2021 NRL Round 2, Titans 28 Broncos 16 – Report

Joshua Knox reviews the Queensland Derby with the Gold Coast Titans taking down the Brisbane Broncos 28-16 on the Gold Coast.

SCOREBOARD

Player of the Year Points

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3 pts – David Fifita (Gold Coast Titans)
2 pts – Jarrod Wallace (Gold Coast Titans)
1 pt – Tesi Niu (Brisbane Broncos)

MATCH REPORT

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1st Half

After a frantic end-to-end beginning to the fixture, the deadlock was finally broken in the 19th minute when a dropped ball from Xavier Coates gave field position to the Titans. It was a simple crash ball play, with Mitch Rein delivering short to Jarrod Wallace, who proved too strong to open the scoring.

An error from Moeaki Fotuaika off the restart put the Titans under immediate pressure and the Broncos made them pay following a cross-field kick to Xavier Coates, who flew highest to find Tesi Niu, who then powered his way to the corner to grab Brisbane’s first try of the evening.

Another error again led to points with Ash Taylor laying a big hit on Jamayne Isaako to jolt the ball loose. It was another easy crash play for the Titans to extend their advantage as Tyrone Peachey allowed David Fifita early ball and he proved too strong against his former club to get over the line.

The following set of six from the restart had the Titans displaying their razzle-dazzle style of football with a cross-field kick being gathered by Patrick Herbert, who kept the ball alive to eventually find Anthony Don, who then got creative, putting a stab kick over the top to find Erin Clark, who extended the lead to 12.

With halftime approaching, the Titans continued to push through the Broncos’ middle and reaped the rewards again with yet another short ball, this time from Clark with a no-look pass putting Jaimin Jolliffe over for his first NRL try to round out a comprehensive half from the Gold Coast.

HALF-TIME: Gold Coast Titans 22 Brisbane Broncos 4

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2nd Half

The Broncos’ woes continued midway through the second half with a well-executed Jamal Fogarty cut-out pass finding the big man David Fifita, who crossed for this second of the evening.

It took a piece of luck for the Broncos to close the gap, with a stray pass hitting the ground, the Broncos recovering the ball, and Tesi Niu streaking down the wing. Alexander Brimson forced the ball from his grasp, allowing Xavier Coates to dive on the loose ball and reduce the deficit to 18 points.

David Fifita was forced from the field in the 62nd minute for a head injury assessment but he later returned to the game.

The Broncos continued to push towards another try to reduce the gap but they were continually foiled by the Gold Coast side, who remained resilient in defence.

A penalty close to the Titans’ line gave the Broncos a consolation try three minutes before the end of play, with Tevita Pangai Jr showing his strength by powering his way through numerous Titans defenders to score.

FULL-TIME: Gold Coast Titans 28 Brisbane Broncos 16

Injuries

to be advised

Match Review Committee

None

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