Gold Coast Titans 18 – Cronulla 16
Venue: Gold Coast Stadium
Crowd: 17,946
The Jetstar Gold Coast Titans have scored a dramatic come from behind victory over the Cronulla Sharks with the diminutive Preston Campbell crossing over in the 74th minute to deliver the club’s first historic win.
Man of the match Scott Prince passed the ball inside to Campbell who appeared to have lost the ball from his grasp when tackled over the line by Brett Kearney. Video ref Tim Mander gave ‘benefit of the doubt’ to the Titans and Preston kicked the match winning conversion.
An exuberant Campbell said, "It's always a good feeling to be able to get your team home, everyone likes that sort of thing. But to be able to do it with the side I started with is even better."
Preston Campbell’s opening minute gaffe saw the Sharks hit to the lead after back rower Reece Williams scored his first of the night off a Luke Covell kick.
The Jetstar Gold Coast Titans replied in the 17th minute with recalled winger Matt Petersen crossing over in the right hand corner. Petersen had come in to the side for the injured Chris Walker and was solid on debut.
Cronulla went in to half time with the lead after Fraser Anderson capitalized on a late half penalty awarded to the Sharks for an obstruction. The next set of six saw Josh Hannay turn Mat Rogers inside out drawing in Lelea Paea from his wing leaving Anderson unmarked to score.
Running in to a strong head wind in the second half, the Titans had it all to do after Reece Williams scored in the 50th minute of the match.
Fraser Anderson took the ball on his own thirty-metre line and beat four Titans defenders drawing Preston Campbell putting Williams away untouched. Covell converted, the Sharks led 16-6 with half hour to play.
Faced with a ten-point deficit, Scott Prince and Luke Bailey led from the front providing the leadership John Cartwright was looking for from his co-captains.
Replacement hooker Nathan Friend started the revival putting Michael Henderson through a hole in the 54th minutes. The young prop linked with his outside men and the played ended with Mat Rogers being pulled down fifteen metres out from the try line.
With the Sharks defensive line vulnerable, Scott Prince moved the ball right before coming back to the left with Matt Hilder putting the ball on the chest of Mark Minichiello who scored under the posts. Preston converted, with twenty-three minutes to play; the momentum had shifted to the Titans who trailed 16-12.
The Cronulla Sharks were their own worst enemy three times turning the ball over on the first tackle when winning the ball from the scrum.
Matt Hilder, once again impressive at five-eight, put through a clever kick in the 72nd minute and caught the Sharks in-goal with a good kick chase. The repeat set proved costly for Cronulla with Campbell scoring the match winner.
"I love him, he's just got to be in the side somewhere each week," Cartwright said of Campbell. "He's tough and he plays with his heart on his sleeve, there's nothing of him but he will run into the biggest guy on the field and what that does for the side psychologically, no one can quantify."
The Jetstar Gold Coast Titans victory sees them placed ninth on the NRL table and they face a tough test away from home up in round three against the Canterbury Bulldogs who are yet to taste victory in 2007.
Gold Coast Titans 18 (Matt Petersen, Mark Minichiello, Preston Campbell Goals: Preston Campbell 3/3) def.
Cronulla Sharks 16 (Reece Williams (2), Fraser Anderson Goals: Luke Covell 2/3)
MATCH SUMMARY
1m – Try – Reece Williams (0-4)
3m – Conversion – Luke Covell (0-6)
17m – Try – Matt Petersen (4-6)
18m – Conversion – Preston Campbell (6-6)
40m – Try – Fraser Anderson (6-10)
50m – Try – Reece Williams (6-14)
51m - Conversion – Luke Covell (6-16)
56m – Try – Mark Minichiello (10-16)
57m – Conversion – Preston Campbell (12-16)
74m - Try – Preston Campbell (16-16)
75m – Conversion – Preston Campbell (18-16)
Statistics
TACKLES
1. Anthony Laffranchi – 45
2. Luke Bailey – 33
3. Nathan Friend – 22
HIT UPS
1. Luke Bailey – 16
2. Kris Kahler – 11
3. Anthony Laffranchi – 11
METRES GAINED
1. Luke Bailey – 197
2. Preston Campbell – 149
3. Anthony Laffranchi – 117
Source:
www.nrl.com