NRL Finals week one: Titans cruise past Warriors
The Gold Coast Titans were able to cruise past the New Zealand Warriors at home in Skilled Park over the weekend.
The Titans pushed their way to a berth in the third week of the National Rugby League Finals with an impressive win. The home side was able to build a large first-half lead, taking a 16-point advantage into the break. The second half saw the Titans lock down on defence adding to their total slightly, to earn a 28-16 victory and a chance to challenge for a spot in the finals.
Recap
The Warriors looked strong early on as Aaron Heremaia darted over the try-line in the seventh minute and James Maloney knocked down the extra points to give the visitors a 6-0 lead.
However, the hosts would respond with a try from William Zillman in the 18th minute. Scott Prince followed up with the extra points to knot the game up.
The Gold Coast side kept the pressure up and Clinton Toopi managed his way across the whitewash in the 27th minute, while Prince hammered home his second conversion of the game to claim a 12-6 lead.
The home side would not let up as Zillman forced his way across the line for the second time in the match and Prince kicked his third conversion to extend the lead to 18-6.
Only four minutes later Mat Rogers manoeuvred his way over the line, allowing the Titans to take a 22-6 lead into half-time.
After the break, Prince forced a penalty over to add a point to the already convincing Titans lead.
The Warriors attempted to come back with tries from Joel Moon and Manu Vatuvei. However, Kevin Gordon would put the game out of reach with at try in the 65th minute, sealing a 28-16 victory for the home team.
Analysis
With the win the Titans get a bye to week three of the finals. The Penrith Panthers and Wests Tigers losses, coupled with the victory by the St. George Dragons, means the Titans are the second highest ranked ladder team to win in the first round. Therefore, the Titans will see either the Sydney Roosters or the Panthers in week three.
Meanwhile, the loss spells the end for the Warriors. The upsets by the Roosters and the Canberra Raiders make the Warriors the lowest ranked team in the ladder to sustain a loss. The New Zealand side fought hard at the end of the season to earn their fifth place ranking, however their struggle to find their form against the Titans meant the end of their 2010 campaign.
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