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Daily Telegraph
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
Gold Coast Titans go from bad to worse as Scott Drinkwater fires Cowboys
The Titans have endured a coastal capitulation at the hands of a Scott Drinkwater-inspired Cowboys to heap more misery on a Gold Coast team languishing at the bottom of the ladder. Gold Coast unraveled in front of 13,882 spectators in wet conditions at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday to go down 30-24 and lose even more ground on the top eight that now sits three wins outside its reach. The win alleviates some of the pressure on Cowboys coach Todd Payten and while North Queensland remain 12th on the ladder, the club is only one point from eighth-placed Dolphins. The Cowboys shot out to an early 12-0 lead in the first half before a knock-on from Reece Robson opened the door for the Titans to score as North Queensland struggled to retain possession. Todd Payten's side came out firing in the second to regain control but instead of putting the game away they let the Titans get within six points before sneaking away with the win. DRINKWATER THE DIFFERENCE Scott Drinkwater was the difference between the two sides. The fullback scored twice, had his hand in another with a delicate kick and made two line breaks in a huge display. On an afternoon where skills were at a premium and execution was a rarity, Drinkwater was a calm head under pressure and composed with ball in hand. He took the high balls without fault and his ability to pop up at the right moment proved to be game-deciding. SCRUM SCRAMBLE The NRL needs to step in to stop teams conceding penalties from scrums in order to set its defensive line. It is an absolute blight on the game and every team is at fault. Sides are intentionally getting penalised when just outside their own tryline in order to increase its numbers on the line and increase their recovery time. Sin bins should be brought in to send a message to sides attempting to rort the system. WEAVER GROWING INTO HIS ROLE Tom Weaver has shown enormous improvement and should be knocking on the door for a regular starting role in the near future. The Titans playmaker has put on size and showed maturity with his decision making, provided a strong kicking game and was a threat when running the ball. Kieran Foran didn't actually take many kicks for the entire game, handing over the kicking duties to Weaver on the fifth tackle. Jayden Campbell will be available when the Titans return after the bye to play the Broncos but Weaver has shown he is a genuine star of the future at NRL level.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys win turns up heat on embattled Hasler
Des Hasler's storied NRL coaching career is hanging by a thread after his Gold Coast side were beaten by North Queensland 30-24 on a wet and miserable afternoon at the Titans' Cbus Super Stadium. The loss was the 11th of the season for Hasler's men, and with just four wins to their name the Gold Coast are anchored firmly to the bottom of the NRL ladder and the heat on Hasler has risen a notch or three. Hasler has coached 497 NRL games but whether he reaches 500 is surely now in question. A two-time premiership winning coach at Manly, Hasler now owns a 12-27 record in one-and-a-half seasons on the Gold Coast. The Titans have a bye next week, the ideal time for the club to make a move if it's determined Hasler's time is up. Dearden combines with Drinkwater! 🤠#NRLTitansCowboys Telstra Moment of the Match — NRL (@NRL) June 29, 2025 Sunday's game was a match-up between the NRL's two worst defensive teams, both with a coach under pressure and desperate to turn their fortunes around. And while the victory kept the Cowboys' stuttering season alive, it was hardly a performance to strike fear into the competition's leading teams. Along with their known defensive frailties, both sides were spluttering in attack and made a host of errors in the greasy conditions. Zac Laybutt got the scoreboard ticking for the Cowboys after a slashing Scott Drinkwater break just seven minutes into the first half, before Murray Taulagi crossed in the 17th to give the visitors a 12-0 lead. Beau Fermor pulled one back for the Titans 11 minutes later and at halftime it was 12-6. It was a scrappy first 40 minutes with the teams combining for 13 errors and averaging less than 33 metres gained per set. Tom Dearden burst through a tackle to set up Drinkwater five minutes into the second half and the Cowboys had another via Jeremiah Nanai off a kick four minutes later. Gold Coast's Brian Kelly put in a tricky banana kick for AJ Brimson to score after 54 minutes and when Jojo Fifita touched down 10 minutes later the Titans looked well and truly in the match. But a peach of a pass from Reece Robson sent Drinkwater over with eight minutes left on the clock to put paid to the Titans' comeback. Phillip Sami scored for Gold Coast with four minutes remaining, but time was not on their side. North Queensland's Origin incumbents Robson, Reuben Cotter, Dearden and Nanai appeared to come through the match unscathed. Titans duo Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Moeaki Fotuaika should be available for Queensland in Origin III on July 9. The Cowboys' Maroons hopeful, Taulagi, looked to injure his knee midway through the second half but played on.
