Rampant Broncos trample Titans

BRISBANE moved into the NRL top eight with a thumping 34-12 win over struggling southeast Queensland rivals Gold Coast yesterday.

The Broncos ran in six tries to two, including a first-half double to Kotoni Staggs, to move past Newcastle and into eighth position on the ladder.

For the second week in a row teenage prop Payne Haas topped 200 run metres, while fellow forwards Matt Lodge and David Fifita were hugely influential through the middle.

Defeat leaves the Titans rooted to the bottom of the ladder with just four wins amid speculation the club’s new coach will be named this week.

The only sour note from the dominant display for Brisbane was lock Tevita Pangai Jr being placed on report for a shoulder charge on Phillip Sami. Pangai Jr clobbered Sami in the 27th minute as the centre fielded a kick, with the Tongan international placed on report and sin-binned.

It means the 23-year-old faces a nervous wait to know if he’s facing a suspension ahead of Brisbane’s clash with tabletopping Melbourne on Friday.

Despite a bright start by Brisbane, it was only when the Titans had made a raid inside the Broncos’ 20m zone that the visitors got the lead.

Michael Gordon’s attempt to pass to Anthony Don was intercepted by Corey Oates, who sprinted 90m to score.