Titans suffer first loss in scrappy Sunday affair

The Knights controlled the game with 57 percent of possession but were kept scoreless for most of the second half until Tamika Upton turned on the afterburners late with a solo effort to seal victory for the premiers.

The Titans' woes with their completion rates last season came back to haunt them in a disappointing afternoon for the visitors with a 60 percent completion rate.

A double to Abigail Roache set up a 16-4 lead before the match got into a stalemate with errors from both sides in the second half. 

The Knights crossed early with Upton and English recruit Georgia Roche combining to send Roache over for her first of the afternoon before Olivia Higgins made the Titans goal-line defence look ordinary to extend the lead to 10-0.

An error from Knights halfback Jesse Southwell enabled the Titans to strike and after Niall Williams-Guthrie threw a ball into touch only moments earlier the rugby sevens convert made no mistake a second time sending Emily Bass over.

A turning point in the match came in the second half when Shanice Parker was sin-binned for a lifting tackle on Sienna Lofipo - the Titans halfback using the gap left by Parker shortly after to cross the line.

Match snapshot

• Abigail Roache's double is the first of her NRLW career. The Kiwi Ferns centre has now scored four tries in four games since making her debut in Round 1. 
• Knights co-captain Hannah Southwell was placed on report for an alleged crusher tackle on Steph Hancock in the 26th minute.
• Sienna Lofipo crossed for her first NRLW try in the second half after Shanice Parker was sin-binned moments earlier for a lifting tackle on the Titans halfback.
• Titans hooker Lauren Brown left the field in the final 15 minutes of the match for a head injury assessment and did not return.
• Knights prop Rima Butler was next to depart the paddock after copping a head knock in some friendly fire with Simone Karpani.
• The Titans lost Jaime Chapman late in an ugly head knock after she clashed with Tamika Upton.