It's a Wahs world: Back on track with a bang on the Gold Coast

The Warriors dominated the Titans from go to whoa in a 42-6 rout.

Wahsworld is up and running at one of the Gold Coast’s iconic theme parks, and all is well in the Wahs’ world again after a slump-busting 42-6 statement win over the in-form Titans.

The Warriors took the ascendancy at a packed Cbus Super Stadium in the opening stages and never looked back, powering to a 26-6 halftime lead.

And as much as the crispness, intent and direct play returning to their attack was an absolute joy to watch as they ran in a season-high eight tries, the desperation, aggression and commitment in defence was equally pleasing as they held a potent Titans side — who had scored 38 points in each of their past two games — to a season-low-equalling one try and two line-breaks.

A surprise late change to bring Leka Halasima into the centres for a meandering Adam Pompey reaped handsome dividends, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad took his first opportunity to start in more than three months with both hands, and the likes of Chanel Harris-Tavita and Te Maire Martin played themselves back into form on the back of a monstrous forward platform.

With the Warriors enjoying an eye-watering 57 percent possession and completing at a more familiar 81 percent (to the Titans’ dismal 66 percent), they crushed the Titans in the run metres (2,219 to 1,462) and post-contact metres (755 to 502) departments, as well as pouring through for 12 line-breaks and breaking 48 tackles.

The Titans created a plethora of half-chances, but the Warriors’ first-rate scramble repeatedly frustrated the Titans’ livewires and strike weapons.

It was a timely boost to the for-and-against with top-four rivals Sydney Roosters and Cronulla piling on the points of late — and an ideal tune-up for next Friday’s blockbuster against Penrith at Go Media Stadium.

An early try-saving intercept from Dallin Watene-Zelezniak set the tone for the Warriors — and DWZ zipped in for the first try after six minutes after lovely inside work from Martin, Nicoll-Klokstad and Ali Leiataua.

Soon afterwards, Harris-Tavita and Halasima combined brilliantly for Alofiana Khan-Pereira to produce a superb finish in his first visit to the Gold Coast as a Warrior.

A searing break from AKP saw CHT finish off a 70-metre special in the 17th minute.

Aramau Hau’s response for the Titans — albeit off an extremely flat pass — was a bit too easy for comfort, but the Warriors regrouped quickly with Khan-Pereira setting up Halasima for a try off a pinpoint Erin Clark kick.

Lovely sleight of hand from Martin put Jacob Laban over four minutes out from the break.

The procession continued in the second half.

Mitch Barnett delivered his second try assist in as many weeks, this time a delicate short ball for late inclusion Eddie Ieremia-Toeava to steam through.

The Titans then lost AJ Brimson to the sin bin, before TMM cruised in for very soft double inside the last 17 minutes — one try against 12 men, the other against the full complement — to secure the Warriors’ biggest winning margin of 2026.

A gallant try-saver from CNK (who earlier had a nice try pulled back by EIT’s borderline obstruction run) in the dying stages was an apt and most satisfying way to close out a dominant win.

Meanwhile, there was a wonderful dollop of history achieved as midseason recruit Riley Price — offspring of 2005-09 captain Steve — became Warrior #299 in a robust debut cameo, giving the club its first father-son first-grade duo.

Thanks to the performances of Nicoll-Klokstad and Halasima, Andrew Webster has a couple of happy selection headaches in front of him.

More importantly, the wobbling Warriors have delivered arguably their best performance since going down narrowly to the Panthers in Round 13 — just in time to hit the ground running against the premiership favourites in perhaps the biggest regular-season home game at Mount Smart since the 2022 homecoming.