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Live sport on SN this weekendEight-try Warriors crush Titans to stay in top-two race
Darren Walton, AAP •  August 1st, 2026 8:00 pm
The Warriors piled on eight tries in a 42-6 rout of the Gold Coast | Photo: JASON O’BRIEN/AAP
The Warriors are savouring redemption after answering the Sydney Roosters' challenge to stay in the NRL's top-two finals race with a crushing 42-6 victory over the Gold Coast.
After wobbling with a poor loss to Canterbury last week, the Warriors rebounded with a vital eight-try rout of the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday.
They were never going to match the Roosters' record 82-12 mauling of North Queensland on Thursday night, but a 13th win of the season nevertheless kept the Warriors within two competition points of the second-placed Tricolours.
Critically, the New Zealand outfit enjoys a considerable 61-point superior points differential over the Roosters to be well placed to snatch second spot on the table if Trent Robinson's side slip up in the run to the finals.
A top-two finish guarantees a home qualifying final and then a home prelim with victory in the first week of the September play-offs.
"I just liked the way we bounced back from last week. We hold really high standards here at the club and we didn't meet the standards last week," said Warriors lock Erin Clark.
"We've got a little bit to work on defensively today but, overall, really proud about the performance and just a better 80 minutes too.
"We owe it to ourselves and our fans and just to bounce back from last week, so that's amazing."
The Titans had been chasing three straight wins for the first time since 2017 to keep their own very slim mathematical finals hopes flickering.
Prolific winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira bagged another try for the Warriors against his former club | Photo: JASON O’BRIEN/AAP
But the home team were all but done by the break after the Warriors piled on five tries through Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Alofiana Khan-Pereira, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Leka Halasima and Jacob Laban to lead 26-6 at halftime.
The Warriors completed the drubbing with second-half tries to Eddie Ieremia-Toeava and a double to playmaker Te Maire Martin.
In a timely turnaround a month out from the finals, the Warriors racked up 40 points or more for the third time this season.
Next up is a real gauge of their title credentials against ladder-leading Penrith back home in Auckland on Friday night.
First, though, the Warriors will celebrate Saturday's statement win.
"That was awesome," said fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
"We wanted to play a brand of footy that we would be proud of and, man, there was a lot of good patches there where that was us.
"That's been us for the majority of the year this year."
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