The iSelect Gold Coast Titans NYC team has suffered a 34-4 defeat at the hands of the Wests Tigers at Cbus Super Stadium this afternoon.
The Titans were dealt an early blow losing captain and playmaker Kane Elgey before the game and his experience was missed with the Tigers posting four first-half tries to the Titans one to take an 18-4 lead going into the break.
In a scrappy second-half the Titans were unable to contain the Tigers who posted a dominant final 20 minutes with John Ogden and Salesi Funaki posting doubles to give the away side the 34-4 win.
Earlier, it was the visitors who opened the scoring with John Ogden collecting a well weighted grubber kick to score in the corner and give the Tigers a slim 4-0 lead after eight minutes.
The Tigers then capitalised on good field position to post their second try of the afternoon when centre Marion Seve sliced his way through the Titans line to score next to the posts to give Matt Woods an easy conversion and his side the 10-0 lead after 17 minutes of play.
The Titans woes worsened in the 25th minute when Tigers winger Delouise Hoefner produced a great winger’s try diving for the corner to plant the ball down one-handed just inside the post and with the conversion kick sailing wide the Titans trailed 14-0.
The Titans needed to be the next to score and with a repeat set in attacking position they took full advantage through winger Connor Broadhurst who crossed in the corner but with Sam Harrold’s conversion unsuccessful, the Titans trailed 14-4 with under 10 minutes remaining in the half.
In the dying minutes of the half, the Tigers produced some razzle-dazzle footy resulting in Te Maire Martin crossing next to posts, but with the conversion unsuccessful the Tigers had to settle for an 18-4 half-time lead.
After a see-sawing opening 15 minutes of the second-half it was the Tigers who crossed the line after a bulldozing Salesi Funaki barged his way over next to the posts to give Woods an easy conversion to extend the Tigers lead out to 24-4 with just over 25minutes remaining.
The Tigers went back-to-back in the 61st and 70th minute with Ogden and Funaki both grabbing doubles to give the Tigers the 34-4 win.
The Titans will look to hit-back next week when they take on the Canberra Raiders at GIO Stadium.
Wests Tigers 34 (J Ogden 2, S Funaki 2, M Seve, D Hoefner, T Martin,; M Woods 3 conversions) defeated Gold Coast Titans 4 (C Broadhurst try)
