Live: Titans tearing Raiders apart, major Maroons Origin blow revealed by Broncos

The Titans bench is not getting it done, so Tino Fa’asuamaleaui was allowed just seven minutes rest before being called back into the fray.

That’s not a bad move, and important for the Titans to try and arrest this slide.

It’s definitely hot enough for fire…

Except it’s more subtle than that.

And I can’t think of a suitable analogy, which is a significant failing on my part.

So we’ll stick with Brimstone.

Right, that was so much better from the Raiders.

An error in a hit up from the Titans bench forward Jaimin Jolliffe gave the Raiders good field position, and they made it count straight away.

A shift to the left, good hands, and Savelio Tamale scoots over.

Good work from Horsburgh in the move as well.

A very impressive score.

Finally the Raiders have taken a step off the beach and put their minds to the task at hand with what was virtually their first proper attacking raid.

Oh there we go!

Campbell Gillard takes the hit up and the Raiders say “if you didn’t like that last one, try this one on for size” and he is smashed by Tom Starling and then Matty Nicholson!

The ball pops out, the Raiders come from all angles and now Campbell Gillard has blood coming out of everywhere!

That was a perfectly legal hit though in what appeared to be a mismatch from the diminutive Starling, who looked like his namesake taking on a bald eagle there.

Joseph Tapine came flying out of the line and whacked Regan Campbell Gillard in the face.

Blood is pouring out of Campbell Gillard’s face.

It’s high, it’s on report.

And Campbell Gillard has a half kilo of cotton wool stuck up his nose.

That’s three for the Titans!

Again it’s an error from the Raiders, as Matthew Timoko drops the ball cold – earning a look of pure filth from Ricky Stuart of the sideline.

AJ Brimson kicks over the top into the big space behind the Raiders line.

The bounce is great, Weekes is absent entirely and Brimson leaps up to gather and score!

An excellent score, matched by an excellent kick and the Titans lead 16-0 in the sun!

Kaeo Weekes
spun backwards into a tackle, at which point Fotuaika flew in with a high shot.

The Raiders players all steam into the contact area in a show of support and force, only to be hold quite comprehensively by referee Gee that he doesn’t need them to all come in.

Perhaps the Raiders will use that to spark them into life. Perhaps they need a barney to wake themselves up?

That’s brilliant from the fullback!

Jaylan De Groot gathered the ball under his own crossbar and then took off, skipping past a couple of tacklers, racing through and into open space before being hauled down.

That’s a bit sloppy there from the veteran.

The Titans were having another very good set to take the ball up towards half way, but then a bit of laziness from Campbell Gillard, who stepped over the ball instead of playing it and that’s a huge leg up for the shell shocked Raiders.

He hit Tino Fa’asuamaleaui
high and that was spotted by the bunker and that will be looked at after the game.

This has been a brilliant opening for the Titans!

The power game has been amazing, forcing the Raiders back and making their power forwards appear meek.

The kick from Weaver went up from 35 metres out, it was set to land 10 metres away from the line – but Jojo Fifita is there to gather the ball and spin towards the line and score.

That’s a very, very good try but some insipid kick defence from the Raiders – Savelio Tamale just looked completely lost there.

The kick is just wide, so the lead stays 10-0.

Great set after points for the Titans, making 60-odd metres with a neat passing play the highlight of that set of six.

The kick is a deep one for the very tentative Kaeo Weekes but, despite his issues under the high ball of late, he has made a really great grab there – and threatened to burst through as well.

That’s a very, very good score for the hosts!

AJ Brimson has dinked a little kick through on the left edge, it say up perfectly for Beau Fermor, who had a couple of grabs at it but gathered and dotted down.

A lovely try for the Titans.

When they move the ball nicely like that, they can be a very tough team to play against.

Tom Weaver has kicking duties and nails the extras to make it 6-0!

We’re underway on the coast, the Surfside putting on a show of a day on Easter Sunday.

It’s 27 degrees out there – and deceptively warm for a late April afternoon.

The Raiders will have first use of the ball and they’re using the big men to power up the middle of the field – as you’d expect from this big powerful pack.

The Raiders have won their last seven at Robina – their last defeat here was in 2018 – but have had to travel to Darwin last week.

The Titans have lost their last two in the NRL, and three of their last four at home.

They’ll need a big showing to get the win in the blazing sun.

As good a reason as any, Mike, and a very happy Easter to you too.

Here’s how the NRL ladder looks heading into this game.

Five teams on eight points at the moment, including Canberra.

Newcastle and Cronulla are on six, so one of them will move to eight at the end of the day, and perhaps the Titans could join them to.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is speaking now on Fox Sports.

He is asked about what he puts the Raiders impressive start to.

“Consistency – and that probably starts during the week,” he says.

“I really enjoy coaching them.

“The young blokes, I feel really energised, they bring the energy and they’re hungry, it’s great.”

As for starting with Josh Papali’i instead of coming off the bench, it’s a question of size.

“We’re playing a big side, so we may as well start with them,” he says.

“We’ve got to start well, like any other match.

“Dessy will have an ambush planned.”

-AAP

Speaking of last night’s match, Penrith hooker Mitch Kenny is facing a two-game ban for a hip-drop tackle that injured Nat Butcher and incurred the wrath of Trent Robinson.

Kenny will miss clashes with Manly and Brisbane with an early plea.

The 27-year-old will also be suspended for the Panthers’ round-10 match against North Queensland, should he fight the charge at the judiciary and lose.

Defending premiers Penrith, who thumped the Sydney Roosters 40-12 after a worrying 1-5 start to the season, have until Monday to make a decision.

The hip-drop tackle debate has been reignited this season, with South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett lamenting he doesn’t “know what a hip-drop tackle is anymore” after Friday’s loss to Canterbury.

Roosters counterpart Robinson insisted on Saturday night that “there is no confusion”.

Robinson’s anger was instead directed at the referee, who failed to punish the Panthers for Kenny’s tackle that resulted in medial collateral ligament (MCL) damage for Butcher.

“He has got an MCL injury, it is pretty disappointing,” Robinson said.

“Nothing was mentioned at all in the game, but in the tackle he gets an MCL injury and he is done for the night.

“Not to even have a discussion and a guy to do an MCL and [be] finished for the game, it is pretty clear.”

Brisbane’s Billy Walters (crusher tackle) and Roosters prop Naufahu Whyte (high tackle — careless) escaped with fines on Sunday.

In short? Penrith are back.

Nathan Cleary led the Premiers to a second win of the season and snap a five-game losing streak against the Roosters, who started that streak of defeats in a boilover earlier in the year.

Look back on how all that unfolded, as well as the Broncos’ defeat in New Zealand, here.