Gold Coast Titans

Cherry-Evans and Foran had two try assists and three line break assists between them while the skipper's kicking game tormented the Titans' back three all night.

In front of a raucous home crowd of 16,220 it was Cherry-Evans who got the ball rolling in the 12th minute with a deft grubber for Haumole Olakau'atu to score.

The lead was doubled 10 minutes later when Jake Trbojevic and Kieran Foran combined on the left edge to give Reuben Garrick a saloon passage to the line.

Stand-in fullback Reuben Garrick got the job done for a Manly side that easily accounted for a disappointing Knights outfit.

The Titans had a more eventful evening, luckily dodging a couple of sin-bins as well as a now-infamous pitch invader, eventually going down 26-20 at home to the Eels after a high-scoring four-point loss to the same side in round one. 

Canberra trailed 22-0 five minutes before halftime but piled on five unanswered tries to snatch a remarkable win, with five-eighth Jack Wighton leading the way.

It was a complete turnaround from the first half when the Titans were in total control but a try on the stroke of halftime to centre Semi Valemei gave Canberra fans some hope.

Wighton and hooker Tom Starling sparked the comeback, while Valemei and fellow centre Matt Timoko had strong second half performances in both attack and defence.

Isaako has already signed with the Dolphins for the 2023 season and fell down the pecking order in Red Hill.

It was widely reported that the 25-year-old would join up with the Eels, but has since made a shock switch with 9News Ben Dobbin reporting the winger wanted to remain in Queensland.

“The Broncos have granted Jamayne Isaako an immediate release from his contract with the club,” the club said in a statement.

“The Broncos were happy to facilitate the request and wish Jamayne and his young family all the best in the future, both on and off the field.”

Brimson took less than a minute to lay on the game's opening try for Beau Fermor and finished the day with two try assists, a line break and a line break assist in his first game at five-eighth since 2019.

The Titans were electric in the opening 45 minutes against Parramatta and came within an ace of a huge upset, while the Warriors rode the back of some astute Shaun Johnson kicking to push the Dragons all the way at Sunshine Coast Stadium.

The loss of Johnson to a pectoral injury is offset by the return of whiz kid Reece Walsh and hardman Matt Lodge from suspension while the Titans also get a boost with AJ Brimson (groin) back on deck after being a late withdrawal in round one.

Meanwhile the Cowboys have staved off the Knights to re-sign a young gun back-rower.

DOLPHINS TARGET TITANS VETERAN AS DAD’S ARMY GROWS

Gold Coast forward Jarrod Wallace is reportedly set for a reunion with Wayne Bennett at the Dolphins in 2023.

It was one of the main reasons he joined the club; and his passion, pride and drive to achieve this is why Fa'asuamaleaui is now leading the charge to bring two NRL titles to the Coast by 2030.

"That’s the reason I moved here. I want to bring that first trophy here to the Gold Coast Titans," the newly-appointed captain said.

"It’s going to be massive to us and that’s our goal here this year. That’s going to be our goal every year to win that trophy.

"As long as we keep getting better each game, each week and each year, that’s the main thing.

Campbell's five-star showing in a 44-0 thrashing of the listless Warriors came with the same flair and flourish of his old man and club founding father Preston, and pushed the Gold Coast past the 11-point winning margin needed to pinch eighth spot from the Sharks.

A 16-0 halftime lead had the Titans already in the top eight.

Another five second-half tries when all the Warriors offered was scuffles and sin bins booked the Gold Coast's first finals berth since 2016 and a sudden death showdown against the Roosters.

Touted as an early contender for the premiership, Canberra must beat the Roosters on Thursday and hope the Sharks lose against Melbourne on Friday to ensure the simplest of passages to finals football.

Canberra and Cronulla could both lose, but The Green Machine would need the Storm to rack up a big score to bring them back into finals contention.

The Storm have rested seven players from last week’s loss to Parramatta against a Sharks side that’s in poll position.

“If you’ve earned the position of rest players this week, well good on you,” Stuart said.