The Titans rallied late to take the lead, before surviving a desperate comeback from the Warriors to win 32-28 on Anzac Day. Here's five key points from the clash at Mt Smart Stadium.
Henry still seeking better attacking execution
Scoring 32 points in the Telstra Premiership is a fair effort by any team's standards, but Titans coach Neil Henry was disappointed with the chances his side failed to take advantage of.
The visitors came up with two handling errors inside the attacking 10 and missed the chance to score a try early in the second half when David Mead was taken into touch by a great Tuimoala Lolohea covering tackle.
"We had a couple of missed opportunities to get points, 'Meady' makes a long break and gets tackled into touch, maybe if he stops and takes the tackle it might have resulted in a second play," Henry said.
"I think we created some really nice tries but we missed a couple of opportunities to probably kick away a bit more."
Titans put Anzac service attendance ahead of sleep
Despite already dealing with a two-hour local time difference Titans captain Nate Myles was up at dawn in Auckland to attend an Anzac service, along with coach Neil Henry and several club staffers.
No doubt feeling a little sleep deprived, Myles was one of the Titans' best at Mt Smart, running for 125 metres and making 49 tackles.
"To be honest I was a bit nervous that if I went pretty bad today the coach would get up me for going at that hour," Myles said post match.
"It was a little bit emotional but it's a fantastic day and I think the NRL has done a fantastic job with it.
"It means a lot to me as a young man to remember the people who have made our country, and your country [New Zealand], the same."
Warriors no closer to finding a long-term option at right centre
Youngster David Fusitu'a became the third Warrior to start at right centre this year, and it looks like he won't be the last.
The 20-year-old had a rocks-and-diamonds afternoon at Mt Smart Stadium, scoring the game's opening try but finding himself exposed defensively on several occasions.
Kierran Moseley's 48th minute try came after Fusitu'a failed to advance on him, while he also ended up in no man's land on Ryan James' touchdown later in the match.
"Good and bad, it's another combination and we threw him out there very hopefully," McFadden said of Fusitu'a's performance.
With Ngani Laumape a chance of missing the rest of 2015 with a knee injury, and Konrad Hurrell struggling for form, the Warriors are fast running out of options in the centres.
Strong second period gets Gold Coast home again
For a third-straight week the Titans produced a second-half blitz to blow their opponents off the park.
This week they outscored the Warriors 20 points to 10 in the second stanza to reverse an 18-12 half-time deficit.
But second-rower Ryan James, who scored the Titans' last try of the match, said it was his side's efforts on the other side of the ball near the end which stood out.
"We have been finishing games great but we let two late tries in and are very disappointed in that," he said.
"We have held teams to zero the last two weeks and almost did it again, but the Warriors are that sort of team where you can't clock off."
Ryan Hoffman makes all the difference in 2015
If there was any doubt remaining around the impact Hoffman has had on this Warriors' side, critics need only look at how the game changed almost immediately after he was forced from the field on Saturday afternoon.
The Titans' 20-point rally started two minutes after Hoffman left the park, while prior to that they had managed to score just 12.
The Warriors struggled to communicate effectively on the defensive side of the ball when it counted against the Gold Coast, and along with captain Simon Mannering the 31-year-old Hoffman has been the glue which holds the New Zealand side together.
Andrew McFadden will be sweating on his immediate future after leaving the game with concussion.
