Hawkins swoops on ricochet to score
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Roosters' future 'scary' good after Cowboys thrashing
James Tedesco has warned it is 'scary' how good the Sydney Roosters will be in coming years, after their next generation starred in a 42-8 demolition of North Queensland. In one of their most dominant performances of the season, the Roosters ran in five second-half tries against the hapless Cowboys to go seventh on the NRL ladder. It was only three-and-a-half months ago that the Roosters conceded 50 points to Brisbane in round one, then dropped four of their first five games. At that point there were fears for their season, after a summer in which the club lost close to 1000 games of experience at the end of last year. But this is suddenly a very different Roosters outfit. Sunday's win was their biggest of 2025, and the second half was close to their most impressive. The only concerns were injuries to second-rower Siua Wong and five-eighth Sandon Smith, who picked up knee issues. Tedesco is having close to his best season in the No.1 jersey, but the club's unsung heroes are also flying around him. Salesi Foketi performed superbly in filling in for Victor Radley at lock, sending Lindsay Collins over for the first try with a perfect short ball. The No.13 had a role in another during the Roosters' second-half run, with he and Angus Crichton throwing offloads before Smith kicked for Tedesco to score. Bench hooker Benaiah Ioelu starred in his fourth NRL game, kicking twice in the lead-up to tries. One came when a 40-20 attempt bounced back into the hands of Robert Toia before Connor Watson crossed, and another was a cross-field effort for Daniel Tupou. Billy Smith also scored a double in his first full season uninterrupted by injury, while Naufahu Whyte ran 173 metres and is close to the NRL's most improved player. Mark Nawaqanitawase also scored twice and is proving a threat on the right wing, with one try coming after an incredible tap-back from rising halfback Hugo Savala. "The leadership have been really special this year with what these guys have done," coach Trent Robinson said. "But they've also created belief in the younger guys to be themselves and also take advantage of what they see in front of them. "You can beat them down and tell them, 'This is how we used to do it', or you can say, 'Be yourself'. "And that is Teddy's style and you can see that coming out in their game." Tedesco said he had seen the potential in the youngsters during pre-season, even if it took them time to adapt to the week-to-week grind. "It's going to be scary in the next two or three years how good these guys are going to get," Tedesco said. "Because even after 15 games they are shining and playing so well. "These boys are not looking for the fancy moments. They are looking to work hard every week. "And then when they get opportunities to express themselves they do it." Then there is Tedesco's football, whick Billy Slater claimed in Nine's commentary on Sunday was better than he'd ever seen from the Roosters No.1. The fullback scored his try, made a bust before Billy Smith's first, then helped the Tri-colours on the attack for the centre's second. His most crucial play was a late one-on-one strip on John Bateman just before halftime, with the Cowboys on the attack and fighting to make it 18-10. In contrast, the past month has been a nightmare for the Cowboys, after they were beaten 58-4 by the Dolphins last week. Todd Payten's men are now 12th, with just one win since they demolished Gold Coast at Magic Round. "Disappointing, and far from good enough," Payten said. "We got bullied. It was men against boys there for a little bit and that's concerning." James Tedesco has warned it is 'scary' how good the Sydney Roosters will be in coming years, after their next generation starred in a 42-8 demolition of North Queensland. In one of their most dominant performances of the season, the Roosters ran in five second-half tries against the hapless Cowboys to go seventh on the NRL ladder. It was only three-and-a-half months ago that the Roosters conceded 50 points to Brisbane in round one, then dropped four of their first five games. At that point there were fears for their season, after a summer in which the club lost close to 1000 games of experience at the end of last year. But this is suddenly a very different Roosters outfit. Sunday's win was their biggest of 2025, and the second half was close to their most impressive. The only concerns were injuries to second-rower Siua Wong and five-eighth Sandon Smith, who picked up knee issues. Tedesco