It was a tough night out for the Titans in their trip to Cronulla, defeated by the Sharks 36-6 with the home side putting their foot down in a masterclass.
Despite the loss, the Titans welcomed back Tino Fa'asuamaleaui with open arms and the captain delivered with a pivotal 69-minute display, finishing with 214 running metres and seven tackle breaks.
Although the skipper's performance was herculean, it wasn't enough to prevent the Sharks from continuing on their charge to finals footy with a strong display on their home turf.
Here are the key talking points from Round 24:
Titans cruelled by three disallowed tries
Whilst the Gold Coast were on the wrong side of the scoreboard, it could’ve been a completely different story if several contentious calls were green lighted in the contest.
The Titans were first denied in the 29th minute when Phil Sami thought he had scored his 12th try of the season after a flat pass from Aaron Schoupp was ruled forward by the officials – should the four-pointer have been allowed, Tanah Boyd would’ve had the chance to take the lead at 10-10… instead, the Sharks rubbed salt into the wounds by scoring in the next set to further extend their lead.
The Coast’s bad luck continued into the second 40 when Keano Kini used his go-go gadget arms to reach out in the 44th minute and score what looked to be a four-pointer, but was ultimately turned down by the Bunker; and then a superb David Fifita leap in the 52nd minute was later denied by Grant Atkins upstairs for a knock on in the contest, after initially being awarded by the on-field officials.
Despite having found the line on four occasions, the three disallowed four-pointers made the night even more difficult to get over the top off the red-hot home side and added more frustration to an already disappointing night.
Big Tino makes up for lost time in awaited Titans return
Forced to sit and watch from the sidelines the past three weeks after his shoulder charge suspension, the skipper wasted no time in showing how much he missed being among his teammates.
Fresh from securing his future in a decade-long extension in a bid to help deliver the Gold Coast premiership success, the 23-year-old was back at his barnstorming best in the opening half, heading into the sheds with an incredible 147 run metres alongside his classy 21st minute try and didn’t shy away in a complete performance.
Playing 69 minutes in the contest, he finished with a powerful 214 run metres, a line break and seven tackle breaks and was a real shining light in the beaten side.
Hoodoo continues after Sharks masterclass
The Titans will have to wait at least another season to end their Cronulla curse after a dominant display by the home side downed the Gold Coast 36-6 on Friday night.
The black, white and blue led 20-6 at the break and added a further three tries in the second half to notch up back-to-back wins, now being 2,302 days since the Titans last won at the venue.
