Titans fullback Evania Pelite stole the show in Saturday's Queensland derby at Cbus Super Stadium as Gold Coast beat the Cowboys 16-6 in the NRLW season opener.
Pelite ran for 248 metres and had 15 tackle breaks while Shannon Mato was strong up front with 15 hit-ups for 156 metres.
Cowboys forward Emma Manzelmann created history after burning the Titans defence through the middle to score the club's inaugural NRLW try in the sixth minute. Captain Kirra Dibb converted from right in front to make the score 6-0.
The Cowboys right side defence proved too strong in the 12th minute when debutant Destiny Mino-Sinapati had a breakaway before being taken into touch in the corner.
Emma Manzelmann try 6th minute
The Titans were then left to cover positions as their newest recruit, centre Niall Williams-Guthrie, was taken from the field for a HIA in the 14th minute.
But it didn’t take long for the Titans to take a swing at the Cowboys, with centre Jaime Chapman breaking open the defence, and putting Mino-Sinapati over in the corner, only for it to be disallowed in the 18th minute.
Mino-Sinapati didn’t have to wait long before officially scoring on debut after an offload from veteran Steph Hancock, and quick hands out to the winger, who scored in the 24th minute.
Lauren Brown’s conversion attempt was unsuccessful from the sideline, leaving the score 6-4 in favour of the visitors.
Evania Pelite try 44th minute
The Cowboys attempted to return serve with Dibb diving over in the 27th minute, only to be disallowed due to an obstruction near the try line.
The next set saw the Titans denied a try off the back of a bomb kick from debutant Chantay Kiria-Ratu, which caused confusion for the Cowboys defenders, allowing Williams-Guthrie to strip and score before being called back for a knock-on in the 29th minute.
It was a first half full of errors and poor completion rates, with the Cowboys leading the game at half-time 6-4.
The errors continued early in the second half after Taliah Fuimaono broke the Cowboys defence open down the middle, passing to Mino-Sinapati, who lost the ball over the try line after a try saving effort from Krystal Blackwell.
It didn’t take long for the Titans to break through the Cowboys defence again, this time with Pelite steaming down the sideline to score in the 44th minute. Teenage talent Kiria-Ratu converted to put the home team in front for the first time in the match.
More desperate Cowboys defence
Five-eighth and Origin star Fuimaono was assisted from the field in the 47th minute with a suspected ankle injury.
Cowboys’ debutant Mia Middleton was put on report and sinbinned in the 53rd minute after a dangerous tackle on winger Emily Bass which saw also Bass escorted from the field.
A try saving tackle by Pelite on Cowboys forward Shania Power gave the Titans a momentum lift in the 58th minute and Titans second-rower Zara Canfield siezed an opportunity to put the game to bed with a 63rd minute try under the posts.
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Match Snapshot
- Cowboys winger Mia Middleton was placed on report and sin binned in the 53rd minute for a dangerous tackle.
- Destiny Mino-Sinapati enjoyed a fine debut for the Titans with 11 runs for 105 metres and six tackle breaks.
- The Titans completed just 22 of 36 sets at 61 per cent. The Cowboys were 23 of 30 at 76 per cent.
- A total of 10 NRLW debutants were on show at Cbus Super Stadium.
- Cowboys centre Niall Williams-Guthrie left the field for a HIA in the 13th minute which she passed.
- Titans prop Steph Hancock is the oldest player in the NRLW at 41 years of age and came up with 82 run metres and 16 tackles in 30 minutes of game time.
Evania Pelite try 44th minute
Play of the Game
It was the Cowboys' right side defence that made their presence felt early with winger China Polata putting a huge hit on debutant Destiny Mino-Sinapati. The youngster recovered quickly from the rib-rattler to post the game's opening try.
Destiny Mino-Sinapati try 24th minute
What they Said
“I can’t fault their effort when they were down to twelve players, they were courageous in defeat, but I think we needed to be better around our sets, probably completion rate. They (Cowboys) probably dipped their toe in, instead of just taking the game on, but they will learn from it.” - Cowboys Coach Ben Jefferies
Cowboys: Round 1
“Definitely happy to get the win, we spoke about how important it was to get a good start to this season, although it’s a longer competition, obviously every win is important. So, we spoke about getting the win, particularly at home in front of friends and family in round one." - Titans coach Karyn Murphy
Titans: Round 1
What's Next
The Titans play the Broncos in another all-Queensland clash at The Gabba in Round 2 while the Cowboys head to Sydney to face the Knights at Belmore Sports Ground.