Key three: Tino toiled but Sloan steals show with second half stronghold
The Dragons blew plenty of fire towards the Titans to notch up a comprehensive 28-4 victory in the season opener at Cbus Super Stadium.
Despite tireless leader Tino Fa'asuamaleaui toiling hard for his team with another incredible individual performance, Tyrell Sloan was the man of the hour for the opposition with an impressive hat-trick, sealing their first two points of the season after playing a part in delivering four unanswered tries upon the home side.
Not the start new coach Des Hasler was looking for in his tenure on the Gold Coast, the experienced mentor warned a full 80 minute performance was to come from the Red V, and Shane Flanagan's side delivered right on cue, with the Titans unable to slay them.
Match: Titans v Dragons
Round 1 -
home Team
Titans
16th Position
away Team
Dragons
2nd Position
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Here are the key talking points from Round 1:
Flanno's Dragons stay in fight to inflict defeat
Des Hasler predicted the Dragons would be a team that remained in the grind for the entire 80 minutes under new coach Shane Flanagan and the Red V did just that with their Round 1 performance.
Taking a slim 6-4 lead into the sheds at the half-time break despite being starved of the ball with only 43 percent of possession, they believed the tide would turn in the fight, piling on the points in the second 40 thanks to a masterclass from young fullback Tyrell Sloan.
Aiding in the points-scoring bonanza was opposition halves pairing Kyle Flanagan and Ben Hunt, with the two helping setup three of their five tries.
Welcome to the Sloan show in second half stronghold
The Titans had no answers for the livewire No. 1 who recorded his first career hat-trick thanks to moments of brilliance, particularly in the second 40 minutes.
It took only two minutes for the 21-year-old to first find the line, and then he was instrumental in the Dragons' second half domination with two further tries to complete the trifecta, as well as two line breaks and five tackle breaks in the star performance.
Making the challenge even more tougher for the Titans was their poor ball control in the second 40, making six errors after a near-perfect 20 from 23 sets in the first half.
They also lacked field position after dominating in the opening stanza - the Dragons winning the possession 53-47 percent after the home side had 75 percent of the ball in their attacking half in the first 40 minutes.
Service resumes for herculean Titans leader
It may be a new year, but nothing has changed for Gold Coast skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui who again was one of the Titans best in the season opener.
Punching out 47 minutes in his first stint of the year, the 23-year-old amassed an incredible 184 running metres – 94 of those post-contact – in a dynamic role which included running on both sides of the field in an attempt to beat defenders and find points for his team.
Returning in the 68th minute, the inspirational leader added a further 28 metres to raise his final total to 212 - the most of any Titans player on the night.
Standing up to lead the pack in the clash, Moe Fotuaika joined his front row partner in maintaining the rage in the opening 40 minutes, notching up 91 minutes in a powerful 29 minute stint to start proceedings.
