Titans readying for must-win Raiders clash after loss to Knights

Lauren Brown almost stole another game at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday.

The wily Gold Coast and Queensland halfback and her trusty right boot helped the Titans rally from a 22-12 deficit midway through the second half of their NRLW game against Newcastle to force a 22-22 deadlock into the final minutes. 

Brown’s sideline conversion of Phoenix-Raine Hippi’s 60th minute try tied the scores but she needed some help from the footy gods, as the ball kissed the crossbar and bounced over.

In June last year, at the other end of Newcastle's home ground, the 30-year-old playmaker potted a last-minute field goal in pouring rain to help the Maroons salute 11-10 to level a State of Origin series they went on to win in Townsville.

Brown went close to doing likewise for the Titans on Sunday but her field-goal attempt in the 68th minute went left of the posts.

The Knights recovered possession and worked their way into range for Jesse Southwell to score a match-winning try and a 28-22 triumph to secure a finals berth.

“‘Loz’ has obviously had a lot of moments like that over her career already, that are spoken about,” Titans coach Karyn Murphy said.

“It was on the sideline and I felt quite confident sitting up there in the box – I thought she might have got it off the crossbar – so it was a bit lucky there.

“But I’m confident in ‘Loz’. She gets those moments so when we made our way back down-field, to put her in a position for that last field goal, we didn’t quite execute that one, but with ‘Loz’ in the team, you’re confident when have those tight moments.”

Though she was astray with that field-goal attempt, Brown’s kicking game was sublime.

Her stab kick in the 22nd minute bounced away from Olivia Higgins to set up a try for prop Jessika Elliston, giving the Titans a 12-10 lead, and she terrorised Newcastle’s makeshift fullback Lilly-Ann White with a variety of bombs, grubbers and kicks aimed at the posts.

The Titans made multiple handling errors in the first five minutes to gift the Knights a 10-0 lead but Murphy was pleased with the way they fought back to lead, then rallied again after trailing 16-12 at half-time and 22-12 early in the second half.

“The start of the game probably couldn’t have been much worse for us. I think we were none of five and made it really hard for ourselves at the start there,” Murphy said.

“So we put ourselves on the back foot but it just shows the character in the team, to fight back from that initial period to get back into the game.

“That try right on half-time didn’t help but we regrouped ... and the character in this team, you just can’t fault.

“A number of setbacks but they just keep fighting, and to put themselves right in it with a couple of minutes to go, which could have gone either way, it says a lot about where they’re at.”

The Titans had won their previous two games against the Eels and Dragons. 
Sitting sixth on nine points, they still control their own finals destiny heading into their last game of the regular season against Canberra at Robina next Saturday.

After a golden point draw against Canterbury in Magic Round at McDonald Jones Stadium the Titans are one point ahead of the Eels (8 points) and two clear of the Bulldogs (7 points).

With the Eels hosting the Bulldogs at CommBank Stadium on Friday night, the Titans are likely to need to beat the Raiders to secure sixth place in the new six-team finals series.