Roger Tuivasa-Sheck delighted Warriors fans on the Gold Coast with his heroics. Photo: Photosport
Analysis: On a night when they sealed a spot in the NRL playoffs, NZ Warriors have also retained their place in the NRL top four, while burying their Gold Coast bogey at Cbus Super Stadium.
Fourteen months after suffering a 60-point massacre at the same venue, the visitors made no mistake this time, scoring 32 consecutive points to seize early control of the contest.
A campaign that had stalled badly with three straight defeats has now found new life with back-to-back wins.
Here's what we can take out of the Warriors' 14th win of the season, 32-18 over the Titans:
Key moment
Ahead 18-6 after 20 minutes, the Warriors seemed ready to pile on points, but could only manage a Tanah Boyd penalty over the next 40 minutes.
The Titans were unlucky not to score before the break, when fullback AJ Brimson knocked on near the try line, and against a team with that much strike-power, the Warriors still needed to put the contest beyond reach.
Five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita put up a high kick, winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck got a hand to the ball, and Harris-Tavita found centre Adam Pompey with a long pass and no defenders around him.
Pompey is often buried in his defensive duties or setting up tries for Tuivasa-Sheck, but he scored a double - including the game-winner - against St George Illawarra Dragons last week and now the backbreaker against the Titans.
Harris-Tavita also had a try against the Dragons, and assisted on tries to Pompey and RTS this week, as his influence on this team continues to grow.
Best player
Tuivasa-Sheck turned on another sublime performance, scoring two tries and running for 247 metres, including 89 after contact.
With two tries in this game, he has now passed rookie Leka Halasima as the club's top try scorer this season on 11 and also edged past fullback Charnze Nicol-Klokstad for metres run.
Tuivasa-Sheck certainly seems to be gathering support towards more Dally M honours, after taking out the ultimate prize in 2018.
While his scoring and running feats are most obvious, he was also the chaser that set up Pompey's crucial effort.
Eddie Ieremia-Toeava of the Warriors celebrates scoring a try against Gold Coast Titans. Photo: Photosport
"There was a period of time when we were doing a great job of making them kick from their own end and when you give Roger a long kickchase like that, he's going to destroy you," coach Andrew Webster observed.
"That kickchase where he competed hard, got the ball back and we scored, that's where he's at with his game. The little things matter to Roge - he's working hard on the finer details and it's paying dividends."
Among the forwards, lock Erin Clark put in another yeoman shift with 31 tackles and 131 running metres, while rookie Eddie Ieremia-Toeava put his hand up for more game time with his first NRL try and an impactful 46 minutes off the bench.
After inflicting pain on the Warriors with a Titans jersey previously, halfback Tanah Boyd dished some of it back on his old outfit, slotting all five conversions and a penalty, while giving his teammates plenty of time to chase his tactical kicks.
Fish's faux pas
For the second straight week, captain James Fisher-Harris almost single-handedly handed the opposition their opening tries.
Against the Dragons, his sloppy play-the-ball handed possession back to the opposition, then a careless tackle at the other end of the field provided the opportunity for centre Mat Feagai to score.
Against the Titans, Fisher-Harris took the handoff from the opening kick-off and bounced off counterpart Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, again fumbling the play-the-ball beside his own posts.
Gold Coast forced the Warriors into a line dropout, second-rower Marata Niukore was penalised for a dangerous tackle and Fisher-Harris was offside to concede a set restart, before Fa'asuamaleaui finally took toll of the pressure, spinning through a tackle to score.
Stat attack
The Warriors are now 9-0 this season, when leading at half-time.
Adam Pompey score a try against Gold Coast Titans. Photo: Photosport
Their previous successes have come against Manly Sea Eagles, Newcastle Knights, North Queensland Cowboys, the Dragons, the Dolphins, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Cronulla Sharks and Wests Tigers.
What this result means for Warriors
Before kick-off, the Warriors had already clinched their NRL playoff spot, as the ninth-placed Dolphins fell out of range, with a 58-30 loss to Manly.
Victory propels them back into the top four, with a very real prospect of finishing higher.
Cronulla had snuck past with their bye points and a superior points differential, but the Warriors win gives them a two-point buffer again, while Penrith Panthers also lost ground, with their loss to table-toppers Canberra Raiders.
"We've got to play way better footy to earn [top four]," Webster said. "We want to improve and, if we improve at the rate we want, we'll be happy with that.
"We're not where we want to be. I thought today was a step in the right direction, but we didn't finish the job tonight and that's another part of our improvement.
"I'm confident we can get there, if we work hard."
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck made a strong case for Dally M honours. Photo: www.photosport.nz / Jason O'Brien
After their three-game skid, the Warriors are now gathering some momentum, while those around them fall.
The other team suddenly treading water are third-placed Canterbury Bulldogs, who have lost three of their last four and now sit just two points ahead of the Warriors. They close their account against the Panthers and Sharks, neither gimmes.
Most importantly, the Warriors have snapped their embarrassingly bad run against a team that has caused them way too much anxiety in recent times.
Titans tantrum
Gold Coast coach Des Hasler made social media headlines last month, when he completely melted down on his players, dragging them out of the showers for a good telling off, after they let victory over the Tigers slip through their fingers.
When they beat the Warriors at Mt Smart the following week, he was careful not to give too much motivation away for his rivals, knowing they had a second encounter only four weeks later.
After this latest setback, Hasler didn't hold back on his team, lamenting their poor discipline and game management, but barely kept himself in check, when media questions turned to the fate of superstar forward David Fifita, who has been missing in action this season.
"David, at the moment, is making his way back from ankle surgery," he said. "He will come back from that and go into rehab.
"He will be back next year, he's signed for 2026."
Pressed on the prospect of Fifita changing clubs, namely to South Sydney Rabbitohs, Hasler refused to elaborate.
"I'm not going to answer, we don't discuss retention on this platform."
Billed as another meltdown, it was mild by Hasler's standards.
Next up
Parramatta Eels have been one of the most disappointing teams this season, which began with four straight defeats and never really picked up any momentum.
Much of that can be traced back to captain Mitchell Moses' injury struggles. The Eels are a much more difficult proposition with the NSW Origin half on the field.
They have game-breakers on both wings, with Josh Addo-Carr and Zac Lomax, with former Warrior Dylan Walker playing a veteran role at lock.
They had back-to-back victories over Newcastle and Manly in May, and their best win came against Brisbane Broncos last month, so they're capable.
Parramatta showed it on Saturday, when they dented Sydney Roosters' playoff hopes, prevailing 30-10. They will arrive at Mt Smart with wind in their sails.
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