The Dolphins have overcome a slow start to roll over Des Hasler's Titans in a 30-14 triumph at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday night.
Trailing 10-0 after just 13 minutes, the Dolphins gradually took control of the game and piled on five tries as they registered their second win on the bounce after a first-up loss to the Cowboys.
The Titans struck the first blow nine minutes in when Brian Kelly grubbered into the in goal and Jaimin Jolliffe followed through to get the ball down just inside the dead ball line.
Four minutes later and the home side had a second when Phil Sami finished off a slick passing move that featured Tanah Boyd, Kieran Foran and AJ Brimson.
The Dolphins found a reply in the 24th minute when Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow produced a superb tap on for Jack Bostock to cross in the corner to pull it back to 10-6.
Jack Bostock Try
The Dolphins went a man down soon after when Max Plath was sent to the sin bin for a hip drop tackle on Sami but no damage was done on the scoreboard as Wayne Bennett's men hung tough.
They almost came up with a try while down to 12 men when Mark Nicholls surged towards the line but lost the ball in David Fifita's last-ditch tackle.
With the clock winding down to half-time the Dolphins went left again and Tabuai-Fidow lofted the ball over to Bostock who showed great strength to get over in the corner for his second try. Jamayne Isaako converted for a 12-10 lead.
Phillip Sami Try
A horror start to the second half for the Titans when they put the kick-off out on the full but their defence held firm after the Dolphins chose to run the ball on the last play.
A dropped ball by Brimson in the 52nd minute handed the Dolphins a chance to go further ahead but the Titans were able to defuse Isaiah Katoa's bomb and come away.
Come the 57th minute and a Jesse Bromwich offload set the Dophins free down the right side and Isaako exploded into space before turning the ball back inside for Herbie Farnworth to cross. The winger's conversion made it 18-10.
When Kelly coughed up possession 30 metres out from his own line the Dolphins took full advantage with Tom Flegler powering over Tanah Boyd and putting the ball on a platter for Tabuai-Fidow to cross for his fourth try of the season.
Ahead 24-10 the Dolphins continued to throw the ball around and bench prop Josh Kerr came up with a rare try thanks to a Jesse Bromwich offload.
The Titans grabbed a consolation try through Sami with five minutes to play but the damage had been done and they are now the only team not to have won a game in 2024.
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Match Snapshot
- Titans prop Jaimin Jolliffe's try was his first since Round 22, 2022 against Manly.
- Dolphins lock Max Plath was put on report and sin binned for a hip drop tackle in the 27th minute.
- David Fifita entered the game in the 25th minute for his first action of the 2024 season. He played 56 minutes but was placed on report late in the game for an attempted trip.
- Jack Bostock came up with 125 run metres and six tackle breaks to go with his first career try double.
- Dolphins fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow had two try assists and two line break assists to go with his 175 run metres.
Plath sent to the sin bin
- Wayne Bennett now has a 21-11 head-to-head record in matches against Des Hasler.
- Jayden Campbell made an impressive return for the Titans with 179 run metres, a line break and four tackle breaks.
- The Titans completed 26 of 35 sets at 74 per cent.
- The Titans have now conceded 28 points or more in eight consecutive matches.
- Titans winger Phil Sami ran for 229 metres and scored a try despite appearing to be in discomfort with a leg issue after being on the end of a hip drop tackle.
Kaufusi flies in like a rocket!
Play of the Game
A seventh career try for Josh Kerr in his 79th match was just reward for a strong showing off the Dolphins' bench. The fact the four-pointer was laid on by fellow big man Jesse Bromwich made it even sweeter for the front-rowers' union. Kerr came up with 11 runs and 118 run metres in 26 minutes of game time.
Josh Kerr Try
What They Said
"We went through some tough moments, 10-0 down and a guy in the sin bin but we kept fighting on there and finding a way to keep them away from the tryline. Max [Plath] is such a valued part of the team and the boys think so highly of him that they all said 'we're not going to let him down for 10 minutes'. You feel bad when you've just gone to the sin bin and you know your team is vulnerable but I couldn't have asked them to respond any better than they did. Max Plath hasn't got a dirty bone in his body, so it was never intentional, we don't coach it, we don't talk about it, but if it has gone wrong it's gone wrong and we'll just have to pay the consequences." - Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett
Dolphins: Round 4
"We're not putting two halves together, we're not executing well. I thought at one stage in the first half we had a great opportunity to put them to the sword when they had a man in the bin and we came up with three dropped balls and a leg-up penalty, so we just can't build any pressure. We're not good enough yet, we're still growing. We start well, we create some good platforms, and then we give it all away. And it's not going to get any easier. We'll get better, there's some encouraging signs." - Titans coach Des Hasler
Titans: Round 4
What's Next
The Titans face a tough road trip to Townsville to face a Cowboys outfit who will be looking to bounce back after their first loss of the season. The Dolphins are at home to Wests Tigers at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.