is having close to his best season in the No.1 jersey, but the club's unsung heroes are also flying around him. Salesi Foketi performed superbly in filling in for Victor Radley at lock, sending Lindsay Collins over for the first try with a perfect short ball. The No.13 had a role in another during the Roosters' second-half run, with he and Angus Crichton throwing offloads before Smith kicked for Tedesco to score. Bench hooker Benaiah Ioelu starred in his fourth NRL game, kicking twice in the lead-up to tries. One came when a 40-20 attempt bounced back into the hands of Robert Toia before Connor Watson crossed, and another was a cross-field effort for Daniel Tupou. Billy Smith also scored a double in his first full season uninterrupted by injury, while Naufahu Whyte ran 173 metres and is close to the NRL's most improved player. Mark Nawaqanitawase also scored twice and is proving a threat on the right wing, with one try coming after an incredible tap-back from rising halfback Hugo Savala. "The leadership have been really special this year with what these guys have done," coach Trent Robinson said. "But they've also created belief in the younger guys to be themselves and also take advantage of what they see in front of them. "You can beat them down and tell them, 'This is how we used to do it', or you can say, 'Be yourself'. "And that is Teddy's style and you can see that coming out in their game." Tedesco said he had seen the potential in the youngsters during pre-season, even if it took them time to adapt to the week-to-week grind. "It's going to be scary in the next two or three years how good these guys are going to get," Tedesco said. "Because even after 15 games they are shining and playing so well. "These boys are not looking for the fancy moments. They are looking to work hard every week. "And then when they get opportunities to express themselves they do it." Then there is Tedesco's football, whick Billy Slater claimed in Nine's commentary on Sunday was better than he'd ever seen from the Roosters No.1. The fullback scored his try, made a bust before Billy Smith's first, then helped the Tri-colours on the attack for the centre's second. His most crucial play was a late one-on-one strip on John Bateman just before halftime, with the Cowboys on the attack and fighting to make it 18-10. In contrast, the past month has been a nightmare for the Cowboys, after they were beaten 58-4 by the Dolphins last week. Todd Payten's men are now 12th, with just one win since they demolished Gold Coast at Magic Round. "Disappointing, and far from good enough," Payten said. "We got bullied. It was men against boys there for a little bit and that's concerning." James Tedesco has warned it is 'scary' how good the Sydney Roosters will be in coming years, after their next generation starred in a 42-8 demolition of North Queensland. In one of their most dominant performances of the season, the Roosters ran in five second-half tries against the hapless Cowboys to go seventh on the NRL ladder. It was only three-and-a-half months ago that the Roosters conceded 50 points to Brisbane in round one, then dropped four of their first five games. At that point there were fears for their season, after a summer in which the club lost close to 1000 games of experience at the end of last year. But this is suddenly a very different Roosters outfit. Sunday's win was their biggest of 2025, and the second half was close to their most impressive. The only concerns were injuries to second-rower Siua Wong and five-eighth Sandon Smith, who picked up knee issues. Tedesco is having close to his best season in the No.1 jersey, but the club's unsung heroes are also flying around him. Salesi Foketi performed superbly in filling in for Victor Radley at lock, sending Lindsay Collins over for the first try with a perfect short ball. The No.13 had a role in another during the Roosters' second-half run, with he and Angus Crichton throwing offloads before Smith kicked for Tedesco to score. Bench hooker Benaiah Ioelu starred in his fourth NRL game, kicking twice in the lead-up to tries. One came when a 40-20 attempt bounced back into the hands of Robert Toia before Connor Watson crossed, and another was a cross-field effort for Daniel Tupou. Billy Smith also scored a double in his first full season uninterrupted by injury, while Naufahu Whyte ran 173 metres and is close to the NRL's most improved player. Mark Nawaqanitawase also scored twice and is proving a threat on the right wing, with one try coming after an incredible tap-back from rising halfback Hugo Savala. "The leadership have been really