The Gold Training NYC side have this afternoon suffered a heavy 50-22 loss to the Newcastle Knights at Cbus Super Stadium.
After leading 16-4, it was all the Knights running out nine tries to four victors.
Coach Ben Woolf was happy to have the now NRL experienced winger Tyronne Roberts-Davis brought into his side but he was not able to spark the troops on in what was a tough second half for the boys from the coast.
It wasn’t the start the NYC side were after with the Knights cruising over in the first minute of play through back rower Sam McIntyre. Winger Kainoa Gudgeon had the kicking duties but couldn’t convert from out wide, leaving the score at 4-0.
The next period of play was all the Titans with the three tries being scored in 13 minutes. Centre Daniel Brownbill opened the account on the right but with a tough conversion attempt, Roberts-Davis was unable to convert, levelling it up at 4-all.
Big prop forward Moeaki Fotuaika was the next to score in the 22nd minute and that was followed up by a Roberts-Davis try out wide. Both were converted by the winger, putting the home side in front, 16-4 at the 29-minute mark.
The final 10 minutes of the half was all the Knights with two tries being scored and scores being all level at the half-time break. Fullback Matt Cooper and interchange forward Pasami Saulo both scored and Gudgeon converted both, to level it all up at 16-all.
The start to the second stanza was all the Knights and Coach Woolf would have been disappointed with the mid-field defence with both tries off the back of breaks. The first of the tries saw Saulo score his second of the afternoon when he trailed up on the inside, took the ball and went over without a hand being laid on him. The second was a break down the left by Heath Gibbs who put the flick-pass on for his winger Mitch Andrews who ran around to score. Gudgeon converted both to leave the scoreboard reading 28-16.
It got worse for the Titans with two more tries being scored and the visitors had skipped out to a 38-16 lead after 63 minutes, that was always going to be hard to run down.
Roberts-Davis picked up a try in the 68th minute that made the scoreboard look a little better but it was the Knights who rounded out the scoring with two more tries being scored, giving the boys from the hunter a 50-22 victory.
KNIGHTS 16 (McIntyre 2, Cooper, Saulo 2, Andrews, Tuilotolava, Gudgeon, Loughrey Tries; Gudgeon 7 Goals)
defeated
TITANS 22 (Roberts-Davis 2, Fotuaika, Brownbill Tries; Roberts-Davis 3 Goals)
At: Cbus Super Stadium
