The Sydney Roosters have knocked the Gold Coast Titans out of finals contention in the NRL Premiership with a 26-18 win at Allianz Stadium Monday night.
The Titans made the most of their opportunities in a 32-point first half, with tries to Anthony Don, 150-game juggernaut Dave Taylor and Greg Bird. The Roosters were not easily dissuaded, answering each try with one of their own. Retiring Sydney captain Anthony Minichiello, running some good hard lines early, was rewarded with a try in the corner.
Dynamic Titans representative lock Greg Bird crashed over late in the half to give the Gold Coast an 18-16 lead and the ascendency heading into second half.
Roosters playmaker Mitchell Pearce certainly played his part in the second half, setting up tries to Roger Tuivasa-Shek and explosive centre Michael Jennings to push beyond a six-point lead at 26-18.
The Titans remained scoreless in the second half, unable to capitalise on time with the ball in the opposition 20, making several handling errors and struggling to remain composed on the field.
“We have tested most sides [through the year] but when it comes to the crunch we just probably didn’t play well enough,” said exiting Titans coach John Cartwright. Cartwright, who has been with the club from day one, made the decision last week to leave at the end of this season.
In the post-match press conference Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson said, “Keeping a team to zero in the second half shows some strong character… and I’m proud of that.”
The Roosters are now in fourth position on the ladder with 28 points, 4 points behind competition leaders Manly-Warringah.
