The Gold Coast Titans produced one of the upsets of the NRL season, defeating the Penrith Panthers 19-18 in Round 16 at Cbus Super Stadium, with Zane Harrison's one-point field goal in the 79th minute completing the second-half comeback.
Penrith led 12-6 at half-time and looked well in control. The Titans had scored only once in the opening 40 minutes through Kurtis Morrin in the 20th minute, with the Panthers responding through tries to Liam Martin in the fifth and Luke Garner in the 12th.
The match turned after the break. Arama Hau crossed in the 63rd minute to level the scores at 12-all. Phillip Sami put the Titans in front with a try in the 68th minute, converted by Jayden Campbell to make it 19-12. Penrith hit back through Lindsay Smith in the 73rd to trail by one, but Campbell's conversion attempt from the sideline drifted wide.
With the scores at 19-18, Harrison stepped up for the field goal that settled it. Panthers captain Nathan Cleary's attempt at a last-second equaliser fell short.
It was Penrith's second loss of the season. Their only other defeat came in Round 3, and two weeks earlier the Panthers had demolished the Wests Tigers 68-0.
'We never stopped believing,' Harrison said after the match. 'We knew if we got our opportunities we could do it.'
