On Friday night the Chooks travelled to Suncorp Stadium to take on the favoured Titans, and despite a gritty start to the first preliminary final Sydney eventually opened the score up and flew away with a comprehensive 32 – 6 win in front of a monster 44,780 plus crowd.

The Gold Coast are now out of the competition with no more chances left to make their first Grand Final appearance.

The Roosters began their five-tries-to-one victory just 11 minutes in when winger Sam Perrett opened the scoring with a thrilling four-pointer converted by Dally M medallist Todd Carney so the visitors had an early six point advantage.

Sam Perrett paid out on the 1^st Tryscorer markets & the best odds were at SportsBet

It didn’t take long for the Titans to answer back with young William Zillman opening the home side’s account in the 19^th minute after leaping onto a deft kick from skipper Scott Prince.

Zillman’s try was then converted by Prince to tie the score six all and the frantic fans in the crowd were expecting the game to continue in a similar try-for-try fashion.

Things were still close at the break as just one more first half try was scored when Perrett made it a match double in the 24^th minute and Carney’s conversion pushed the Chooks into the lead 12 – 6.

But back for the second half Sydney quickly gained unstoppable momentum and outplayed the Titans.

Fans that got onto the Roosters juicy early odds at SportsBet were well rewarded as they were the favourites by halftime

The Roosters ran in three more unanswered tries while also managing to stop the Gold Coast from posting any more points.

There was one moment that marred the Chook’s success when Carney was put on report for a careless high shot on Scott Prince.

But with a perfect previous record, Carney was later cleared to play in the Grand Final.

First ex-Titan Daniel Conn crossed in the 49^th minute, followed by a 63^rd minute four-pointer for skipper of the year Braith Anasta and with Carney booting two from two the Roosters had a comfortable 24 – 6 lead.

With a little over 15 minutes left on the clock the Gold Coast were still in with a chance, but couldn’t break through the Chooks line and time quickly ran out for them.

With two minutes left on the clock celebrations had already begun for Sydney, then a 78^th minute penalty was awarded to Sydney that Carney kicked for an extra two points.

In the final seconds of the match the players started to shake hands with the result obvious, when Frank Paul Nuuausala snuck in a final try in the 80^th minute to ice the cake for the Chooks.

The Roosters now face their toughest test of the season when they take on the Dragons at ANZ Stadium in this Sunday’s Grand Final. If you fancy the Chooks to cause another upset and go all the way then now is the time to jump on their odds at SportsBet!

There is just 80 minutes between the Gold Coast and their first Grand Final appearance making this an historical game for the club, its players and fans from the glitter strip.

The Titans enjoyed a nice break last week after thrashing the Warriors in the first round of the finals.

After time to heal, regroup and recover the Gold Coast will be out in force Friday night and Sydney should be nervous.

The Roosters have been in flying form scraping through their qualifier in a 100-minute thriller over the Tigers and then rose to season-best form, coasting to a 34 – 12 victory over an injury riddled Penrith knocking the Panthers out of the competition.

Footy Tip of the Match – Titans to win by 1 – 6 points at $6 through SportsBet

But away from home on a short six day turnaround Sydney will start the underdogs, Sportsbet currently paying $1.75 for the Titans while the Roosters are out to $2.12.

The last time these two met the Gold Coast got the better of the Chooks at the SFS, but the Roosters have also beaten the Titans this season back in May in a big 30 – 16 win at Skilled Park.

Surprisingly, looking back over the season the Chooks are yet to lose an interstate match, will this be their first?

The Roosters attack will really be tested here as even though the Titans have plenty of points in them, they will also present a well-planned and hard-to-break-through line of defence, meaning that Anasta and co. must work the left edge of the field like never before.

Preston Campbell is also back for the Titans giving them an extra edge along with having arguably the best halfback in the competition with Scotty Prince.

Despite the talent and determination of the Roosters, they need to find some energy in the reserve tank to have any chance of causing an upset.

Chooks are also without Phil Graham after the winger tore his pectoral muscle.

