Roosters’ Downfall Paves the Way for Titans’ Long-Awaited Victory

In a stunning display, the Gold Coast Titans inflicted pain on the Sydney Roosters, securing a 30-12 victory at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.

This win marked an end to an 11-match losing streak against the Roosters, with the last victory for the Titans dating back to round 10 in 2016.

Both teams struggled to gain an upper hand at the start, exchanging sets early on without establishing a significant lead; however, the Titans surged ahead with a remarkable four-try streak towards the end of the second half.

Gold Coast’s fullback AJ Brimson shone brightly, scoring twice, with his second try effectively clinching the victory.

The Titans surged into the lead in the 68th minute, as Jaylan De Groot and David Fifita linked up to set up Phillip Sami’s try.

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui further extended their advantage with another try, completing a run of four unanswered tries by the Titans.

“The Roosters simply shot themselves in the foot,” noted Michael Ennis during the post-match analysis on Fox League.

The Roosters initially scored in the ninth minute when speedster Mark Nawaqanitawase dashed over for the opening points, courtesy of a precise cut-out pass from Sandon Smith.

Shortly after, the Roosters seemed poised to add a second try via Victor Radley, but the pass from Smith was clearly forward.

The Titans responded eight minutes later, with Brimson igniting his side with a well-placed try.

Spencer Leniu was put on report for a high tackle against Reagan Campbell-Gillard.

Just moments later, Radley left the field for a head injury assessment (HIA) in the 20th minute after a clash with Chris Randall.

Radley has only just returned from a prior concussion sustained during the Roosters’ opening match against the Broncos, having also taken a hit against the Warriors in the previous round.

Despite suffering a category two concussion, he was cleared to return.

The teams headed into halftime locked at six points each, following a first half riddled with errors.

These mistakes carried on into the second half.

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The Titans managed to edge ahead as Jayden Campbell converted a penalty after Siua Wong was penalised for lifting Fifita’s legs during a tackle.

Dom Young was awarded a contentious try after breaking off two defenders to get the ball down over the try line.

However, there were questions regarding the pass from Radley in the lead-up, which appeared to travel forward.

“That was a close call, but just too tight to call,” Warren Smith commented during Fox League’s coverage.

With no definitive evidence showing a forward pass, the try was confirmed, and the Roosters took a brief four-point lead.

Both Sam Verrills and Nawaqanitawase had to leave the field for HIA checks but were subsequently cleared to continue playing.

Campbell showcased his talent and speed by intercepting a pass, running 90 metres to score and shift the game’s momentum solidly in favour of the Titans.