Round 8 stat attack: Maroons make impact

Billy Slater would've been one happy man watching Friday's clash between the Gold Coast Titans and Penrith Panthers.

With Origin just over a month away, a number of Queensland stars put their best foot forward against several New South Wales linchpins, including Blues halves Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary and classy ball-playing lock Isaah Yeo.

Dominating the stats was captain courageous Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, punching out 71 minutes and topping the tackling count with 40 efforts, but another middle third hoping to attract the attention of Maroons selectors was Moe Fotuaika.

With Christian Welch set to miss this year's series due to injury, a starting prop jersey is up for grabs - something the 22-year-old will be eyeing off in what is hoped to be his third straight year on the big stage.

It was a courageous effort in his 57 minutes on field, making 144 metres - 61 of those post-contact, and an incredible 35 tackles at a near-perfect 97 percent efficiency.

Another player on the champion fullback's radar is Beau Fermor, who was judged the Macca's man of the match for his commendable effort against the defending premiers, hoping to crack into the Origin arena after finishing 2021 in outstanding form before beginning the new year the same way he finished. 

Here are the Titans' top performers for Round 8 in some key stats categories:

Most tackles

Metres gained

Post-contact metres

Tackle breaks

Fantasy points