In an intense face-off, the Gold Coast Titans faced the Dolphins, ultimately falling 24-20 on Friday night.
Initially, the Titans surged to a surprising 14-0 advantage but couldn't maintain that lead as the Dolphins rallied. Coach Kristian Woolf later acknowledged that his team might have been focusing on the upcoming finals.
Key moments in the match shifted the momentum, particularly when Keano Kini was sin-binned for a professional foul, a decision that drew strong criticism from Titans coach Josh Hannay.
"(It was a) great start," Hannay reflected on the game's beginning.
However, he expressed frustration, stating, "A couple of big calls sort of flipped the game on its head, lost all momentum." He noted that despite fighting hard to regain control, critical decisions impacted the outcome significantly.
Hannay described the Kini sin-binning as "incredibly harsh," especially as it was shortly followed by a contentious try awarded to Herbie Farnworth, which stemmed from a knock-on during a contested ball situation.
The Titans' situation worsened with a late sin bin for Moeaki Fotuaika, whom Hannay asserted retaliated after being struck in the face.
He added, "They throw a leg out to trip in the act of a potential try scoring play. Nothing happens, it's just a penalty."
Hannay concluded that the decision to sin-bin Kini seemed unjust compared to other decisions in the match. "It's probably a more sin-binnable than Keano's act to be brutally honest."