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Security fears amplified after axed Queensland Origin star Daly Cherry-Evans is grabbed by a fan after night to forget on the Gold Coast
The NRL is expected to beef up security following a concerning incident involving Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans on the Gold Coast. A supporter - dressed in Sea Eagles gear - managed to make his way onto Cbus Super Stadium post game on Friday night where he grabbed the recently axed Queensland Origin halfback. Cherry-Evans was visibly stunned before security tackled the man and removed him from the venue. It followed a night to forget for the veteran halfback, who was poor against the Titans. Plenty of footy fans anticipated Cherry-Evans would have a point to prove after the Maroons skipper was overlooked for game two in Perth, but he was outplayed by his opposite Jayden Campbell. Former Manly star Kieran Foran turned back the clock with a vintage performance for the hosts - and their coach Des Hasler would have been delighted to get a win against the club who sacked him in 2022. Post game, Cherry-Evans was pressed on reports from Sam Walker's manager the Roosters have gone cold on signing him for 2026 and beyond due to his alarming dip in form. 'I don't sort of understand that stuff,' Cherry-Evans said. 'Sort of stay out of it. All I can do is control my footy at will be speculation.' Sea Eagles coach Anthony Siebold conceded his team were off the pace. 'We missed far too many tackles which is an attitude thing,' he said. 'We started well in the first 10 minutes and after that we were outplayed and couldn't get back into the contest. 'It comes back to attitude and being consistent individually and collectively.' Compounding the poor performance was backrower Haumole Olakau'atu suffering a dislocated shoulder when attempting to score a second half try. He is tipped to face a lengthy stint on the sidelines. Questions also need to asked about the fitness of fullback Tom Trbojevic, who was well below his best on the Glitter Strip. Rumours continue to swirl 'Turbo' is battling another serious hamstring injury, but the club have been coy about his fitness.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Storm secure scrappy win over tenacious Titans
Melbourne may have banked a 28-16 win but did little to convince coach Craig Bellamy to sign for another year in a scrappy showing against a battling Gold Coast. The Titans' eighth loss kept the pressure on coach Des Hasler with the team languishing in second last on the ladder, as Melbourne moved into second spot following Saturday's victory at Cbus Super Stadium. INTERCEPT! 🙌#NRLTitansStorm Telstra Moment of the Match — NRL (@NRL) May 31, 2025 But Bellamy, who said before the match he was likely to make a decision on his coaching future next week, looked far from happy with the Storm's performance. While wet weather didn't make it easy for either side, ill-discipline and errors meant Melbourne struggled to shake the Titans, with a furious Bellamy up out of his seat a number of times, storming into the back of the coach's box. Winger Sua Fa'alogo and centre Grant Anderson both scored a double on a limited Melbourne highlight reel, while Titans winger Phillip Sami also crossed twice for his side. Melbourne rested Origin stars Harry Grant and Xavier Coates while Cameron Munster, Trent Loiero and Stefano Utoikamanu all reported for duty. The Titans' three representative players - skipper Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Beau Fermor and Moeaki Fotuaika - all backed up. But the home side were forced into some late changes after fullback Jaylan De Groot went down with a hamstring injury and five-eighth AJ Brimson suffered a head knock at Thursday's training Gold Coast got off to a bright start when Jojo Fifita beat Jack Howarth in a one-on-one battle before he scooted away and off-loaded to Jayden Campbell for a try in the fifth minute. The Titans dominated much of the half but late tries to Fa'alogo and Tyran Wishart gave Melbourne a 16-6 halftime lead. The home side must have felt hard done by when they were denied a try in the 64th minute, only for the Storm to score immediately after. Melbourne players Joe Chan and Shawn Blore were caught up on the ground at the ruck and dummy half Sam Verrills picked up the ball and dived over the line. But after a Storm challenge he was ruled to have touched Fa'asuamaleaui's leg on the way through, which impeded Ryan Papenhuyzen in defence. Anderson then intercepted the ball as the Titans attacked the line and raced 90 metres for a 12-point swing. Sami grabbed his second try soon after but by then the margin proved too big for Gold Coast to peg back.
