Broncos’ season in crisis as Titans young gun conjures golden moment

— with AAP

The Dolphins have continued their climb up the NRL ladder, stamping themselves as a genuine premiership contenders with a 40-14 demolition of the Cowboys.

In an entertaining battle played in front of a full house in Townsville on Saturday, the Cowboys were fired up for prop Coen Hess’ 200th NRL game.

But the Dolphins were just a class above, scoring seven tries to three to give Kristian Woolf’s men five wins on the trot, a club record, and moving them into fifth place ahead of a bye next week before back-to-back games against the Warriors and Panthers.

Selwyn Cobbo continued his stellar form, running for 321 metres, Kodi Nikorima toyed with the defence and backrowers Connelly Lemuelu and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki gave the Cowboys nightmares on the edges.

Cobbo got the scoring underway in the sixth minute after pouncing on a dropped ball and scampering 85m to score, only for Murray Tualagi to reply for the Cowboys, catching a nice Liam Sutton pass and falling over the line out wide.

Tom Chester then put the Cowboys in front after Liam Kennedy in the bunker overruled the original no try decision from referee Wyatt Raymond.

Chester appeared to lose the ball with the help of Cobbo in the tackle, but Kennedy adjudged the Dolphins winger to have knocked the ball back over the line and Chester was able to touchdown.

The Dolphins then capitalised on a weight of possession and some Cowboys errors with Jack Bostock first putting Jamayne Isaako over, then feeding Isaiya Katoa to touchdown, sending the visitors into the break leading 16-10.

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow made the most of a Lemuelu break to extend the lead eight minutes into the second half, but the Cowboys bounced back almost immediately when Chester crossed.

Kurt Donoghoe then found his way through some paper thin defence, Cobbo got his second and Tom Flegler powered over to run away with the game.

And breathe.

What a finish.

What a game!

The Gold Coast Titans come away with what is surely one of the greatest victories in the club’s history.

It is Keano Kini who delivers with a brilliant, surging try to earn the Titans a 28-23 victory.

A chip and chase for the ages!

For the Broncos, it’s a fifth straight defeat.

Alarm bells growing louder and louder for the premiers, who must’ve thought they had done enough to eek out a drought-breaking victory after Adam Reynolds’ late field goal.

Not to be.

With no field position in the last 15 minutes, the Titans looked dead and buried but somehow conjure what will surely be the match winning moment.

Gold Coast manage to bundle the ball out 40m from their line, and Keano Kini, kept so quiet all evening, pounces.

The Titans fullback chips and chases, manages to control the ball in a challenge with Reece Walsh, before flying forward and putting it down.

It’s a truly remarkable moment, and one that will live long in the memory of Gold Coast fans.

The conversion is nailed and the Titans lead by five with three minutes to play!

The Broncos are really pushing here, circulating the ball within 10m of the line.

We reach the final tackle and the ball is in the hands of Adam Reynolds directly in front of the uprights.

No prizes for what we see next.

Reynolds slots the field goal and it’s 23-22!

Wow, that is brilliant from Brendan Piakura.

The big forward makes good ground through a couple tackles before going to ground and managing to flick the ball out the side in the nick of time.

The pass is perfectly weighted for the onrushing Grant Anderson, who stoops forward and scores.

Adam Reynolds nails a straightforward conversion and it’s 22-22 with 10 minutes to play at Lang Park!

The Broncos are pushing hard on the last, with Payne Haas charging through a couple challenges and towards the line.

He flicks a pass out the back of his hand, the ball hits the turf and Brendan Piakura gathers.

Piakura is stopped heroically on the line.

The Broncos launch a captain’s challenge, with that Haas pass under inspection.

A swinging Gold Coast hand comes very close to making contact, but there’s not enough evidence for the call to be overturned.

Woah, what a remarkable ten minutes we have just witnessed.

The Broncos have their first meaningful raid forward for what feels like an age and are able to conjure a pretty slick try.

The ball is worked from left to right and Tom Duffy produces the perfect final pass.

An onrushing Jesse Arthars is on hand to cross for his second try of the day.

The conversion is missed from wide on the right.

Broncos 16 – 22 Titans

Electric stuff from Jayden Campbell!