special this year with what these guys have done," coach Trent Robinson said. "But they've also created belief in the younger guys to be themselves and also take advantage of what they see in front of them. "You can beat them down and tell them, 'This is how we used to do it', or you can say, 'Be yourself'. "And that is Teddy's style and you can see that coming out in their game." Tedesco said he had seen the potential in the youngsters during pre-season, even if it took them time to adapt to the week-to-week grind. "It's going to be scary in the next two or three years how good these guys are going to get," Tedesco said. "Because even after 15 games they are shining and playing so well. "These boys are not looking for the fancy moments. They are looking to work hard every week. "And then when they get opportunities to express themselves they do it." Then there is Tedesco's football, whick Billy Slater claimed in Nine's commentary on Sunday was better than he'd ever seen from the Roosters No.1. The fullback scored his try, made a bust before Billy Smith's first, then helped the Tri-colours on the attack for the centre's second. His most crucial play was a late one-on-one strip on John Bateman just before halftime, with the Cowboys on the attack and fighting to make it 18-10. In contrast, the past month has been a nightmare for the Cowboys, after they were beaten 58-4 by the Dolphins last week. Todd Payten's men are now 12th, with just one win since they demolished Gold Coast at Magic Round. "Disappointing, and far from good enough," Payten said. "We got bullied. It was men against boys there for a little bit and that's concerning."
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Unstoppable Feeney seals 'special' Darwin clean sweep
Broc Feeney's Supercars dominance reached new heights as he sealed a historic Darwin Triple Crown clean sweep and a fifth straight race win at a canter. The championship leader could not have hoped for a better weekend. Feeney pulled off a commanding drive from pole position to the chequered flag in the final race of the round on Sunday, after claiming both poles and races on Saturday. Sunday's 200km sprint was his easiest win of the treble, crossing the finish line a full eight seconds ahead of runner-up Kai Allen to extend his lead on the standings to a yawning 183 points. In doing so, Feeney became the first driver to win all three races to claim the Triple Crown. The prize was previously only awarded to a driver who managed the rare feat of winning all the races in the round, but a format change meant it would have gone to the driver who claimed the most points, even if they didn't manage a clean sweep. "I'm so proud. Obviously Bathurst and the championship are the main ones, but I think just how difficult this one is to win - it was right at the top of my list," Feeney said. With nine wins from 19 races, the 22-year-old is unstoppable at the moment. Even Craig Lowndes' record eight-race winning streak could be under threat if his form holds. Changing his car's set-up closer to the previous year's worked wonders after a slow start to the weekend in Friday practice, Feeney said. "And it's just been a rocket ever since," he said. "Not all the time when you have a super-fast car does everything go to plan, and we've able to do that this weekend. It's super special." His Triple Eight teammate Will Brown had a disappointing weekend, failing to qualify in the top 10 for all three races. Triple Eight co-owner Steve Blackmore said the team would examine what was causing his No.1 Camaro to struggle through qualifying. "But he had a super fast race car. I'd be surprised if there was anyone on the track who actually made more overtakes over the weekend than Will," Blackmore said. Brown recovered from 11th to finish fifth on Sunday. The reigning champion remains second in the standings, 14 points ahead of Grove Racing's Matt Payne, who finished third. After holding off Erebus driver Jack Le Brocq at the starting line, Feeney went about opening up a gap on the rest of the grid. He emerged behind Payne after pitting last on lap 30, but with fresher tyres immediately sped past the Grove Racing man back to the effective lead. Payne and his teenage teammate Allen battled it out for second spot, with the rookie making the most of his fresher tyres to overtake Payne in the closing laps. Allen enjoyed the best weekend of his young Supercars career, securing his second podium to improve on a maiden third-place finish on Saturday. Le Brocq's fourth-place finish was his equal best of the season. Erebus has struggled since the departure of Brodie Kostecki to Dick Johnson Racing, but jumped off the bottom of the team standings with the result. Despite qualifying ninth, championship contender Chaz Mostert was forced to start from pit lane in 24th position after stalling on the starting grid with clutch issues. He eventually recovered to finish 12th. Another big name to suffer calamity on Sunday was Cam Waters, who lost a tyre with three laps to go and limped home on three legs in last place. Jaxon Evans was ruled out of Sunday's action after his Brad Jones Racing Camaro suffered heavy damage in a crash on the first lap of Saturday's opening race. RACE 19 RESULTS: 1. