Red V reality check as Titans rain on Gutherson’s 250th parade

It was the Spoonbowl that really wasn’t. And despite finally locking in a long-term coach with a batch of promising local juniors to build around, the Dragons have copped the reality check they didn’t really need. The Gold Coast’s 38-18 win on Sunday afternoon all but confirms the inevitable.

St George Illawarra are now eight points adrift of the 16th-placed Wests Tigers with seven games left in their season. Space will have to be made in the trophy cabinet for the first wooden spoon in the joint-venture’s history. The Titans entered the match sitting second last on the NRL ladder.

However, with both teams showing better form than typical cellar dwellers – and the visitors well clear of the bottom – this contest never truly felt like a Spoonbowl. Newly installed full-time coach Dean Young will be all too aware, though, after the Dragons failed to match their improvements of the past six weeks. Their right-edge defence was picked apart far too easily as the Gold Coast scored three first-half tries by targeting Kyle Flanagan and the teammates either side of him.

An early 40-20 from Daniel Atkinson was undone by other long kicks that sailed out on the full and conceded seven-tackle sets. Josh Kerr needlessly landed himself on report within seconds of coming from the bench by belting Titans halfback Zane Harrison late and off the ball. And Clint Gutherson’s 250th NRL outing had him involved in everything – good, bad and otherwise.

It was Gutherson who started a promising, sun-kissed afternoon at Jubilee Oval when he had seemed to be on a fool’s errand, ducking down the short-side from dummy-half and was swarmed by three Titans defenders. His last-gasp offload for an unmarked Tyrell Sloan proved otherwise. From there though, it was pretty much all Gold Coast.

Incoming Dragons recruit Phillip Sami gave Red V fans an unwelcome taste of what they can expect from him next year when he finished off a 40-metre raid. Beau Fermor’s offload laid on both that try and the 13th minute follow-up from Jaylan de Groot, with both long breaks coming after Flanagan was isolated in defence. Gutherson was hammered by Jojo Fifita before Val Holmes spilled his fullback’s inside ball a moment later.

Within one tackle, the Titans had a 16-6 lead when de Groot strolled through a flimsy Dragons defensive line for his second. True to form, Gutherson had a hand in St George Illawarra’s return salvo as he popped Hamish Stewart into the backfield before Flanagan finished the play off. After a late offside penalty saw Jayden Campbell push the Gold Coast’s half-time lead out to 18-12, hooker Oliver Pascoe sped through the Dragons middle to start the second-half scoring.

When Campbell duped Flanagan with a couple of dummies and sped straight past him, the Titans had a fourth win from their past seven starts in the bag. A late Jacob Liddle try was never changing that, especially when Tino Fa’asuamaleaui answered with his first four-pointer of the season. The Dragons have a promising crop of local juniors, as well as Keaon Koloamatangi and Scott Drinkwater leading their recruits next season.

But they also have the wooden spoon and looked every bit a last-placed side on Sunday. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more.

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