Newcastle’s second-half surge sealed a 36-12 win over Gold Coast in Justin Holbrook’s first game against the club that controversially sacked him.
Right winger Dom Young bagged three tries as the sixth-placed Knights showcased their turnaround by easing past the team that pipped them to avoid last year’s wooden spoon.
Since then, Newcastle has won seven of 11 games under Holbrook, who was fired by the Titans while the organisation was still fighting for a finals spot in 2023.
Holbrook had the last laugh at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, with the Knights breaking a 6-6 half-time deadlock and running in six tries to one after the break.
Kalyn Ponga had a mixed day as Queensland coach Billy Slater deliberates on whether to pick the Knights co-captain out of position at halfback for State of Origin I.
He produced four errors, three while the game was in the balance in the first half but threw the last pass for Young to complete his second-half hat-trick.
Young had earlier put in a third kick, following Ponga’s bomb and an effort from Fletcher Sharpe, and chased through the line for his first four-pointer.
His second came on a shift to the right.
Newcastle’s other winger Greg Marzhew triggered the bumper second half by picking off Keano Kini’s pass and running 90 metres to score against his old side.
For a second consecutive week, the Titans stuck with their highly-fancied opposition in the first half before falling away.
Gold Coast had ample opportunities, posting 34 red zone tackles to Newcastle’s eight, but leaked four tries in 11 minutes as the Knights’ attack heated up in the second half.
The 35-year-old Dane Gagai darted out of dummy half for a try that embarrassed the Titans’ defence, with makeshift centre Sharpe completing his try-scoring double during this period as well.
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