Gold Coast Titans v Penrith Panthers - result, commentary and highlights

Michael Di Lonardo

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Gold Coast Titans v Penrith Panthers - result, commentary and highlights image

GOLD COAST TITANS v PENRITH PANTHERS - REPORT

The Titans have taken the pressure off Garth Brennan's shoulders for a brief moment, finally clicking their attack into gear with a 30-24 win over Penrith on Friday.

The see-sawing affair saw the points pile on for the two teams who were ranked as the worst attacking sides after the first four rounds.

Penrith five-eighth James Maloney kicked things off, going over untouched in the seventh minute as James Fisher-Harris put on his halfback boots with a precision ball.

The Titans were quick to take the lead as Tyrone Roberts and Anthony Don scored within three minutes of each other.

Proving his value, second-rower Viliame Kikau carried five defenders on his way to the try-line in a barnstorming individual try before milestone man Michael Gordon, who was celebrating his 250th game, gave the Titans an 18-12 lead at half-time.

The comeback kings, Penrith staged an early comeback and regained the lead within nine minutes with tries to James Fisher-Harris and Josh Mansour.

But it was all cancelled out withing two minutes as Jarrod Wallace poked his head through to join in on the scoring fun.

Tensions reached boiling point when Wallace smashed Dallin Watene-Zelezniak with a shoulder charge, sparking a melee as the defence picked up a notch.

Against his former side, Bryce Cartwright has the last say as he was awarded a penalty try, held back on his way to grounding the ball as the Titans 30-24 lead held strong.

Scroll down for all the highlights.

GOLD COAST TITANS v PENRITH PANTHERS - LIVE BLOG

80th minute: TITANS WIN! The Panthers can't escape two weeks in a row and the Gold Coast get their first win of the year. A surprisingly entertaining game. Gold Titans win 30-24.

79th minute: Jarrod Wallace gives away a penalty. Panthers will get a crack at the death.

78th minute: The Titans opt to go for the field goal and the Panthers will get one last shot. Gold Coast lead 30-24.

77th minute: Josh Mansour lets a bomb fall through his hands and Titans get a set on the opposition 10 metre line with less than three minute to go? Field goal?

76th minute: Viliame Kikau drops it early on the set and Anthony Don makes about 25 metres on the pick up.

75th minute: James Maloney puts his game management skills on show, forcing a drop-out. Five minute to go. Titans up by six.

74th minute: AJ Brimson knocks it on and the Panthers get out of jail.

73rd minute: WHAT?! Nathan Cleary tries a chip off the scrum and Dale Copley fields it. The Panthers give away an immediate penalty and Titans start on halfway. Unbelievable.

72nd minute: Penrith lift in defence and Tyrone Roberts' kick only makes it out of touch at the halfway line. Good chance to level the scores here. Titans lead 30-24.

71st minute: The Panthers try Viliame Kikau again on last tackle but this time the defence is up for it. Nine minutes to go.

70th minute: Some bad luck for the Titans. Tyrone Roberts tries to send it into touch but it hits the back of Nathan Cleary. Trying to retrieve it, Roberts fumbles it on halfway.

67th minute: PENALTY TRY! Dale Copley breaks through some tackles and puts a chip over DWZ. Bryce Cartwright is chasing but he is held back by a Panther. The video referee believes he would have scored if he wasn't impeded. The conversion is taken from in front. Watch the drama below. Titans lead 30-24.


 

65th minute: Tyrone Peachey breaks down the right side and puts a kick in for AJ Brimson but it couldn't have bounced worse from him. Brimson fields it but the next two plays the Titans get selfish. Jai Arrow takes a hit-up with an overlap and Brian Kelly then spills it from dummy-half. Game still tied at 24-24.

63rd minute: Penrith respond with a solid defensive set. A Tyrone Peachey grubber is collected by the opposition after hitting the post.

61st minute: The Titans defence has stepped up a notch. They have forced a knock-on as Sione Katoa fumbles it at dummy-half. This could be a momentum changer.

58th minute: Penrith go back hard at Wallace. Cracking stuff.