Watch for the fight of the five-eighths with veteran Matty Rogers coming up against Dally M medallist Todd Carney, while the battle of the Minichiello brothers will also be worth tuning in for!

For both sides this has been a brilliant season, but we are tipping a narrow win by the Titans.

Current Head-to-Head Odds:

Titans $1.75 – Roosters $2.12 SportsBet

NRLleague Footy Tip of the Match:

These two teams are known for their close finishes, with the Roosters’ 30 – 16 win back in Round 12 the only time the winning margin has been over seven points. That’s why we are putting our money on the Titans to win by 1 – 6 points at $6 through Sportsbet.

Finals Week 3 Titans Team:

1. Preston Campbell 2. Kevin Gordon 3. Steve Michaels 4. Clinton Toopi 5. William Zillman 6. Mat Rogers 7. Scott Prince 8. Luke Bailey 9. Nathan Friend 10. Anthony Laffranchi 11. Greg Bird 12. Mark Minichiello 13. Ashley Harrison

Bench: 14. Michael Henderson 15. Brad Meyers 16. Matthew White 17. Bodene Thompson

Reserves: 18. Luke O’Dwyer 19. Jordan Atkins

Finals Week 3 Roosters Team:

1. Anthony Minichiello 2. Joseph Leilua 3. Kane Linnett 4. Shaun Kenny-Dowall 5. Sam Perrett 6. Todd Carney 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. Jason Ryles 9. Jake Friend 10. Frank-Paul Nuuausala 11. Nate Myles 12. Mitchell Aubusson 13. Braith Anasta

Bench: 14. Martin Kennedy 15. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 16. Daniel Conn 17. Ben Jones

Reserve: 18. Lopini Paea

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The Gold Coast crew started as the favourites for Friday night’s clash and despite their star fullback Preston Campbell ruled out of the match and a host of their other top players hosting injuries, they put pain aside and held strong for the home crowd!

The Titans are now the $4.50 second favourites to win the NRL Premiership through SportsBet

New Zealand got off to a good start when Aaron Heremaia scored seven minutes in with James Maloney posting the extra two points with the conversion.

Ten minutes later the Titans answered back when stand-in fullback William Zillman opened their account with his first of an eventual two tries for the night, pouncing on a Scott Prince grubber to score.

Scott Prince tied the score six all with his successful kick and supporters of both sides making up the 27,020 strong crowd were now fired up!

In a devastating finish to the first half for the visitors, the dominant Titans ran in three more unanswered tries in a stunning 10 minute stretch to take an emphatic 22 – 6 lead to the sheds.

First Clinton Toopi scored the home side’s second in the 27^th minute, followed by Zillman completing his double six minutes later and then veteran Mat Rogers crossed again in the 36^th minute giving him another great memory to retire with at the end of the season, and Prince kicking two from three.

Back from the halftime break, the Titans were first to post more points just five minutes in when they were awarded a penalty and Prince booted it through the sticks to extend their lead to 24 – 6.

Three minutes later the Warriors managed to narrow the margin by six when Joel Moon scored a converted try and New Zealand fans had their fingers crossed for a miracle comeback when the ever popular Manu Vatuvei got over in the 59^th minute.

After Maloney missed the third kick the Warriors trailed 24 – 16 and with 20 minutes still left on the clock the black and white army were back in the game.

Unable to score again, however, New Zealand were forced to say goodbye to their season thanks to Zillman diving on a spilt Warriors ball in the 64^th minute to save the game getting any closer.

Just 60 seconds later the result put beyond doubt when winger Kevin Gordon scored the Titans fifth try of the night in the 65^th minute so the Gold Coast finished 28 – 16 in front.

The Titans will play the winner of this weekend’s second semi between the Roosters and the Panthers and to get behind your favourites to make it through the thriller visit SportsBet today!

New Zealand have been the real eye-catching team leading up to the finals this year, storming into premiership contention by making a mess of their rivals while winning four of their last five games.

