2021 NRL Round Nine, Tigers 28 Titans 36 – Report

Brendan Wood reviews the Gold Coast Titans tense 36-28 win over the Wests Tigers in Campbelltown. Here’s how the game went:

SCOREBOARD

Player of the Year Points

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3 pts – Jamal Fogarty (Gold Coast Titans)
2 pts – Adam Doueihi (Wests Tigers)
1 pt – Tanah Boyd (Gold Coast Titans)

MATCH REPORT

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1st Half

In the opening exchanges, the Titans got an opportunity when Zac Cini made an error returning a kick. In the following set the Titans moved the ball to Anthony Don who scored, however Jarrod Wallace was penalised for an obstruction. Zac Cini was in the thick of the action again when he was forced over the sideline with ball in hand.

While the Titans couldn’t take advantage, they were given another chance when the Tigers made another error. As a result, the Titans finally pounced. Tanah Boyd took on the line and grubbered into the in-goal for Phillip Sami to score. Off the next kick-off, AJ Brimson broke through some flimsy defence. He drew Daine Laurie across and passed to Tyrone Peachey, who raced away to score a length of the field try.

Just minutes later, Tanah Boyd offloaded to David Fifita who brushed off a tackle and made a break. He passed outside to Brian Kelly who raced away to score the Titans third try in six minutes. The home side finally got a reprieve when David Fifita threw a forward pass. With their first attacking opportunity, the Tigers found their first points.

Off the scrum, Adam Doueihi passed to Joey Leilua who broke through the defence. With a renewed sense of confidence, the Tigers kept the pressure on and forced several repeat sets. Eventually, the Titans cracked when Jake Simpkin darted from dummy-half and scored an unlikely try.

With the lead back to six, the Titans re-grouped to stop the flow of momentum. They worked the ball down field and Jamal Fogarty put up an attacking bomb. Anthony Don leapt above the pack and passed back to Beau Fermor who scored in the corner. The Titans went into the break holding a 12 point lead.

HALF-TIME: Wests Tigers 12 Gold Coast Titans 24

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2nd Half

The Tigers started the second half re-energised. They rolled down the field and went close to scoring in their first set. The home side got another shot just minutes later, but the Titans turned defence into attack when Jamal Fogarty cleaned up a loose ball and took off downfield. It took them a few tackles, but eventually the Titans had a try through Phillip Sami.

Despite falling further behind on the scoreboard, the Tigers looked to have responded with a try of their own through Daine Laurie. However, the bunker found a knock-on from Luke Garner in the lead up and overturned the decision. To rub salt into the wound, the Titans would be the next to score. They received a seven tackle set and made the most of it when Tyrone Peachey grubbered in behind the line for Tanah Boyd to score.

Now sitting with a comfortable 36-12 lead, the Titans gave away a penalty which put the Tigers back on the attack. David Nofoaluma took the quick tap and caught the Titans defence napping. He bumped off several defenders and found his way over the line. The Tigers forced an error in the next set and kept coming at the Titans.

Brian Kelly went down with an injury in back play, and the Tigers recognised the missing man. They spread the ball to David Nofoaluma, who beat a limping Kelly to score his second try. With two tries in two minutes, the Tigers found the desperation to keep the game alive. Adam Doueihi spread the ball to Nofoaluma again, however this time the scrambling defence was there to stop him.

In the subsequent set, David Fifita was sin-binned after hitting Adam Doueihi high with a lazy arm. The resulting set saw Doueihi grab a try of his own, but he missed the crucial conversion that followed. The Titans held off a last-ditch effort from the Tigers as the fulltime siren sounded, escaping Campbelltown with an eight point win.

FULL-TIME: Wests Tigers 28 Gold Coast Titans 36

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Injuries

Jake Simpkin – concussion

Match Review Committee

David Fifita (Titans) – Grade 2 High Tackle Careless – Early Guilty Plea 1 match ban, Guilty at Judiciary 2 match ban.
Tyrone Peachey (Titans) – Grade 1 Dangerous Contact Neck/Head – Early Guilty Plea $1150 fine, Guilty at Judiciary $1500 fine.
James Tamou (Tigers) – Grade 1 Dangerous Contact Neck/Head – Early Guilty Plea $1150 fine, Guilty at Judiciary $1500 fine.

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