56th minute: HUGE HIT! Jarrod Wallace collects DWZ with a brusing shoulde charge that sparks a scuffle. James Maloney blows up that there's no sin bin. Dylan Edwards were right in the thick of the push-and-shove. It is getting fiesty.

50th minute: TRY! Titans hit straight back. Mitch Rein sends Jarrod Wallace over after Jai Whitbread sucks in the defence as a decoy. Game tied again at 24-24. It's points galore!


47th minute: TRY! Some silky skills from Nathan Cleary who weaves through Brian Kelly and gets a lovely offload to Josh Mansour to score in the left corner. Panthers lead 24-18.

45th minute: AJ Brimson runs 50 metres and puts the burners on Dallin Watene-Zelezniak to score in the corner, but he is called back for an obstruction after running behind Ryan James.

44th minute: Ashley Taylor has a cork on his upper calf and was taken off on the 27th minute but he will return to the field shortly.

43rd minute: TRY! And just like that the Panthers have hit back. Hame Sele puts on his halfback shoes and sends James Fisher-Harris through a hole. Game tied at 18-18.

41st minute: We're back underway! Will the Panthers stage a signature halfback or can the Titans cling on to their first competition points for the year?

40th minute: On first play, the ball is thrown behind Josh Mansour and it rolls into touch. Titans lead 18-12 at half-time.


40th minute: Penrith shift it wide but Waqa Blake is taken into touch. He manages to get the ball away and it is dropped by Bryce Cartwright. Penrith scrum with 40 seconds on the clock.

38th minute: Penrith will get one last shot here as Bryce Cartwright drops it on halfway. 1 minute 28 seconds on the clock.

36th minute: TRY! Excellent footy from both sides. Penrith did everything they possibly could in defence, but Gold Coast get a breakthrough on the right edge as the milestone man Michael Gordon finds the hole on the overlap. Titans lead 18-12.


 

35th minute: Pressure again. Some commendable game management from the Titans as they force Penrith's third consecutive drop-out.

33rd minute: The Titans look over the shop but yet again their last tackle option comes through. Anthony Don grubbers across field and they force another drop-out. Ryan James and Viliame Kikau have picked up niggling injuries. Stay posted.

31th minute: AJ Brimson has entered the contest. He runs a play down the right side and Brian Kelly grubbers it in the in-goal. Drop-out Panthers.

30th minute: Anthony Don wins his side a penalty as Penrith hold him down for too long. Tyrone Roberts kicks it out of touch at halfway.

26th minute: TRY! Too big, too strong. Viliame Kikau beats five defenders for a brilliant individual try. They really missed this bloke. Game tied at 12-12.


24th minute: Tyrone Peachey is penalised for blocking the chasers. it didn't matter anyway as Dale Copley spilled it. Fresh set 10 metres out from Gold Coast's line.

23rd minute: Ashley Taylor absolutely shanks a kick. It falls down the throat of Dallin Watene-Zelezniak in the in-goal. Seven-tackle set for Penrith.

22nd minute: Reagan Campbell-Gillard throws an offload that catches his team by surprise. James Maloney tries to bat it on but it is knocked-on in the process. Titans scrum on halfway.

19th minute: TRY! Another scrappy set, but the same result. The Titans score off another kick as Tyrone Roberts chipped the ball to Anthony Don who still had work to do, spinning out of three defenders to find the try-line. Titans lead 12-6.


18th minute: The penalties are racking up for the Panthers. Reagan Campbell-Gillard stupidly costs his team on last tackle after pushing Mitch Rein at the play-the-ball. Michael Gordon takes the quick tap and they make 30 metres.

16th minute: TRY! After a one-dimensional set in attack, the Titans fortunately get off the ball as James Maloney fumbles a grubber. Tyrone Roberts was the first to the ball and he grounds it under the sticks. Game tied at 6-6.

A bit of luck comes the @GCTitans way! #NRLTitansPanthers 6-6 after 17 minutes. #TelstraPremiership pic.twitter.com/BOJhC84CN8

— NRL (@NRL) April 12, 2019

14th minute: Discipline costing the Panthers again. Reagan Campbell-Gillard cops Bryce Cartwright with a high shot. They start the set from 30 metres out.

13th minute: Solid defence for the Panthers as a Tyrone Roberts grubber is read by Waqa Blake.

