Titans

Cooper Cronk was critical of David Fifita’s switch to centre to cover the loss of Phillip Sami and it didn’t take long for the Cowboys to exploit him in defence, but he hit back to set up a try to make it 6-4.

However the Cowboys extended their lead with a try to Murray Taulagi down Fifita’s side of the field to make it 12-4.

Fifita’s tough night at the office in defence continued when Scott Drinkwater burned him off a scrum to score almost untouched.

Parramatta won 26-20 after withstanding a second half Gold Coast fightback in which the home side scored two tries on the back of controversial captain's challenge calls and another while Eels prop Junior Paulo was in the sinbin.

The Eels led 20-0 at the 50th minute mark when Titans halfback Toby Sexton deliberately conceded a penalty to seek a captain's challenge, with referee Peter Gough warning: "If the challenge is unsuccessful you will go to the sin bin".

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.

After the early strike by Fermor the Titans extended their lead in the 15th minute when Jayden Campbell lofted a pass to Greg Marzhew who put a huge fend on Marcelo Montoya and raced away to score under the posts.

A mistake by Philip Sami handed the Warriors field position and Wayde Egan cashed in with a try from dummy half to make it 12-6.

Titans wrecking ball David Fifita is in the best shape of life after enjoying a pre-season without injuries for the first time in his budding NRL career.

The 21-year-old is tipping the scales at 114kg after adding muscle to his already bulking frame this summer.

Fifita scored a club record 17 tries last season but niggling injuries and inconsistent form saw him play seven of the final eight games off the bench.

Gold Coast are in 10th place - two points outside the top eight - with six matches in hand and a relatively favourable run home.

While they face the red-hot Rabbitohs (round 22) and first-placed Storm (round 23), the Titans have four winnable fixtures against teams ranked below them, starting with the Bulldogs on Sunday.

If Justin Holbrook's side can triumph in those games, it could be enough to sneak into the play-offs for the first time since 2016.

However, considering the Gold Coast haven't won back-to-back matches since round three, it's easier said than done.

With Jai Arrow named to play for the Maroons in Origin I, Jai Whitbread is likely to start at lock for the Titans on Sunday where he will go up against Cowboys colossus Jason Taumalolo.

The 21-year-old was called into the run-on side late last week when Arrow went down with a quadriceps injury during the captain's run and ran for 102 metres in 35 minutes.

More importantly, he limited the impact of Manly giant Martin Taupau.

A tumultuous off-season stretched as far as club ownership, with Rebecca Frizelle and Darryl Kelly’s successful bid given the green light last week.

The Titans also installed a new coach in Garth Brennan. Luke Burt joined as his assistant, and Hayden Knowles, Craig Catterick and Scott Campbell were added to the physical performance team.

The club also parted ways with marquee man Jarryd Hayne, who has returned to the Parramatta Eels.

It is believed the Titans will sign the 34-year-old custodian to a two-year deal if the Roosters allow him to walk away from his contract for next season.

Gordon was set to be moved from his favoured fullback position to the wing next season due to the arrival of NSW star James Tedesco at the Roosters.

Gold Cost are in the market for a fullback following Jarryd Hayne's well-documented switch last Friday to his former club, the Parramatta Eels.

Latu has been granted a release from the final three years of his contract with the Panthers to link up with Garth Brennan and the Titans. 

The Indigenous All Stars representative was a member of Brennan's successful 2014 Intrust Super Premiership NSW team when both men were at the Panthers. 

"Leilani is a player with a great attitude and is a great clubman," Brennan said. 

"He's had three strong years in the NRL and after discussing the prospect of him coming to the club, I know he's extremely excited about the opportunity. 

James captained the side stoically throughout a difficult 2017 and is highly regarded for the leadership he provides on and off the field.

Hooker Nathan Peats is also in the mix – he has recommitted to the Titans until the end of the 2020 season and has the respect of everyone at the club.

Brennan will watch prospective candidates during pre-season training before making a decision.

While not guaranteeing anything, he indicated James was in pole position."Ryan is a natural leader, a Gold Coast kid who was born and bred here," Brennan said.