A contentious second-half try has helped an injury-hit Penrith to hold out Gold Coast 22-14 at a wet Cbus Super Stadium and regain the NRL ladder lead.

The Panthers were kept honest on Sunday by a gritty Titans but the visitors sealed the scrappy clash when Malakai Watene-Zelezniak crossed in the 61st minute, scoring off what appeared to be a forward pass from Brent Naden.

Buoyed by the poaching of Brisbane back-rower David Fifita on a lucrative three-year deal from 2021, the third-last Titans punched above their weight in front of 5095 fans but still couldn’t land a knockout blow on a depleted Panthers.

Penrith fielded the most-inexperienced team in the competition this weekend, their 17 boasting just 968 games after losing Dylan Edwards (hamstring), Api Koroisau (elbow), Dean Whare (leg) and star Viliame Kikau (calf).

However, they dug deep to clinch their sixth-straight win and move to their best season start after 11 games.

Penrith ignored their horror form in Queensland to move to a 9-1-1 (win-draw-loss record), improving on their previous best of eight wins from the first 11 games in five previous seasons (1989, 1991, 2003, 2004, 2018).

Remarkably, the Panthers registered only their eighth win in 26 games in Queensland since 2010.

Penrith clung on to a 16-14 halftime lead after a fightback from the hosts which included two tries in the stanza’s final three minutes.

The signs looked ominous for the Titans when Penrith jumped to a 10-0 lead after carving up Gold Coast’s right edge.

Winger Josh Mansour (ninth minute) and centre Stephen Crichton (15th) finished off slick backline moves to score and have the home team reeling.

And they looked like going over again but Titans halfback Jamal Fogarty snaffled up a Jarome Luai grubber to race 90m and score.

Penrith jumped ahead 16-4 when back-rower Isaah Yeo (31st) crashed over but the Titans weren’t done yet.

Centre Brian Kelly (37th) scored off an Ash Taylor grubber before winger Anthony Don also helped himself from a dummy-half blindside dive on the stroke of halftime and, suddenly, it was game on.