The Gold Coast five-eighth accelerates from wide on the left, evading a diving Kotoni Staggs and running 35m to slide over behind the uprights.

It’s Campbell’s second try in five minutes.

He proceeds to nail a simple conversion.

From nowhere, the Titans lead by 10!

Alarm bells ringing once more for the premiers.

It’s another beauty from the Titans!

But another soft one for the Broncos to concede, I reckon.

It’s AJ Brimson who charges through the guts, ghosting through a few Brisbane bodies, before flicking the ball out, one handed and over the shoulder, to the onrushing Jayden Campbell.

Campbell charges into green grass and then slides over.

The conversion is good and the Titans lead for the first time tonight!

It’s 16 – 12.

And the premiers have a two-point lead to defend.

Gold Coast’s Chris Randall cops a hit to the head in the tackle first up and will be looked at by medical staff.

Oh, and Tom Duffy is back on for the Broncos after passing his HIA.

Ezra Mam has returned to the bench, despite a pretty strong little cameo during the first period.

Just when it looked like the Broncos had started to find some much-needed form, the premiers drop the ball once again.

Gold Coast well and truly back in this one after those two late tries, with Phillip Sami making a mockery of the Broncos backs in the shadows of half-time.

Brisbane is not happy as we go to halftime, with Reece Walsh, who has looked far from his best or his fittest so far tonight, sharing a few strained words with his teammates.

We’ve got a game on our hands, folks!

It’s a brilliant try from Phillip Sami, but it’s some pretty shoddy defending from the premiers, who concede a terrible line break.

Sami is easily past Ben Hunt, then Reece Walsh, running half the field to put the ball down.

That’s an outrageous try.

The conversion is missed.

Oooh.

A bit of luck for Brisbane.

Payne Haas drops the ball, Zane Harrison picks it up and runs half the length of the field.

Harrison puts the ball down but the whistle had already gone.

There was a Titans body offside in the buildup.

It’s the correct call, but a stroke of luck for the Broncos.

It’s far from the prettiest try I’ve ever seen, but the Titans won’t care.

They’re back in the game with half-time now 10 minutes away.

Jack Gosiewski makes a tackle with the Titans edging towards the try line, the ball pops out into the in-goal area and Kurtis Morrin dives on it to put Gold Coast on the board.

Jayden Campbell makes an easy conversion and it’s 12-6 at Lang Park.

That’s more like it for the Broncos!

Brilliant stuff from Ezra Mam, who makes good ground through the centre of the park.

The ball ends in the clutches of Kotoni Staggs, who runs and shimmies and dances his way to the right-hand corner, producing a pretty exhilarating dive to put the ball down.

Adam Reynolds slots his kick and, just like that, Brisbane is 12 points to the good.

They’ve had all the field position so far at Lang Park and, finally, the premiers are on the board.

It’s a well-constructed try, scored by Brendan Piakura to the left of the uprights, and created by Adam Reynolds, who held off from making the pass just long enough.

Reynolds nails the conversion and its 6-0 Brisbane.

Tom Duffy is off the field and undergoing an HIA for a knock he took while making a low tackle.

It’s Ezra Mam – who, it is fair to say, has lacked a bit of form recently, – on in his place.

Mam hasn’t scored or assisted a try in four games.

It has been all Brisbane in the opening stages.

But you can sense a bit of frustration at Lang Park, as the Broncos struggle to find the final pass time and again.

The Titans have their first meaningful push forward, and it’s Cooper Bai who steamrolls through a number of tackles straight up the middle.

That looked a little too easy.

Good start for the Broncos, who have Jesse Arthars flying towards the line in the right-hand corner.

Arthers dives but doesn’t reach the line.

His foot had gone over the line, anyway, with Phillip Sami and Jayden Campbell combining for a solid defensive play.

Meanwhile, Brisbane draws breath as Adam Reynolds receives a bit of treatment for some sort of issue.

Thankfully, it looks like he’s okay to continue, but we’ll keep you updated.

Hello everyone and thanks to Mr. Campton for the introduction.

Massive 80 minutes ahead for the Broncos.

Fox League is saying it’s a day of reckoning for the premiers.

That might be slightly overblown, but it’s certainly a game in the “must win” category, if ever there was one.

Brisbane, wearing its full black kit, kicks things off at Lang Park.