Fresh from a hard-fought win in New Zealand, the Titans return home for their biggest game yet this weekend, hosting the Melbourne Storm with powerhouse matchups across the board.
After three weeks of coming so close to victory, Des Hasler's side were finally rewarded for their efforts after clutching an Anzac Round thriller over the Warriors, giving everything they had in the final 15 minutes to hold out the superstar attack from across the ditch.
Match: Titans v Storm
Round 9 -
home Team
Titans
16th Position
away Team
Storm
2nd Position
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Returning to the Gold Coast back in the winners' circle, the Titans will face their toughest test so far, hosting a powerhouse Storm side who sit equal first, having clutched their way to six wins this season.
Both teams will field an array of star-power, leaving no shortage of exhilarating matchups across the field, which gives Titans fans all the more reason not to miss this action-packed thriller on Saturday night.
Don’t miss the all-star thriller on Saturday - get your tickets now!
Here are the top three matchups to expect in this weekend's Storm showdown:
AJ Brimson v Ryan Papenhuyzen
This weekend has gifted the Gold Coast a battle of the backs, as two of the competition's most in-form fullbacks - AJ Brimson and Ryan Papenhuyzen - go head-to-head in a speedsters’ showdown.
With Brimson moving back to the No. 1 jersey after Jayden Campbell's knee injury in the nation's capital, the Queensland Origin star has shown no shortage of his usual damaging impact on all sides of the field.
In just the two games he’s started in the fullback role, he's averaged 160 running metres, crossing for three tries whilst making eight tackle breaks and three line breaks.
No stranger to the duties of defending out the back, he’ll welcome the challenge of Melbourne's strike weapon Papenhuyzen, who has made his return to NRL in electric fashion.
The Storm speedster averages 134 metres, having already tallied eight line breaks, busting 30 tackles this season.
Fullback battle by the stats:
| Stats | Brimson | Papenhuyzen |
|---|---|---|
| Try assists | 3 | 1 |
| Line breaks | 5 | 8 |
| Tackle breaks | 17 | 30 |
| Running metres (avg) | 160 | 134 |
Don’t miss the all-star thriller on Saturday - get your tickets now!
Kieran Foran v Cameron Munster
As both masters of their craft, Titans leader and Kiwi veteran Kieran Foran will front the Kangaroos and Maroons star half Cameron Munster in his 200th NRL appearance, setting up a thrilling stand-off between two superstar halves.
Despite both playmakers having staggered starts to the season, Munster and Foran head into this match-up amongst the best playmakers this season, playing out of their skin to get points on the board from all sides of the field.
In just six games, Foran has had six line break assists and five try assists, already equalling his total try assists in 2023 (five).
Munster was forced to delay his season opener to Round 5 due to injury, and since then, has already produced seven try assists and four line break assists in just four games.
Halves battle by the stats:
| Stats | Foran | Munster |
|---|---|---|
| Try assists | 5 | 7 |
| Line break assists | 6 | 4 |
| Tackle breaks | 4 | 19 |
| Kicking metres (avg) | 188 | 142 |
Brian Kelly v Nick Meaney
In Saturday’s outside back clash, Titans strike force Brian Kelly continues to be a defensive nightmare for the opposition, creating chances every time he gets the ball, and will now prepare to shape up to Storm sharpshooter Nick Meaney who is fresh to his centre role.
Meaney has not shied away from the challenge, totalling 846 running metres and breaking the defensive line on three occasions and making 14 tackle breaks.
On the other side of the coin, Kelly will prove to be a handful this weekend as the bolting X-factor desires to continue creating opportunities every moment he’s involved in the play.
After just six games, the 153-game star has produced 14 offloads, four try assists and four line breaks, with his efforts paying dividends for his try-scoring winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira.
Don’t miss the all-star thriller on Saturday - get your tickets now!
