Titans thump Eels 42-4 in Mudgee

Parramatta’s rollercoaster NRL season continued on Sunday, with Gold Coast scoring a record-breaking 42-4 win to ruin the Eels’ road trip to Mudgee.

The Eels were looking to exact revenge over the Titans following their controversial round-six clash where they were run down in the final minutes.

Instead, it was the Titans who had the last laugh again, running in seven tries to one as they recorded the biggest win of their seven-year existence.

Almost 10,000 people crammed into Mudgee Stadium, with most hoping for an Eels victory in their home game moved to the central west NSW town.

But it wasn’t to be as the Titans made the most of their size advantage in the centres, with Jamal Idris grabbing a double and Brad Takairangi scoring one and setting up another as the visitors ran rampant.

Five-eighth Aidan Sezer had a field day, kicking seven from seven for a personal point haul of 14.

The Eels’ task was made all the more difficult when they conceded a try shortly before halftime to trail 12-4 despite playing with the breeze at their backs in the opening 40 minutes.

A converted try to winger Titans winger Kevin Gordon three minutes before the main break gave the Eels an eight-point buffer.

Gordon was the beneficiary of a terrific offload from centre Takairangi, who produced a wraparound pass with defenders swarming to allow Gordon a free passage to the corner.

The Titans had opened the scoring when Anthony Don took a Jamal Idris offload and ran 55 metres – beating Eels No.1 Jarryd Hayne by dummying to halfback Albert Kelly before going himself to score.

Monstrous centre Jamal Idris made sure the second half began like the first, scooting from dummy half and palming off Reni Maitua before reaching out for an 18-4 lead.

The Eels resolve looked cracked not long after, when a neat passing play on the left side of the field sent Takairangi over untouched.

Several Eels players protested the validity of the pass, but while they complained Takairangi simply improved his position under the posts.

When the whippet-like Albert Kelly broke through and left Hayne clutching at thin air in the 60th minute, giving the Titans a 30-4 lead, the match was long gone for Ricky Stuart’s men.

Kelly could have had a double, but was denied in the first half when he was deemed to have gained an advantage by deliberately tapping the ball forward over the head of Hayne.

Gordon grabbed his double just four minutes later following a giant bust by William Zillman as Stuart watched on forlornly from the sideline.

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