Lachy MacCorquodale reviews the Friday evening clash between the Gold Coast Titans and the finals-bound Newcastle Knights. Here’s how the game went.
MATCH TIMELINE
| Minute | Scoring Play | Score |
| 2nd | Try Ashley Taylor (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 4-0 |
| 4th | Goal Ashley Taylor (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 6-0 |
| 24th | Try Mitch Rein (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 10-0 |
| 25th | Goal Ashley Taylor (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 12-0 |
| 32nd | Try Edrick Lee (Newcastle) | Gold Coast 12-4 |
| 33rd | Goal Mason Lino (Newcastle) | Gold Coast 12-6 |
| 37th | Try Brian Kelly (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 16-6 |
| 49th | Try Alexander Brimson (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 20-6 |
| 51st | Goal Ashley Taylor (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 22-6 |
| 61st | Try Ashley Taylor (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 26-6 |
| 67th | Try Alexander Brimson (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 30-6 |
| 69th | Goal Jamal Fogarty (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 32-6 |
| 70th | Try Kevin Proctor (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast 36-6 |
MATCH SUMMARY
1st Half
What a start from the Titans! Gold Coast five-eighth Ashley Taylor shifted the ball early out to Brian Kelly who put his winger, Treymain Spry, into a gap: he raced away and drew Kalyn Ponga in as he passed back inside for Taylor to score in just the second minute. The Titans were up for this contest: in the 11th minute it seemed certain that Edrick Lee had given his side a chance to level, but upon review it was determined that his foot had touched the chalk just prior to Lee grounding the ball: all thanks to a brilliant effort in defence from back-rower Beau Fermor.
The Titans dominated the opening 25 minutes of this clash as the Knights had just eight sets to the Titans’ 16 in that period. The ill-disciplined Knights let the Titans walk into their own 20 and the Titans made the most of it after hooker Mitch Rein burrowed over from dummy-half to extend the hosts’ lead. The Knights finally found some points in the 32nd minute after a shift to the left from Mason Lino; it went through the hands of Sione Mata’utia and into Lee’s, who juggled the football before grounding it in the corner. However, the Titans weren’t finished for the half after a wild pass on the last tackle from Jamal Fogarty was kept in play by Spry, tapping it infield for Brian Kelly. Kelly then proceeded to beat four Newcastle defenders as he crashed over for a try to end the opening term.
2nd Half
Ten minutes into the second half, Anthony Don received a bomb kick and passed it to Alexander Brimson in a standard kick return play, but Brimson used his pace to beat the first line of defence: all he had to do was beat two defenders coming from the side and then beat Ponga, which he did with ease. It was a serious display of pace as he race away to plant the ball under the posts. The Titans continued their onslaught after a poor kick from Lino was caught by Spry who drew Lino and passed the football to Taylor who had no one in front of him; he had just enough pace to hold off a chasing Ponga as he ran 70 metres to score his second of the night.
Brimson continued his brilliant second half as he jinked his way through the Knights’ defence to put his side up by 26 points. The Titans continued to pile on the points after a line break and offload from Spry created an opportunity for Kevin Proctor to run 30 metres, scoring his fourth try of the season. The Knights continued to show some lazy defence as the Titans finished the game as 30-point winners, exposing a few warning sides for the Knights one week away from the finals.
GAME HIGHLIGHT
Alexander Brimson exploded for the Titans in the second half, scoring two brilliant individual tries to help his side to a thumping of the finals-bound Newcastle Knights. The first showcased the raw speed of the 22-year-old fullback as he burst through the Knights’ defence for a 90-metre try. The second displayed his ability to evade tackles and jink his way through the defence as he looked untouchable.
Along with the two tries, Brimson accumulated 212 run metres which was helped by his two line breaks. The Queensland Origin hopeful also broke six tackles as he helped the Titans win their fifth game in a row, equalling a club record. It’s been an exciting few weeks for Titans fans who have a lot to look forward to, with a few nice additions joining this in-form squad next season.
SQUADS
Gold Coast Titans: 1. Alexander Brimson 2. Anthony Don 3. Brian Kelly 4. Young Tonumaipea 5. Treymain Spry 6. Ashley Taylor 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Jarrod Wallace 9. Mitch Rein 10. Moeaki Fotuaika 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Sam Stone 13. Tyrone Peachey. Interchange: 14. Tanah Boyd 15. Sam Lisone 16. Jai Arrow 17. Jai Whitbread.
Newcastle Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Edrick Lee 3. Enari Tuala 4. Bradman Best 5. Hymel Hunt 6. Mason Lino 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. David Klemmer 9. Kurt Mann 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Sione Mata’utia 12. Aidan Guerra 13. Mitchell Barnett. Interchange: 14. Chris Randall 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Herman Ese’ese 17. Brodie Jones.
