Forward Gavin Cooper went from villain to hero as North Queensland regained fourth position on the NRL ladder with a gripping 28-20 victory over a luckless Gold Coast at Skilled Park on Saturday night.
Cooper had been looking for somewhere to hide after an embarrassing blunder late in the first half when he fumbled the ball after galloping across the Titans’ try line.
But with the Titans clinging to a 20-18 lead Cooper, with 10 minutes left, redeemed himself with a scrambling try before Cowboys centre Willie Tonga sealed the win with his 76th-minute try.
The match finished with rival forwards Mark Minichiello and Cowboys interchange James Tamou swinging punches and then having words after the full-time siren.
The Titans got the penalty after replays showed Tamou slapping Minichiello in the face with an open hand as he was getting to his feet in a tackle.
The Titans got off to a great start with speedster William Zillman, playing in the centres to accommodate the club debut of 21-year-old five-eighth Beau Henry, who relished the open spaces and scored two tries.
It was the perfect start with skipper Scott Prince, playing his 100th game for the club, converting both tries for a handy 12-0 lead.
The visitors finally got on the scoreboard in the 26th minute following a great offload by forward Tariq Sims which set up the first of winger Ashley Graham’s two tries.
The Titans went to the break 14-6 ahead after Cooper’s bombed try.
However converted tries to Graham, his 10th of the season, and to centre Brent Tate who muscled his way over in the 47th minute, allowed the Cowboys to grab the lead 18-14.
It wasn’t long however, before Titans winger Steve Michaels put his team back in front 20-18 with a try off a Prince kick in the 54th minute.
Michaels was forced to leave the field soon after in a dazed condition after a big shoulder charge by Sims.
The contest was willing from the start with both sides prepared to hit it up the middle then go wide to their speed men.
Cowboys fullback Matt Bowen was again outstanding with injured halfback Johnathan Thurston watching from the stands.
Henry impressed in his debut at five-eighth outside Prince. The youngster had some good touches and showed with a few more games he would be an ideal foil for Prince, who played his best game for several weeks.
The Titans have now lost their past five home games since beating the Sydney Roosters 24-13 in round eight.
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