Chloe Schibeci reviews the Queensland derby between The Dolphins and the Gold Coast Titans
Result
The Dolphins 28
Tries: (5) Robert Jennings 33rd, 64th; Mark Nicholls 47th; Jarrod Wallace 50th; Euan Aitken 74th
Goals: (4) Jamayne Isaako 34th, 49th, 51st, 66th
Gold Coast Titans 26
Tries: (4) Chris Randall 14th; Isaac Liu 18th; Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 20th; Tanah Boyd 27th
Goals: (5) Tanah Boyd 8th, 19th, 20th, 22nd, 28th
Report
It was a perfect afternoon for a Queensland battle between The Dolphins and the Titans. The Titans were looking to sneak their way into the top eight, while the Dolphins, who rounded out the top eight, were hoping to solidify their place.
The first half was completely dominated by the Titans, who scored their first points early on in the opening half. Their attack looked strong, ready for a big game ahead.
The Dolphins clearly struggled with their defence in the first half, giving their opposition plenty of opportunities to score.
Chris Randall, Isaac Liu, and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui scored consecutive tries for the Titans, all just a couple of minutes after each other. As the Titans began to rack up their points, the Dolphins struggled to create any opportunities to score.
The Dolphins finally had an opportunity to score points to get themselves in the game, and Robert Jennings was the man to do it for them. While they were still behind, it was the confidence boost they needed heading into the break.
The second half looked like a complete role reversal, with the Dolphins firing up in attack, meanwhile the Titans’ defence was lacking. Considering the Titans were on the attack for the majority of the first half, they didn’t find themselves under much pressure. As soon as they were put under pressure by the Dolphins’ attack, they struggled.
The massive momentum shift led to a huge comeback from the Dolphins, who, with 13 minutes remaining, were trailing by just two points.
With less than five minutes remaining, the Dolphins’ Euan Aitken scored, giving them the lead for the first time all afternoon.
The Dolphins managed a massive comeback, and held on right until the end, defeating the Titans by just two points after being down 26-0 earlier in the game.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR POINTS
3 – Robert Jennings (Dolphins)
2 – Tanah Boyd (Titans)
1 – Euan Aitken (Dolphins)
