FULLTIME
Warriors 26 (Hiku, Fusitu'a, Tuivasa-Sheck & Harris tries, Harris-Tavita 5 goals) Titans 10 (Copley & Don tries, Taylor goal)
80th minute: Lawton puts a kick to the line, Titans knock on, but the scrum never sets. The siren sounds on a comprehensive win for the Warriors.
Perhaps their season is back on track.
79th minute: Lawton makes a long run and Harris-Tavita kicks, Fusitu'a knocks it back and Peachey is called for a knock-on. Green is off early.
77th minute: Maumalo leaps high to field a kick from Roberts and Proctor is penalised for stripping.
76th minute: Ah Mau makes a powerful run, but he's cut in half by Cartwright and can't play the ball properly. Titans ball.
75th minute: Titans on attack and heading towards the posts, but the ball pops forward in a tackle on Cartwright.
73rd minute: TRY! Harris-Tavita puts Harris through a tiny gap and he beats a couple of tackles to find the lin. Harris-Tavita converts.
71st minute: Green puts a grubber to the line and Kelly is dragged back over the line for a dropout.
70th minute: Titans earn a penalty, but Arrow spills the ball on the second tackle. Warriors surge forward.
68th minute: Harris-Tavita makes a break, beating a couple of tackles. He heads towards the post, but when he gets the ball on the last, his grubber is easily covered.
67th minute: Green puts a deft kick into the corner, but Titans are in control. Roberts kicks deep and Fusitu'a takes it up fast.
65th minute: Afoa ruled out with concussion. Now the Warriors must hold their form over the last 15 minutes, with Gold Coast closing fast.
64th minute: TRY! The ball comes right and Don leaps into the corner to score, taking out the corner flag.
The ref checks the touchline, but the bunker is happy. Taylor misses the sideline conversion - that could be crucial.
62nd minute: Harris-Tavita sticks out a hand and knock on to reset the Titans tackle count.
With a new set, Roberts puts a kick to the corner, Fusitu'a knocks on trying to tidy up.
60th minute: TRY! Roberts puts a kick through, but Green sticks out a foot and deflects it back. The back comes left to Copley, who twists and turns through three tackles, and then reaches out to score.
Taylor converts. Can the Titans mount a comeback?
58th minute: On the final tackle, Taylor puts through an angled kick behind the line, but in the scramble, Harris-Tavita nudges it dead for another dropout.
The Titans complain that there was obstruction, but nothing is called.
56th minute: From the scrum, the backs take their turn to run the ball out and go a great job. Warriors reach halfway and Harris-Tavita kicks high to Copley, who is safe.
Afoa is off for a head check.
55th minute: RTS drops it out and clears halfway, but the Titans run back hard. When the ball comes right, Kelly tries to offload in the tackle and finds only touch.
54th minute: Titans are mounting an attack and Roberts puts a grubber to the line on the last. There's a scramble and eventually Fusitu'a has to force it for a dropout.
53rd minute: Burr is penalised in the tackle and Titans relieve pressure.
52nd minute: Green kicks high, Copley fields.
51st minute: Another kick-off... Afoa... zzzz.
50th minute: TRY! Green runs at the defensive line and finds RTS looming on his shoulder. He's at top speed and slices through the defence, leaving Gordon in his wake.
Harris-Tavita converts from out wide.
49th minute: Roberts searches for empty space with his kick, but RTS fields it and makes a few metres. Titans have kicked away from him tonight.
48th minute: Harris-Tavita barely get his kick away on the last tackle and Titans handle it easily.
47th minute: Another kick-off, another Afoa hit-up.
46th minute: Harris-Tavita reaches halfway, and Tevaga and Harris make a break, before passing to Harris-Tavita. Green's grubber towards the post is grabbed by Gordon, but Hipgrave is penalised.
Harris-Tavita lines up a penalty directly in front and slots it to extend the advantage.
43rd minute: Hiku makes good ground, breaking three tackles, and Don is under Green's high kick again.
42nd minute: Roberts kicks short and it's tidied up by Fusitu'a going backwards.
