Gold Coast Titans
21
Match Complete
Dolphins
21
| T. Boyd |  | 78 | ||
| 74 | | J. Isaako | ||
| T. Boyd |  | 67 | ||
| B. Kelly |  | 65 | ||
| 61 | | J. Isaako | ||
| 58 | | K. Bromwich | ||
| 49 | | J. Isaako | ||
| 47 | | J. Wallace | ||
| T. Boyd |  | 38 | ||
| T. Boyd | | 32 | ||
| P. Sami | | 31 | ||
| T. Boyd | | 28 | ||
| K. Foran | | 27 | ||
| 17 | | J. Isaako | ||
| 16 | | C. Lemuelu |
| 3 | Tries | 4 | ||
| 3 | Conversions | 2 | ||
| 1 | Penalty Goals | 0 | ||
| 1 | Field Goals | 1 |
Round 19 of the NRL premiership concludes this afternoon with the Gold Coast Titans hosting the Dolphins at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 4:05pm (AEST).
Both the Titans (10th) and the Dolphins (12th) harbour faint finals hopes with two months of the regular season remaining, but we’re getting to the point where both need to demonstrate their credentials.
The Titans have a series of crunch games coming up, including encounters with fellow finals chasers, the Eels, Cowboys and Warriors, before they face the Sharks, Panthers and Storm in back-to-back weeks in the final month. They simply have to win this afternoon.
The Dolphins face the Panthers next weekend, before a period of five weeks that could potentially vault them back into finals contention, including a bye followed by encounters with the Bulldogs, Knights, Roosters and Tigers. Their last two games, against the Warriors and Cowboys, could be finals shootouts if they can take enough points between now and then.
So, this is a finals four-pointer in July and one of these teams will be able to keep dreaming for a little while yet, though one suspects both will fall out of contention before too long.
As ever, the Titans’ form is hard to gauge, though they have shown some solidity since the dismissal of former coach Justin Holbrook, with victory over the Broncos followed by an unlucky defeat in Canberra.
Before they partially stemmed the bleeding in their eight-point loss to the Broncos last weekend, the Dolphins had conceded 136 points in three games, and conceding points quickly and in bunches has been a feature of their debut campaign, including conceding 26 in the first half against the Titans in round 8, before rallying for an unlikely victory.
But can the Titans pile on enough points in the absence of four of their best players, David Fifita, AJ Brimson, Mo Fotuaika and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, who’re all away on Origin duty? Do the Dolphins lose as much without Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, who’s also on Origin duty, and Felise Kaufusi who’s out with a concussion?
Prediction
No and no. The Titans will start as favourites with the bookmakers, but that probably has more to do with a Dolphins team that’s been even more tackle-averse than the Holbrook-era Titans in recent weeks. But in the absence of three of their best forwards won’t hold the Dolphins to fewer than 20 points and in the absence of their two best attacking players, won’t score that many. Dolphins by 8
Game information
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Kick-off: 4:05pm (AEST)
TV: Nine, Fox League
Streaming: 9 Now, Kayo Sports, Foxtel
Odds: Titans $1.70, Dolphins $2.15 – odds via PlayUp
Titans: 1. Jayden Campbell 2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Aaron Schoupp 5. Phillip Sami 6. Kieran Foran 7. Tanah Boyd 8. Jaimin Jolliffe 9. Sam Verrills 10. Iszac Fa’asumaleaui 11. Klese Haas 12. Joe Stimson 13. Isaac Liu 14. Chris Randall 15. Erin Clark 16. Jojo Fifita 17. Jacob Alick 18. Thomas Mikaele 19. Keano Kini 20. Kruise Leeming 21. Ken Maumalo 22. Tony Francis
Dolphins: 1. Kodi Nikorima 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Euan Aitken 4. Valynce Te Whare 5. Tesi Niu 6. Isaiya Katoa 7. Sean O’Sullivan 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Herman Ese’ese 11. Connelly Lemuelu 12. Kenny Bromwich 13. Ray Stone 14. Josh Kerr 15. Mark Nicholls 16. Anthony Milford 17. Jarrod Wallace 18. Max Plath 19. Harrison Graham 20. Poasa Faamausili 21. Brenko Lee 22. Kurt Donoghoe
Emcie
Roar Guru
Lets guess the word! lol
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Your second shot there Emcie :silly: med.ia.tor grabbed the first I suspect.. lol
Emcie
Roar Guru
100%. That or 10min overtime, making it sudden death just makes ignoring the rules the meta
Emcie
Roar Guru
100%. That or just 10min of overtime, making it sudden death just tips the risk reward scale for cheating too far to the reward side
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
That one bugs me too. I suppose as long as they don't move...
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
How about no GP?? :happy: A draw was a decent result for that game.
Redcap
Roar Guru
And saved a couple of tries through good anticipation/positioning and desperation by my reckoning.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Incredibly courageous for a bloke of his size and so much skill. Rarely makes a mistake under the high ball and puts his body on the line when there is a loose ball.
wilbas
Roar Rookie
seems to be the call but what about players standing around ruck to stop markers charging down...
wilbas
Roar Rookie
I saw it earlier in the year in a tigers game where he lost it back towards his own line into the defender and they said knock on...they think if a ball is lost into an opponent and the player gets it back that constitutes a knock on...it is nuts and the bunker does not know the game or rules.
matth
Roar Guru
It was correct t on the letter of the law but was it within the Soirit of Rugby League? I’ve asked Stuart Broad to let us know
matth
Roar Guru
Against Penrith they are less than no hope, after that the draw is good to them so stranger things have happened
matth
Roar Guru
Got the foot on the line but went way early
matth
Roar Guru
Campbell and Nikorima are similar is some respects, great attacking players who never get a settled position due to their defense. Campbell was head and shoulders man of the match today
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Not sure that was well deserved - they were bloody lucky
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
The video ref also says "the Titan player touches the ball and it goes straight ground" - how is that a knock on?
wilbas
Roar Rookie
they did them all the time right up to the state of origin game where NSW did the infamous grenade throw by Brian Fletcher. The QLDers have stated it was that try celebration that changed their attitude to win 8 series in a row. They considered it disrespectful. Were these Nathan Stapleton known for try celebrations../ I hate them and even the upright pile-on is crazy that players who are at halfway when the try is scored run in like jumping jacks over the top of the pack..Waste of energy.
wilbas
Roar Rookie
I know..but it will boil over for ever until it is put back in the box. No matter who you are this game has a way of making a chump out of you..This is why at the end these players who belted each other respect their opponent by embracing their courage...Unlike some other sports were the player who scores runs away from their team mates who maybe put the ball on a tee for the scorer...and at the end of the game they have no respect for the opponent..
wilbas
Roar Rookie
your welcome...bad call at the end...also the Titans challenge of knock on that was over rule was nuts...he knocked the ball backwards into opponent and that is a knock on.??
wilbas
Roar Rookie
ithought they all got a foot on the line and the dolphins had malingerer's hanging near play the ball...rough call...I suppose they got in his ear and said the news was 5 minutes late