TITANS BREAK DROUGHT WITH 36-12 WIN OVER WARRIORS
Half reminds fans of what’s ahead in 2019
THE Titans’ future has arrived early, with AJ Brimson’s hoodoosnapping effort against the Warriors setting the young half’s NRL prospects in stone.
In a rollercoaster campaign for the club, 19-year-old Brimson continues to prove the brightest light.
The five-eighth proved that again yesterday to help the Titans to a spirited 36-12 triumph – their first win against New Zealand in seven years.
In front of 15,149 fans, the Titans scored 28 unanswered points in the second half, with Brimson outstanding in an allround display of skill and grit.
He had already shown himself to be an NRL-calibre half but in just his 10th game in the top grade, Brimson sealed his reputation as a matchwinner, orchestrating the Titans’ second-half comeback.
Coach Garth Brennan has been asking his No.6 to step up and take some pressure off the beleaguered Ash Taylor.
“I just think he’s starting to really feel like he belongs and is feeling a part of it,” Brennan said.
“He’s taking that role away from Ash a little bit which I’ve been asking some of our players to do.”
While he scored a try in the second-half rout, it was Brimson’s game management and defence that was most impressive.
Four tackle breaks, two line breaks, two line break assists and a try assist show how involved Brimson was in a game the Warriors were desperate to win to keep finals hopes alive.
“I thought AJ stepped up, he’s feeling more comfortable in his skin and he’s feeling like he belongs,” said Brennan, who stressed the fightback showed what the club was capable of.
“They’ve showed some signs of that this year in different parts of games but today I thought was probably our most complete 80minute performance of the year.”
Former Titan Karl Lawton scored in the shadows of halftime to give New Zealand a 12-8 lead at the break, it seemed as though their dominance on the Gold Coast would continue.
Lawton came into the match having scored two tries for the Warriors this season but neither was as sweet as when he crossed against his old side.
A Palm Beach Currumbin product, Lawton was praised as the future of the club when he re-signed last year but he was jettisoned by the Gold Coast not long after they signed Mitch Rein.
But in promising signs for the Titans’ future, generation next stepped up in the second half to lead them to a win.
The newly re-signed Brenko Lee made his mark early in the second half as the Titans charged back into the game, setting up a try for Anthony Don and scoring himself from an intercept to hand the lead back to the home side.
The tries continued to rain, with Brimson and Phillip Sami scoring as the future of the club stood up.
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