41st minute: Titans kick off and Afoa has the first hit-up of the second half. They're just short of halfway, when Harris-Tavita kicks deep for Don to field.
*****
Warriors have achieved 90 percent completion in the first half, while the Titans have been woeful, barely cracking 50.
Still not much in this and the Titans could be right back in this with the first score after the break.
FIRST HALF
40th minute: Again, the Warriors make good ground and reach halfway. Green's high kick towards the touchline is shallow, but Kelly can't gather it cleanly and Warriors are in great position again.
From the scrum, the ball comes right and then left. Hiku ignores an overlap and tries to slice through, but he's tackled as the halftime siren sounds.
37th minute: Fusitu'a is on the end of the movement coming right and is over in the corner for his first try of the season. Ref check upstairs.... TRY!
Kata runs through the defensive line, but the bunker rules he didn't impede any tacklers. Fusitu'a forces successfully.
Harris-Tavita is marginally wide with his conversion from the sideline.
36th minute: Warriors make good ground from the kick-off and Green's high kick is knocked forward by Copley. More good position for the Warriors, 12m out.
34th minute: Warriors get to halfway, but Green is cleaned out in a latish tackle on the kick. The ball lands about 18m out, straight in front of the posts and Harris-Tavita lines up the goal - it's good.
32nd minute: Titans look threatening and come left, but the final pass from Gordon to Copley is ruled forward.
31st minute: Kata is penalised and Titans clear deep into the Warriors half.
30th minute: Warriors surge forward, but Green's little kick towards the posts is easily tidied up. Tevaga is now playing dummy half off the bench.
28th minute: Peachey zigs and zags, but drops the ball. Warriors try to break out, but a pass goes astray and the ref, playing advantage, comes back for the knock-on.
26th minute: Warriors steal the ball again and mount a promising attack. The ball comes right, Green kicks for Fusitu'a, who bats it back for Kata and he is tackled on the last.
Warriors are penalised for offside and Titans relieve pressure.
24th minute: Green kicks deep, but straight to Copley, who brings the ball up.
23rd minute: Cartwright's pass goes absolutely nowhere and Kata dives on it to secure possession for the Warriors.
22nd minute: Don is brought down just centimetres from the line by RTS and Kata is forced to kick the ball out on the next play. Titans still have an attacking scrum.
21st minute: Warriors are penalised for offside, so Titans have great attacking position.
20th minute: Lawton dabs for the line and Kata goes close out wide. Harris-Tavita also lunges for the line, but he's tackled on the fifth.
18th minute: Green kicks high and Gordon drops the ball, so the Warriors have possession about 12m out from the line.
17th minute: Titans are in great position in front of the posts, but Wallace fumbles the play-the-ball and turns the ball over to the Warriors.
16th minute: As they try to make ground upfield, Passi's offload is batted back to the Titans on halfway.
15th minute: Titans look threatening on the left, but Roberts doubles around Peachey and bobbles the return pass into touch.
14th minute: At the end of their next set, RTS puts a high kick downfield and Copley is safe under it. Lawton is penalised for offside.
11th minute: TRY! Pete Hiku opens the scoring, taking a long pass from Green and beating three tackles on the way to the line.
Harris-Tavita slots his first first-grade goal to settle any nerves.
10th minute: Roberts is doing most of the kicking for the Titans. He finds touch and from the scrum, Maumalo goes for a run and draws a clearing penalty.
Eighth minute: It's a game of force-back so far, as Roberts puts little kick over the top, but Maumalo gathers it going back.
Harris-Tavita takes a half gap with his first run of the game.
Sixth minute: Taylor kicks, but Kata shows nice slip-fielding reflexes to catch it on the full at point-blank range.
Fourth minute: Taylor puts a kick through, but Hiku dives back to tidy the ball up and make some metres before the tackle.
Kata's pass to Fusitu'a is forward and the Titans have the ball inside the Warriors half with a full set in hand.
Third minute: The Warriors don't make halfway with their set and Green's kick puts the Titans in a great attacking position.
Second minute: After the first set, Roberts grubbers to the goal-line, but RTS gathers and brings it out.
