Key three: Records and 498-day hiatus broken as Titans lasso Cowboys

Making it two from two in Queensland derbies for the club with the Titans NRLW side defeating the Broncos 17-16 in a golden-point thriller on Thursday night, knocking over the Cowboys gives the NRL team their eighth of the season as they remain in the finals hunt with five games to go - three of which are at Cbus Super Stadium.

Here are the key talking points from the Round 22 match:

Titans lasso Cowboys with relentlessness defence

The Gold Coast have broken a 498-day hiatus by keeping the Cowboys scoreless in the second half to ice the game in front of 16,516 fans at Cbus Super Stadium.

Not since Round 2, 2022 had the Titans achieved such feat in a fabulous bounce back from last Saturday's disappointment against the Roosters, shutting out the visitors with a comprehensive display in the second 40 filled full of gritty and aggressive defence to claim their eighth win of the season.

Most impressive was the side's defensive effort with an overall 89 percent tackle efficiency, which forced nine errors upon their opposition and 78 percent completion rate, which also allowed the Titans to dominate field position with 54 percent of the ball.

This was evident with their continued goal-line pressure, denying the Cowboys from scoring time and time again to keep it a clean sheet in the second 40 minutes.

Forget the pass, AKP loves to kick.... and break records

Alofiana Khan-Pereira is a new record holder with the Gold Coast Titans, smashing the Titans' most tries in a season record with his 18th four-pointer in as many games, taking over David Fifita's previous record set in 2021.

And as fate would have it... it was Fifita himself who setup the play to break the previous milestone, breaking away to then find the young gun on the chest with a pinpoint pass in the 45th minute to send him over.

But not only did Khan-Pereira break records in Round 22, he also showed he doesn’t just specialise in scoring tries but setting them up as well.

The 21-year-old flyer set up AJ Brimson for the first try of the game with a perfectly placed kick which has been unleashed several times this season, including in Magic Round when he infamously kicked for himself, as well as in Round 18 to set up David Fifita and in Round 19 when he helped Kieran Foran to the line.

He continued his assisting form in the first set of the second half by running down the touch line to then setup Jayden Campbell in his sixth try assist of the season.

His deft skills off the boot has created further headaches for opposition coaches given it adds another characteristic to the rookie’s bag of tricks, alongside his flashy speed off the mark and his finishing ability with the lethal left edge that he’s built alongside Fifita, Foran and Brian Kelly.

History repeats as third injury shifts Brimson to centre

Will AJ Brimson become a long-term centre for the Titans?

It's a question that has been posed by many after Brimson's third injury of the season forced the Gold Coast dynamo into the outside backs for the second half of the Cowboys contest.

Leaving the field in the 17th minute with an abdominal tear, the 25-year-old was able to return for the final 40 minutes after getting needled up, but it has left a situation for Jim Lenihan to ponder after being Sunday's match was the third time this season the 97-gamer has failed to finish the match at No. 1.

Given the fact the Titans have a very handy replacement in Jayden Campbell waiting in the wings on the bench - who opened the game up after coming to ably fill the fullback duties, the mid-season switch could be something that is considered into the future given Brimson's string of unfortunate injuries.