Dragons light up Toowoomba with half century effort

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Gold Coast Titans v St George Illawarra Dragons

A Commonwealth Games-forced roadtrip has not worked out well for the Titans with a 52-8 defeat at the hands of the Dragons in Toowoomba.

The Gold Coast Titans were looking to make their first QLD roadtrip a success however it wasn't to be with the Dragons running away with the contest and notching a half-century comfortably.

The start was awful for the Titans with Kane Elgey dropping the kick off and from there it was the start of a good afternoon for the Dragons with Matt Dufty running his first try after just a minute of action. Gareth Widdop then added an extra two points on the board after 10 minutes before the Titans put their only try on the board when Michael Gordon slid through after a good ball from Ash Taylor.The Titans got level with a penalty goal but that was the closest the Titans ever got to the Dragons who made the Titans side look very very ordinary.

After the Gordon penalty goal, The Dragons ran in four tries in the remainder of the second half and they all came through the left side. The Dragons took a penalty and from the subsequent kick off the Titans put it out on the full. From the ensuing set the Dragons put on back to back to back tries with Lafai picking up a double in the 29th and 33rd minutes when the overlap was clear and Lafai scored. The try in between the Lafai double was the second of Matt Dufty's hattrick.

Things started marginally better for the Titans in the second half with Jack De Belin sent to the sin bin after just three minutes but that was the best moment for the Titans with the Dragons running in five tries in the second half. The first points of the half through a Gareth Widdop penalty goal before Nene McDonald scored in the corner.

The Dragons then turned on the fireworks with Ben Hunt racing through and putting a kick through that was soccered by Widdop who scored the try. Widdop then set up Paul Vaughan who chased down the kick into the ingoal that left the Titans in no mans land. The final ten minutes saw Matt Dufty score his third before Lafai was set up for his third by Gareth Widdop and sealed the 54-6 victory.

Next week, the Dragons host Newcastle whilst the Titans have a QLD derby clash against the Broncos.