First minute: Straight from the kick-off, the Titans earn a penalty at halfway, after RTS kicks too close to the touchline and Taylor has foot out when he touches the ball.
Pre-match: Gold Coast have their top halves pairing - Ash Taylor and Tyrone Roberts - available for the first time tonight, while Jai Arrow has been a real menace among the forwards, despite the Titans' limp start to the season.
The other major change for the Warriors sees powerhouse Leeson Ah Mau promoted into the starting forward pack.
*****
Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newshub's coverage of the NRL match between the Warriors and the Gold Coast Titans from Mt Smart Stadium.
We're only four weeks into the season and we're already talking about must-win games for the Auckland-based side, after their dismal showing over the past two weeks.
They trampled the Canterbury Bulldogs in their season-opener, but have conceded 80 points in subseqent outings against Wests Tigers and Manly Sea Eagles.
Coach Stephen Kearney has responded by dropping rookie five-eighth Adam Keighran, but he can't be to blame for the lack of tackling. That's something the forwards must improve this week against the only team yet to win a game this season.
Another loss would surely cause some panic at Mt Smart Stadium, so anything but victory is unacceptable.
Issac Luke is the other notable absentee, succumbing to injury, and with back-up Nathaniel Roche also sidelined (again), Karl Lawton gets a start in the nine-jersey.
TAB Odds: Warriors $ 1.69 Titans $ 2.13
Pre-game chat: Chanel Harris-Tavita earns first Warriors start against Gold Coast Titans
Adam Keighran has been axed from the Warriors side which hoists the Gold Coast Titans on Friday night.
The 2019 new recruit started positively against the Bulldogs in the NRL's opening round but struggled to make an impact in heavy losses at the hands of the Wests Tigers and Manly Sea Eagles.
Keighran's No.6 jersey has been handed to Junior Kiwis standout Chanel Harris-Tavita who will make his debut at Mt Smart Stadium.
Issac Luke has succumbed to a hamstring complaint, leaving the Warriors with just one fit hooker in former Titans rake Karl Lawton.
Nathaniel Roache, who made an impressive start to the season in the No.9 jersey against the Bulldogs is still recovering from a leg injury.
Coach Stephen Kearney has also beefed up his extended bench, adding Ligi Sao and Leivaha Pulu for the first time in 2019.
Leeson Ah Mau will start at prop which shifts Bunty Afoa to the bench while the back-row is the same that started against Manly with Isaiah Papali'i joining Tiohu Harris and Adam Blair.
Kearney said changes were necessary after two disappointing results.
"There's no question our performance against the Sea Eagles last week was disappointing," Kearney said.
"As a result, we’ve made a few adjustments to our team for Friday night.
"This is a huge opportunity for Chanel. He's worked hard throughout the pre-season and he now gets his chance at NRL level."
The Titans are winless this season, losing to the Canberra Raiders, Cronulla Sharks and South Sydney Rabbitohs
Warriors: 1-Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (c), 2-David Fusitua, 3-Peta Hiku, 4-Solomone Kata, 5-Ken Maumalo, 6-Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7-Blake Green, 8-Agnatius Paasi, 9-Karl Lawton, 10-Leeson Ah Mau, 11-Isaiah Papali'i, 12-Tohu Harris, 13-Adam Blair
Extended bench: 14-Jazz Tevaga, 15-Bunty Afoa, 16-Lachlan Burr, 17-Ligi Sao, 18-Gerard Beale, 20-Leivaha Pulu, 21-Adam Keighran, 22-Blake Ayshford.
Titans: 1-Michael Gordon, 2-Anthony Don, 3-Tyrone Peachey, 4-Brian Kelly, 5-Dale Copley, 6-Tyrone Roberts, 7-Ashley Taylor, 8-Jarrod Wallace, 9-Mitch Rein, 10-Ryan James, 11-Kevin Proctor, 12-Bryce Cartwright, 13-Jai Arrow
Interchange: 14-Alexander Brimson, 15-Moeaki Fotuaika, 16-Shannon Boyd, 17-Keegan Hipgrave
Newshub.
