Newcastle have endured a horror warm-up for their first NRL finals campaign in seven years, thrashed 36-6 by in-form Gold Coast at CBUS Super Stadium on Friday.
The Knights’ hopes of hosting a first home final in 14 years are hanging by a thread after the Titans rounded out their season with an impressive ninth win of 2020, which included a brilliant individual try-scoring double by young Gold Coast fullback AJ Brimson.
The victory means Gold Coast end the season in ninth place and on the back of a club-record equalling five game winning streak.
Newcastle on the other hand haven’t won back-to-back matches since round 15 and will be sweating on the availability of star forward Jacob Saifiti for their elimination final against South Sydney.
The 24-year-old Saifiti was placed on report in the first half for a crusher tackle on Titans centre Young Tonumaipea.
Under an NRL crackdown, the offence carries a minimum one-game ban even with an early guilty plea, meaning if Saifiti is charged he’d need to challenge and win to play in next weekend’s knockout final.
Whether that final is played in Newcastle or Sydney will be determined by the Rabbitohs’ result in Friday night’s other match against the Sydney Roosters, with Souths able to jump up to sixth if they can beat the reigning premiers.
On a humid evening in Robina, the Titans made a perfect start when Ash Taylor opened the scoring in the fourth minute.
Newcastle fired back to twice cross the Titans’ line only for the bunker to rule out tries to Mitchell Pearce and Edrick Lee.
Titans hooker Mitch Rein then embarrassed the Knights by busting through some weak marker defence to extend the hosts’ lead in the 26th minute.
Lee finally got the Knights on the board late in the first half but there was time for the Titans to score again through Brian Kelly to take a 16-6 lead into the break.
With Queensland State of Origin coach Kevin Walters watching from the stands, Brimson provided the highlight of the match with a 95 metre run through feeble Knights’ defence to score a wonderful individual try.
Taylor then finished off another length of the field effort in combination with Treymain Spry, before Brimson danced through the defence brilliantly in the 69th minute.
The Titans’ first win against a top eight team this year was sealed when captain Kevin Proctor finished another length of the field effort as Newcastle’s defence simply fell apart.
Victory sends Justin Holbrook and his players into the off-season full of excitement about what lies ahead in 2021.
Newcastle, who completed just 22 of 31 sets in a sloppy, error-riddled display, will be eager to put the loss behind them as they head into the finals.
