Newcastle Knights ... Jarrod Mullen and Greg Bird collide. Source: Adam Head / News Limited
Gold Coast sustained some serious damage on the scoreboard and in the injury department as Newcastle logged their first away win of the NRL season at Skilled Park on Sunday.
1 Tries 5 | |
|---|---|
| Albert Kelly 48' | Timana Tahu 35' |
| David Fa'alogo 44' | |
| James McManus 58' | |
| James McManus 64' | |
| Akuila Uate 75' | |
1 Conversions 4 | |
| Aidan Sezer 50' | Kurt Gidley 36' |
| Kurt Gidley 45' | |
| Kurt Gidley 60' | |
| Kurt Gidley 66' | |
0 Penalties 1 | |
| Kurt Gidley 70' | |
Coming back from a 6-0 halftime deficit was always going to be tough for the Titans who lost lock Ashley Harrison (ankle), hooker Matt Srama (hand) and utility Luke O'Dwyer (broken jaw) in the first 10 minutes of the 30-6 loss.
The serious string of injuries reduced Gold Coast to just 14 players after coach John Cartwright had already been forced to make a pre-game change on the left wing with Steve Michaels replacing Kevin Gordon (hamstring).
And when Knights interchange forward David Fa'alogo picked up the scraps after a mid-air collision in the 44th minute following a Jarrod Mullen bomb, the visitors looked well placed to go right on with the job at 12-0.
The depleted Titans rallied briefly with halfback Albert Kelly sprinting 35 metres to score in the 48th minute after replacement hooker Beau Falloon skipped out of dummy half and put William Zillman into a hole.
But the comeback proved short lived.
Knights winger James McManus, who suffered a head cut during the physical encounter, found his way across the try line twice in five minutes to push the margin out to 24-6 after 64 minutes to effectively seal the result.
Harrison could be in doubt for the first State of Origin match in Sydney on June 5 with similar ankle injuries requiring four to six weeks to heal.
Medical staff initially called for a stretcher after he was crunched in a three-man tackle by Travis Waddell, Alex McKinnon and Kade Snowden but he was able to walk off the field following treatment.
Srama might have suffered a compound finger fracture.
O'Dwyer, the last of the trio to exit the game in the first half, walked to the sideline with blood streaming from his mouth.
The injuries threw the Titans game plans out the window with back-up hooker Falloon called on to play 70 minutes just 10 days after having his appendix removed.
Halfback Kelly was switched into the centres and out-of-favour forward Dave Taylor found himself called on to play without a break.
Newcastle, who'd dropped their previous three games on the road this season, made their intentions clear early with some big defensive hits and aggressive charges.
Bullocking winger Aquila Uate finished off the five-try rout with his eighth touchdown of the season in the 75th minute.
"The injuries made it hard but the boys never gave up. We can take some positives from that," said co-captain Greg Bird.
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