Last week they enjoyed a confidence boost to take into the qualifiers when they smashed the Eels 26 – 12 and despite playing away from home here are still a top chance having proved they can travel and win this season.

The Gold Coast have also been super impressive this year answering many of their critics winning six of the last seven games for the season including their gritty 21 – 18 win over the Tigers last week.

Back in Round 21 the Titans held on to beat the Warriors by eight, which was their second win against the Kiwis this year after also getting the better of them in the opening round, but can they make it three from three against their across-the-Tasman rivals here?

This isn’t exactly a sudden-death showdown and both of these brilliant teams can progress onto next week’s semis even with a loss, but there are no guarantees so expect a huge match from both.

Currently the Gold Coast are the favourites at SportsBet paying $1.57 for a win while the Warriors have been abandoned by the punters drifting out to $2.40.

The odds are backed up by the history and stats as the Titans have never been beaten by the Warriors at Skilled Park.

If they remain calm under pressure as they did last week and ensuring Prince’s shoulder doesn’t cause any trouble and Preston Campbell returns as fullback, then with the home crowd behind them the Titans can win this.

But they will have to deliver 100% commitment in defence to hold off the try scoring weapons in the Warriors including Vatuvei who will be looking for a try to claim the club’s try scoring record of 78.

Footy Tip of the Match: A field goal will be kicked – check odds at SportsBet

Current Head-to-Head Odds:

Titans $1.57 – Warriors $2.40 SportsBet

NRLleague Footy Tip of the Match:

Mat Rogers, who had never kicked one before, has pulled out two field goals this year and with this one set to go down to the wire we are tipping that there will be a field goal during the match. Check out the odds for this and the other exotic bet types at SportsBet.

Finals Week 1 Titans Team:

1. Preston Campbell 2. Kevin Gordon 3. Steve Michaels 4. Clinton Toopi 5. Jordan Atkins 6. Matt Rogers 7. Scott Prince 8. Luke Bailey 9. Nathan Friend 10. Greg Bird 11. Anthony Laffranchi 12. Mark Minichiello 13. Ashley Harrison

Bench: 14. Michael Henderson 15. Brad Meyers 16. Matt White 17. Bodene Thompson

Reserve: 18. William Zillman

Finals Week 1 Warriors Team:

1. Lance Hohaia 2. Kevin Locke 3. Brent Tate 4. Jerome Ropati 5. Manu Vatuvei 6. James Maloney 7. Brett Seymour 8. Sam Rapira 9. Aaron Heremaia 10. Russell Packer 11. Simon Mannering 12. Lewis Brown 13. Jacob Lillyman

Bench: 14. Alehana Mara 15. Ben Matulino 16. Ukuma Ta’ai 17. Jesse Royal

Reserve: 18. Joel Moon

Carney, who has made a sensational return to Rugby League this year after being sacked by the Canberra Raiders in 2008, won the Dally M by just one vote ahead of Wests Tigers captain Robbie Farah.

In a thrilling season that went down to the wire, the final votes for the Dally M were Carney with 27 and Farah with 26, far different from the count back in Round 16 that had Carney on 11 trailing Dragons fullback Darius Boyd (16).

SportsBet punters that bet on the Top Try-Scorer and Dally M Winner for 2010 were also rewarded last night

Boyd still picked up an award last night, winning Fullback of the Year while Robbie Farah was honoured with the award for Hooker of the Year.

The 31^st Dally M winner was presented his award aptly by another former Roosters five-eight Robert ‘Rocky’ Laurie, who won the inaugural Dally M Medal back in 1980 when playing for South Sydney.

It was an emotional night for Carney who had spent the 2009 season working his way back into the league up in North Queensland and the star was especially grateful to Roosters coach Brian Smith who gave Carney his second shot in the NRL.

“I owe a lot of this medal to him (Smith),” said a beaming Carney.

Smith was further congratulated by Carney and the rest of the Roosters after winning Coach of the Year while Sydney skipper Braith Anasta received the prize of Captain of the Year capping off a top night for the Tricolours.