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight Race Engineering) 2. Kai Allen (Grove Racing) 3. Matt Payne (Grove Racing) 4. Jack Le Brocq (Erebus Motorsport) 5. Will Brown (Triple Eight) CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight) 2. Will Brown (Triple Eight) 3. Matt Payne (Grove) 4. Cam Waters (Tickford) 5. Chaz Mostert (WAU) Broc Feeney's Supercars dominance reached new heights as he sealed a historic Darwin Triple Crown clean sweep and a fifth straight race win at a canter. The championship leader could not have hoped for a better weekend. Feeney pulled off a commanding drive from pole position to the chequered flag in the final race of the round on Sunday, after claiming both poles and races on Saturday. Sunday's 200km sprint was his easiest win of the treble, crossing the finish line a full eight seconds ahead of runner-up Kai Allen to extend his lead on the standings to a yawning 183 points. In doing so, Feeney became the first driver to win all three races to claim the Triple Crown. The prize was previously only awarded to a driver who managed the rare feat of winning all the races in the round, but a format change meant it would have gone to the driver who claimed the most points, even if they didn't manage a clean sweep. "I'm so proud. Obviously Bathurst and the championship are the main ones, but I think just how difficult this one is to win - it was right at the top of my list," Feeney said. With nine wins from 19 races, the 22-year-old is unstoppable at the moment. Even Craig Lowndes' record eight-race winning streak could be under threat if his form holds. Changing his car's set-up closer to the previous year's worked wonders after a slow start to the weekend in Friday practice, Feeney said. "And it's just been a rocket ever since," he said. "Not all the time when you have a super-fast car does everything go to plan, and we've able to do that this weekend. It's super special." His Triple Eight teammate Will Brown had a disappointing weekend, failing to qualify in the top 10 for all three races. Triple Eight co-owner Steve Blackmore said the team would examine what was causing his No.1 Camaro to struggle through qualifying. "But he had a super fast race car. I'd be surprised if there was anyone on the track who actually made more overtakes over the weekend than Will," Blackmore said. Brown recovered from 11th to finish fifth on Sunday. The reigning champion remains second in the standings, 14 points ahead of Grove Racing's Matt Payne, who finished third. After holding off Erebus driver Jack Le Brocq at the starting line, Feeney went about opening up a gap on the rest of the grid. He emerged behind Payne after pitting last on lap 30, but with fresher tyres immediately sped past the Grove Racing man back to the effective lead. Payne and his teenage teammate Allen battled it out for second spot, with the rookie making the most of his fresher tyres to overtake Payne in the closing laps. Allen enjoyed the best weekend of his young Supercars career, securing his second podium to improve on a maiden third-place finish on Saturday. Le Brocq's fourth-place finish was his equal best of the season. Erebus has struggled since the departure of Brodie Kostecki to Dick Johnson Racing, but jumped off the bottom of the team standings with the result. Despite qualifying ninth, championship contender Chaz Mostert was forced to start from pit lane in 24th position after stalling on the starting grid with clutch issues. He eventually recovered to finish 12th. Another big name to suffer calamity on Sunday was Cam Waters, who lost a tyre with three laps to go and limped home on three legs in last place. Jaxon Evans was ruled out of Sunday's action after his Brad Jones Racing Camaro suffered heavy damage in a crash on the first lap of Saturday's opening race. RACE 19 RESULTS: 1. