Gold Coast consolidated their top four position and maintained an unbeaten NRL home record this season with a grafting 18-12 victory over Parramatta last night.
The Titans led all night, but did not finally shake off the fiesty Eels until winger David Mead scored a skilful try, set up by mercurial five-eighth Mat Rogers.
In a display of his best and worst in his return from a rib injury, Rogers laid on two tries for his team, but also contributed to two for the visitors.
The win took the Coast to equal second with the Bulldogs on 26 points, two behind the table-topping Dragons.
But they had to work for the victory, despite jumping out to a 14-0 lead after 12 minutes.
After that, Parramatta held their line intact for an hour and grafted their way back with three unconverted tries, closing to 14-12 down.
But the Eels could not deliver the killer blow.
They could also rue some poor goalkicking.
Fullback Luke Burt put the Eels within two with a smart lobbed cut-out pass from dummy-half for an Eric Grothe try in the 48th minute after a Rogers error and also ran down opposite number Will Zillman to keep his team in the game with 15 minutes left.
But in the end Rogers' reflex inside ball to Zillman proved vital.
Zillman then threw an overhead pass to Brett Delaney, and the centre put Mead over for the try that decided the match.
It was the eighth consecutive win at home for the Titans.
Returning veterans Luke Bailey (broken arm) and Rogers took little time to prove they were completely over their injuries.
Hard-hitting Manly centre and Kiwis international Steve Matai is facing a possible two matches on the sideline after being hit with two dangerous contact charges by the NRL judiciary yesterday.
Matai was put on report for using his knees in a tackle on St George Illawarra five-eighth Jamie Soward during the Sea Eagles' 48-18 defeat at Wollongong on Sunday.
The New Zealand international was also charged with making a grapple tackle in the second half.
Matai, who had 20 carryover points for each offence, will miss two games - one for each offence - if he makes an early guilty plea.
Dragons recruit Nathan Fien, the former Warriors utility, was charged with a high tackle in the same game but will avoid a ban - the offence carries 56 points with an early plea, and 75 if he fights the charge and loses.AAP
- AAP
NRL: Eels make Titans work hard
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