In a match to forget for Adam O’Brien, the Newcastle Knights faced a dominant Gold Coast Titans team and were left scrambling for solutions. Entering the game with two solid opening rounds, the Knights were unable to maintain their momentum, particularly on the attack, against Des Hasler’s squad.
Newcastle started brightly, threatening the Titans’ try line several times in the first 20 minutes, but their efforts quickly faltered due to frequent mistakes. With ten individual errors and four penalties conceded, the Titans capitalised on Newcastle’s struggles, with Jojo Fifita scoring the first try.
Greg Alexander critiqued the Knights’ performance on Fox League, stating, “That is just not good enough.” Following a Knights mistake, Titans halfback Jayden Campbell showcased his skills, slicing through Newcastle’s defence to score in the 32nd minute. He successfully converted his try and added an extra two points from a penalty goal after a Greg Marzhew error. At half-time, Mal Meninga praised the Titans’ defensive performance, noting their effective scrambling on the field.
The second half began poorly for the Knights as hooker Jayden Brailey conceded a penalty goal. A brilliant try from Beau Fermor further cemented the Titans’ lead, with David Fifita contributing to their impressive score of 26 points. Despite the dismal performance, Bradman Best managed to secure a try for Newcastle. Alexander continued to voice his frustrations, remarking on O’Brien’s likely impending rage over the errors and poor execution: “That try needed to happen 15 minutes ago. That is not the sort of performance you want going into a bye.”
Ultimately, the Titans dominated, forcing the Knights to confront numerous issues as they prepared for their next challenge.