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight Race Engineering) 2. Kai Allen (Grove Racing) 3. Matt Payne (Grove Racing) 4. Jack Le Brocq (Erebus Motorsport) 5. Will Brown (Triple Eight) CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight) 2. Will Brown (Triple Eight) 3. Matt Payne (Grove) 4. Cam Waters (Tickford) 5. Chaz Mostert (WAU) Broc Feeney's Supercars dominance reached new heights as he sealed a historic Darwin Triple Crown clean sweep and a fifth straight race win at a canter. The championship leader could not have hoped for a better weekend. Feeney pulled off a commanding drive from pole position to the chequered flag in the final race of the round on Sunday, after claiming both poles and races on Saturday. Sunday's 200km sprint was his easiest win of the treble, crossing the finish line a full eight seconds ahead of runner-up Kai Allen to extend his lead on the standings to a yawning 183 points. In doing so, Feeney became the first driver to win all three races to claim the Triple Crown. The prize was previously only awarded to a driver who managed the rare feat of winning all the races in the round, but a format change meant it would have gone to the driver who claimed the most points, even if they didn't manage a clean sweep. "I'm so proud. Obviously Bathurst and the championship are the main ones, but I think just how difficult this one is to win - it was right at the top of my list," Feeney said. With nine wins from 19 races, the 22-year-old is unstoppable at the moment. Even Craig Lowndes' record eight-race winning streak could be under threat if his form holds. Changing his car's set-up closer to the previous year's worked wonders after a slow start to the weekend in Friday practice, Feeney said. "And it's just been a rocket ever since," he said. "Not all the time when you have a super-fast car does everything go to plan, and we've able to do that this weekend. It's super special." His Triple Eight teammate Will Brown had a disappointing weekend, failing to qualify in the top 10 for all three races. Triple Eight co-owner Steve Blackmore said the team would examine what was causing his No.1 Camaro to struggle through qualifying. "But he had a super fast race car. I'd be surprised if there was anyone on the track who actually made more overtakes over the weekend than Will," Blackmore said. Brown recovered from 11th to finish fifth on Sunday. The reigning champion remains second in the standings, 14 points ahead of Grove Racing's Matt Payne, who finished third. After holding off Erebus driver Jack Le Brocq at the starting line, Feeney went about opening up a gap on the rest of the grid. He emerged behind Payne after pitting last on lap 30, but with fresher tyres immediately sped past the Grove Racing man back to the effective lead. Payne and his teenage teammate Allen battled it out for second spot, with the rookie making the most of his fresher tyres to overtake Payne in the closing laps. Allen enjoyed the best weekend of his young Supercars career, securing his second podium to improve on a maiden third-place finish on Saturday. Le Brocq's fourth-place finish was his equal best of the season. Erebus has struggled since the departure of Brodie Kostecki to Dick Johnson Racing, but jumped off the bottom of the team standings with the result. Despite qualifying ninth, championship contender Chaz Mostert was forced to start from pit lane in 24th position after stalling on the starting grid with clutch issues. He eventually recovered to finish 12th. Another big name to suffer calamity on Sunday was Cam Waters, who lost a tyre with three laps to go and limped home on three legs in last place. Jaxon Evans was ruled out of Sunday's action after his Brad Jones Racing Camaro suffered heavy damage in a crash on the first lap of Saturday's opening race. RACE 19 RESULTS: 1. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight Race Engineering) 2. Kai Allen (Grove Racing) 3. Matt Payne (Grove Racing) 4. Jack Le Brocq (Erebus Motorsport) 5. Will Brown (Triple Eight) CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight) 2. Will Brown (Triple Eight) 3. Matt Payne (Grove) 4. Cam Waters (Tickford) 5. Chaz Mostert (WAU)
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Parramatta come out on top in clash of NRL battlers
