Wests Tigers 14
Gold Coast skipper Scott Prince orchestrated a superb comeback as the Titans beat Wests Tigers 20-14 in tonight's clash at Skilled Park.
The hosts trailed 14-0 following tries from Simon Dwyer and Chris Heighington, before William Zillman bagged two quick tries just before halftime.
But Prince laid the foundations for the win with a solo try in the 73rd minute to level the scores, with saw Nathan Friend then serving up a sweet pass for Mark Minichiello to race across the line in the final minute.
The Tigers were as bad in the second half as the Titans were in the first, maybe even worse.
The Titans can than some first half heroics by five-eighth William Zillman who grabbed two tries in two minutes to pull the Titans back into the match after an opening 10 minutes that saw them concede two tries and a penalty goal.
Prince was able to smile after the victory despite being smashed several times by the Tigers' defence.
Heighington was put on report late in the first half for a swinging arm on Titans forward Greg Bird.
A fifth loss in their first six games would have been a tough pill to swallow for the Titans after two years of contesting the finals.
It wasn't looking good as Benji Marshall controlled the tempo and the Titans committed too many errors and conceded to many points to get any attacking rhythm.
But the match changed complexion in the second half and the Titans did a much better job containing Marshall and get some line speed into their defence.
Tigers coach Tim Sheens would have been pretty disappointed at letting two premiership points slip while Cartwright will sleep a little easier knowing win number two is on the board.
Gold Coast 20 (W Zillman 2 M Minichiello S Prince tries S Prince 2 goals) bt Wests Tigers 14 (S Dwyer C Heighington tries B Marshall 3 goals) at Skilled Park. Referee: Shayne Hayne, Adam Devcich. Crowd: 17,221.
- AAP
