Jack Harbidge reviews the Round 18 clash between Gold Coast Titans and Brisbane Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium. Here’s how the game went.
MATCH TIMELINE
| Minute | Scoring Play | Score |
| 6th | Try Darius Boyd (Brisbane) | Brisbane 4-0 |
| 7th | Goal Kotoni Staggs (Brisbane) | Brisbane 6-0 |
| 11th | Try Mitch Rein (Gold Coast) | Brisbane 6-4 |
| 12th | Goal Ashley Taylor (Gold Coast) | Scores tied 6-6 |
| 23rd | Try Sam Stone (Gold Coast) | Goal Coast 10-6 |
| 25th | Goal Ashley Taylor (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 12-6 |
| 43rd | Try Young Tonumaipea (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 16-6 |
| 44th | Goal Ashley Taylor (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 18-6 |
MATCH SUMMARY
1st Half
In an immensely tight first half, Brisbane capitalised on their pressure in the early stages at the Gold Coast line, with Darius Boyd pouncing on a well-worked kick in the in-goal.
That score would be the last points for Brisbane however, and the Gold Coast crossed soon after, with Mitch Rein capitalising on soft Brisbane goal line defence.
The two sides continued to grind with the scores level, but it was the Titans who scored next with Sam Stone dropping onto an Ash Taylor kick to extend the Titans’ lead going into half time.
2nd Half
The second half provided no better than the first for Brisbane fans, with the seemingly defunct Broncos threatening the Titans’ line to no avail. The highlight of the half for the travelling team came when Kotoni Staggs tried his best to send a few Titans reeling 16 minutes from time, collecting a cross-field kick in impressive fashion to fall just short of the line.
The Gold Coast were too strong for the Broncos and consolidated their lead early in the half, with Young Tonumaipea crossing and Ash Taylor stretching the lead to 12 points, which ultimately settled the score between the two sides and gave the Gold Coast a double over Brisbane for the season.
GAME HIGHLIGHT
The highlight of the game is without doubt the Gold Coast Titans clocking in as the top Queensland team in the NRL. No doubt it must be an embarrassing time for Brisbane, but it will probably continue with the new additions to the Titans squad for 2021.
SQUADS
Gold Coast Titans: 1. Alexander Brimson 2. Anthony Don 19. Treymain Spry 4. Young Tonumaipea 5. Corey Thompson 6. Ashley Taylor 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Jarrod Wallace 9. Mitch Rein 10. Moeaki Fotuaika 11. Sam Stone 3. Beau Fermor 13. Tyrone Peachey. Interchange: 14. Erin Clark 15. Jai Whitbread 16. Jai Arrow 17. Sam Lisone.
Brisbane Broncos: 1. Darius Boyd 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Richard Kennar 6. Sean O’Sullivan 7. Tom Dearden 8. Rhys Kennedy 9. Issac Luke 10. Payne Haas 11. David Fifita 12. Alex Glenn 13. Patrick Carrigan. Interchange: 14. Cory Paix 15. Ben Te’o 16. Xavier Coates 17. Joe Ofahengaue.
