Halasima (9), Tuivasa-Sheck (62); Goals: Boyd 2/3; Sin bin: Watene-Zelezniak (56) – professional foul
TITANS: 1 AJ Brimson, 2 Jaylan De Groot, 3 Brian Kelly, 4 Jojo Fifita, 5 Phillip Sami, 6 Kieran Foran, 7 Jayden Campbell, 8 Moeaki Fotuaika, 11 Chris Randall, 10 Jaimin Jolliffe, 12 Beau Fermor, 14 Jacob Alick-Wiencke, 13 Klese Haas. Subs (all used): 15 Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 16 Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui, 17 Josh Patston, 19 Sean Mullany
Tries: Fifita (12, 57), Sami (15, 48); Goals: Campbell 4/5; Sin bin: Mullany (78) – hip drop
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 10-0, 10-6, 10-10, 10-12; 10-18, 10-24, 16-24
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Warriors: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck; Titans: Kieran Foran
Penalty count: 6-4; Half-time: 10-12; Referee: Gerard Sutton; Attendance: 24,212