Isaiah Iongi has helped Parramatta overcome the absence of their two biggest stars and post a 36-20 defeat of Gold Coast in the clash of the NRL's battlers. First-choice halves Mitch Moses (calf strain) and Dylan Brown (suspension) watched from afar as breakout fullback Iongi laid on three tries and proved the difference before 8074 fans - the Eels' smallest home crowd since pandemic restrictions. Sunday night's win will encourage the rebuilding Eels as they face at least three more weeks without Moses, having floundered in his absence to begin the season. Eels coach Jason Ryles had been unaware his side would have slipped from second-last onto the bottom with a loss. "I don't check the ladder and I don't check social media. Genuinely all we're worried about is how we're going to get better every single day," he said. "(But) it's good. Last sucks. "Right from the start of the game we were threatening with our attack. "Then we got some periods of time there where we self-inflicted and had to defend and we did it for the most part." The Eels have jumped South Sydney into 15th spot on the ladder and left the Titans two points adrift in last. Making matters worse for the Gold Coast, they will be without halfback Jayden Campbell when they fight to turn things around against an equally desperate North Queensland next week. Campbell collected Sam Verrills' knee as the pair attempted to tackle Dylan Walker in the first half and was deemed to show category-one head-knock symptoms. "He's OK," said Titans coach Des Hasler. "We've got young Tommy Weaver there. Tommy will come in and fill that role, at first thought anyway, if JC (Campbell), which is more than likely, is not to play (against the Cowboys)." Campbell's absence left goal-kicking duties to second-rower Beau Fermor, who had never kicked a goal at first-grade level before Sunday night. He managed only one from three attempts, the inaccuracy hindering the Titans as they attempted to fight back from 18-6. Iongi put Sean Russell in for his side's first try with a mammoth cut-out pass down the left side, and had a hand in another when AJ Brimson fumbled his bomb into the arms of Charlie Guymer. The fullback put Dean Hawkins over in the second half, his grubber kick bouncing from the goalposts and straight to the replacement halfback. "(Iongi) is a quiet, laid-back kid, works really, really hard, diligent in the detail of his game. He's a fast learner," Ryles said. "He's improving every week." It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Iongi. He threw an intercept to Alofiana Khan-Pereira, who belted 90 metres to bring the Titans within two points at the break. Khan-Pereira's second try again made it a one-score game in the second half, before Will Penisini crossed twice in four minutes down the right side to seal the Eels' fifth win of the Ryles era. "I expected a better performance than what we showed tonight," Hasler said. "We were really conscious, particularly last week, of limiting that negative play and on the back of some of that negative play, it's just the pressure that builds." Penisini went to the sin bin in the final two minutes for a dangerous throw on Fermor and could face scrutiny from the match review committee. Isaiah Iongi has helped Parramatta overcome the absence of their two biggest stars and post a 36-20 defeat of Gold Coast in the clash of the NRL's battlers. First-choice halves Mitch Moses (calf strain) and Dylan Brown (suspension) watched from afar as breakout fullback Iongi laid on three tries and proved the difference before 8074 fans - the Eels' smallest home crowd since pandemic restrictions. Sunday night's win will encourage the rebuilding Eels as they face at least three more weeks without Moses, having floundered in his absence to begin the season. Eels coach Jason Ryles had been unaware his side would have slipped from second-last onto the bottom with a loss. "I don't check the ladder and I don't check social media. Genuinely all we're worried about is how we're going to get better every single day," he said. "(But) it's good. Last sucks. "Right from the start of the game we were threatening with our attack. "Then we got some periods of time there where we self-inflicted and had to defend and we did it for the most part." The Eels have jumped South Sydney into 15th spot on the ladder and left the Titans two points adrift in last. Making matters worse for the Gold Coast, they will be without halfback Jayden Campbell when they fight to turn things around against an equally desperate North Queensland next week. Campbell collected Sam Verrills' knee as the pair attempted to tackle Dylan Walker in the first half and was deemed to show category-one head-knock symptoms. "He's OK," said Titans coach Des Hasler. "We've got young Tommy Weaver there. Tommy will come in and fill that role, at first thought anyway, if JC (Campbell), which is more than likely, is not to play (against the Cowboys)." Campbell's absence left goal-kicking duties to second-rower Beau Fermor, who had never kicked a goal at first-grade level