Round 23: Titans v Warriors preview
Warriors will look to continue top four charge when they travel to the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast Titans will play host to the New Zealand Warriors on Friday evening in a clash between two teams in very different situations. While the Warriors are enjoying what has so far been an unexpectedly successful season, the Gold Coast are still managing to keep hopes alive for an unlikely finals finish.
Sitting in 12th, four points off the eight, the Titans have work to do in the final month of regular season footy if they want to stay alive into September. However they enter this game off the back of a confidence-boosting win against the Cowboys - one of the teams they'll need to chase down in order to make the finals. The 22-13 victory in front of 16,000 home fans should hopefully boost attendance for this weekend back at Robina.
Fullback AJ Brimson was under an injury cloud at the start of the week, but he has been named to play regardless. Jojo Fifita is out with an ankle injury, so Aaron Schoupp takes his spot in the centres. Big Tino still has one more game left on his suspension before he can return to prop up his sides' forward pack.
The New Zealand Warriors are in a very strong position to secure their first top four regular season finish since 2007. In third position currently, level on points with Melbourne, they haven't lost consecutive games since round ten, and are on a three game winning streak heading into this clash. They are fresh off a bye, and prior to that managed to sneak a golden point win over a fast-finishing Canberra Raiders side in Auckland.
The same 17 as round 21 are set to take to the field, with Marata Niukore named despite suffering a head knock in their most recent game. Jazz Tevaga makes the squad at 18th man with his long-awaited return from injury incoming, although most likely not this weekend.
The Gold Coast have won their past three meetings against the Warriors.
Last meeting: Round 25 2022 - Warriors 26 Titans 27
Who to watch: 27 year old Gold Coast centre Brian Kelly is nearing 150 NRL appearances. Now in his fifth year with the Titans, Kelly has been a consistent centre option throughout the entirety of that. Kelly has been locked down long-term by the Gold Coast, contracted all the way through until 2026. As he moves into the middle stages of his NRL career, both himself and the club will want to get as much out of that contract as possible.
Mitchell Barnett was one of the big name signings for New Zealand this year, with the big forward joining on a three year deal until the end of 2025. Unfortunately for both Barnett and the Warriors, he has only been able to take to the field on nine occasions due to an early season neck injury which saw him sidelined for some time. Now firmly a part of the Warriors starting pack, himself and Addin Fonua-Blake are a formidable pair of props for any club to come up against.
Favourite: The Warriors are favourites to extend their winning streak, and in doing so all but end the Titans' finals dream.
My tip: Gold Coast showed last week, as they have at numerous points throughout this season, that they can perform. Why they chose last week to pull an upset is anyone's guess, so which version of the Titans will get this week is even tougher to tell. Either way, I think the Warriors will be too strong. New Zealand by 16.