12th minute: Back-to-back penalties from the Titans and Tyrone Peachey takes the quick tap. They are on the assault.

11th minute: Gold Coast dodge a bullet. James Maloney throws a pass to Viliame Kikau and he wasn't expecting it, dropping his lollies. Michael Gordon is treated for a cut on his lip.

10th minute: A knock-on from the milestone man. Michael Gordon drops a bomb and Penrith are on the attack again.

7th minute: TRY! James Fisher-Harris sends James Maloney through a gaping hole left by Bryce Cartwright and he goes through untouched. Shocking defence. Panthers lead 6-0.


5th minute: Penrith swing it from right to left and they make a break down the injured Taylor's side. Dean Whare throws a forward pass but it isn't picked up. Later in the set, James Maloney puts in a grubber that is dropped by Jarrod Wallace. Another set for the Panthers 10 metres out.

3rd minute: Ashley Taylor is limping after being knocked during a kick. He's walking around gingerly and he might not last.

6.00pm: KICK-OFF! We're underway in the Gold Coast as Penrith have first possession.

5.52pm: Michael Gordon speaks before his 250th game. Congratulations Flash!


5.51pm: Here are some shots from the warm-up.


4.58pm: Josh Mansour has been confirmed to start despite an ongoing shoulder injury.

4.52pm: The away team are in the building.


4.50pm: Michael Gordon lines up for his 250th game tonight. Here's a message from his teammates.


GOLD COAST TITANS v PENRITH PANTHERS - PREVIEW

Dubbed 'Penrith by the sea' when ex-Panther Garth Brennan raided his old club for talent, the Titans will be familiar with their round five rivals in a case of friendly warfare. Tyrone Peachey, Mitch Rein and Bryce Cartwright will all line up on the other side of the trenches, however their inside knowledge didn't pay off last year for two of them with the Titans losing their last four clashes against Penrith. That's the second four-game losing streak they are attempting to break on Friday, sitting dead last on the NRL ladder as the only winless team in 2019. It hasn't been much prettier at the foot of the mountains, scrapping two wins in an error-riddled month of football - ranked highest for errors in the competition with 62, while the Titans come in at fifth with 54. Holding possession has been an issue, but their inability to score points has raised more alarms, sitting 15th and 16th for least points scored. If the trends continue, this contest will be pure trash.

GOLD COAST TITANS TEAM LIST

1. Michael Gordon 2. Anthony Don 3. Tyrone Peachey 4. Brian Kelly 5. Dale Copley 6. Tyrone Roberts 7. Ash Taylor 8. Jarrod Wallace 9. Mitch Rein 10. Ryan James 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Bryce Cartwright 13. Jai Arrow. Interchange: 14. Alexander Brimson 15. Max King 17. Keegan Hipgrave 20. Jai Whitbread.

Players cut: 16. Shannon Boyd 18. Jack Stockwell 19. Phillip Sami 21. Ryley Jacks

Gold Coast Titans team news: Shannon Boyd has been withdrawn with a hamstring issue with Jai Whitbread coming onto the bench. Moeaki Fotuiaka is suspended for one week, leaving a spot for Max King on the interchange. Tyrone Roberts has been confirmed to start, overcoming an Achilles issue.

PENRITH PANTHERS TEAM LIST

1. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 2. Josh Mansour 3. Dean Whare 4. Waqa Blake 5. Dylan Edwards 6. James Maloney 7. Nathan Cleary 8. James Tamou 9. Sione Katoa 10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Isaah Yeo 13. James Fisher-Harris. Interchange: 20. Jarome Luai 15. Tyrell Fuimaono 16. Moses Leota 17. Hame Sele

Players cut: 14. Wayde Egan 18. Malakai Watene-Zelezniak 19. Tim Grant 21. Liam Martin

Penrith Panthers team news: Ivan Cleary has dropped his two-hooker blueprint, elevating Jarome Luai into the utility role for some more versatility off the bench. An injury cloud hangs over Josh Mansour (shoulder), but he has been confirmed to start. His brother, Dallin, has been promoted to fullback after Dylan Edwards' recent troubles with kick returns.

Michael Di Lonardo

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