before Sunday night. He managed only one from three attempts, the inaccuracy hindering the Titans as they attempted to fight back from 18-6. Iongi put Sean Russell in for his side's first try with a mammoth cut-out pass down the left side, and had a hand in another when AJ Brimson fumbled his bomb into the arms of Charlie Guymer. The fullback put Dean Hawkins over in the second half, his grubber kick bouncing from the goalposts and straight to the replacement halfback. "(Iongi) is a quiet, laid-back kid, works really, really hard, diligent in the detail of his game. He's a fast learner," Ryles said. "He's improving every week." It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Iongi. He threw an intercept to Alofiana Khan-Pereira, who belted 90 metres to bring the Titans within two points at the break. Khan-Pereira's second try again made it a one-score game in the second half, before Will Penisini crossed twice in four minutes down the right side to seal the Eels' fifth win of the Ryles era. "I expected a better performance than what we showed tonight," Hasler said. "We were really conscious, particularly last week, of limiting that negative play and on the back of some of that negative play, it's just the pressure that builds." Penisini went to the sin bin in the final two minutes for a dangerous throw on Fermor and could face scrutiny from the match review committee. Isaiah Iongi has helped Parramatta overcome the absence of their two biggest stars and post a 36-20 defeat of Gold Coast in the clash of the NRL's battlers. First-choice halves Mitch Moses (calf strain) and Dylan Brown (suspension) watched from afar as breakout fullback Iongi laid on three tries and proved the difference before 8074 fans - the Eels' smallest home crowd since pandemic restrictions. Sunday night's win will encourage the rebuilding Eels as they face at least three more weeks without Moses, having floundered in his absence to begin the season. Eels coach Jason Ryles had been unaware his side would have slipped from second-last onto the bottom with a loss. "I don't check the ladder and I don't check social media. Genuinely all we're worried about is how we're going to get better every single day," he said. "(But) it's good. Last sucks. "Right from the start of the game we were threatening with our attack. "Then we got some periods of time there where we self-inflicted and had to defend and we did it for the most part." The Eels have jumped South Sydney into 15th spot on the ladder and left the Titans two points adrift in last. Making matters worse for the Gold Coast, they will be without halfback Jayden Campbell when they fight to turn things around against an equally desperate North Queensland next week. Campbell collected Sam Verrills' knee as the pair attempted to tackle Dylan Walker in the first half and was deemed to show category-one head-knock symptoms. "He's OK," said Titans coach Des Hasler. "We've got young Tommy Weaver there. Tommy will come in and fill that role, at first thought anyway, if JC (Campbell), which is more than likely, is not to play (against the Cowboys)." Campbell's absence left goal-kicking duties to second-rower Beau Fermor, who had never kicked a goal at first-grade level before Sunday night. He managed only one from three attempts, the inaccuracy hindering the Titans as they attempted to fight back from 18-6. Iongi put Sean Russell in for his side's first try with a mammoth cut-out pass down the left side, and had a hand in another when AJ Brimson fumbled his bomb into the arms of Charlie Guymer. The fullback put Dean Hawkins over in the second half, his grubber kick bouncing from the goalposts and straight to the replacement halfback. "(Iongi) is a quiet, laid-back kid, works really, really hard, diligent in the detail of his game. He's a fast learner," Ryles said. "He's improving every week." It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Iongi. He threw an intercept to Alofiana Khan-Pereira, who belted 90 metres to bring the Titans within two points at the break. Khan-Pereira's second try again made it a one-score game in the second half, before Will Penisini crossed twice in four minutes down the right side to seal the Eels' fifth win of the Ryles era. "I expected a better performance than what we showed tonight," Hasler said. "We were really conscious, particularly last week, of limiting that negative play and on the back of some of that negative play, it's just the pressure that builds." Penisini went to the sin bin in the final two minutes for a dangerous throw on Fermor and could face scrutiny from the match review committee.