The Chooks also owe much of their success to Carney this season, who has helped bring them back from a Wooden Spoon finish last year to rise to sixth on the NRL ladder this year and earn a spot in the finals.

Carney cleaned up at the awards not only taking out the competition’s highest individual honour but also winning Five-eight of the Year and was voted as the Provan-Summons People’s Choice player of the season with over 15,000 fans voting him the most popular player of 2010.

Other 2010 Dally M Award winners from last night included Scott Prince from the Gold Coast Titans as Halfback of the Year and Knights Akuila Uate as Winger of the Year and also Top Try-Scorer.

Punters also enjoyed the night as the bets placed on exotic markets such as Top Try-Scorer and Top Point-Scorer were paid out, and SportsBet punters were the big winners as they received the highest returns from their wagers.

Carney and the Roosters will play the Wests Tigers on Saturday night in a supercharged SFS semi so make sure you get behind your favourites and have a punt on the game!

But don’t waste your wagers away at the TAB, lock in better odds by signing up with leading online bookie SportsBet today.

2010 Dally M Award Winners

The victory ensured the Titans of a home game semi, where they will play the flying Warriors, as they secured fourth spot on the NRL ladder.

In our Match Preview we tipped the Titans to win by 1 – 6 points and enjoyed a nice win as did any punters that took our footy tip!

Despite losing, the small margin was enough to keep the Tigers in the top three this season and the Wests will also host a qualifying final at home where they will play Roosters.

The close result from Friday has seen the Titans and the Tigers both installed as equal third-favourites to go all the way and win the Premiership at $7 through SportsBet.

The scoring got underway early in the match when the Titans Ashley Harrison got over in the seventh minute and Scott Prince kicked the goal to give the home side an early six point lead.

Just a few minutes later they extended their lead to the joy of the big home crowd with William Zillman scoring their second of the night and another excellent kick from Prince had them 12 points up after just 12 minutes.

Then disaster struck and Prince came off with what he thought could have been a broken collarbone after a big hit from Tigers prop Keith Galloway, the Titans quickly losing confidence without their skipper by their side.

Experience had Mat Rogers, retiring at the end of the year, understand how close this one was going to be as even though the Gold Coast were in front, the Tigers are known for their impressive second half comebacks and so the veteran kicked a field goal in the 29^th minute to put another one point buffer on the Titans lead and they went to the break 13 – nil ahead.

Wests might not have been able to score in the first half, but they had also held their own and stopped their rivals from scoring again after their opening blitz and so were still right in the game in terms of confidence at half time.

Then back from the break it took just five minutes for the Tigers to strike when Chris Heighington barged over to score their first of the night, and a successful kick by Benji Marshall narrowed the margin to seven.

Before the crowd could blink Wests were at it again, winger Lote Tuqiri getting over in the corner in the 47^th minute and Marshall made it two from two so it was a one point game.

A little over 10 minutes later the Titans fought back and young Kevin Gordon scored their third converted try of the night to give them a seven point lead again, the team getting some confidence after their captain was cleared and returned to the field to set up Gordon’s try with a swift cut-out pass.

But not ready to give up just yet, the visitors matched what the Titans were putting down and Gareth Ellis scored five minutes later after the Gold Coast’s Nathan Friend dropped a grubber, the kick bringing the margin back to just one measly point.

Two minutes from time the Titans received a penalty and Prince booted it through so they came away with the three point win in the end.

In our Match Preview we tipped the Titans to win by 1 – 6 points and enjoyed a nice win too as did any punters that took our footy tip!

Get the hottest odds for week one of the NRL finals by avoiding the TAB and getting in on the lucrative online markets open at SportsBet. There has never been a more important time to back your team so show your support and have a punt at SportsBet this weekend!

After punters and the bookies had backed the Titans into the very short favourites, only the most devout Sharks fans that bet on them at juicy odds through SportsBet enjoyed the payout of the week!

Devout Sharks fans that jumped on their juicy odds through SportsBet were rewarded with a massive return!

Starting the round as the second team on the ladder following five straight wins, the Gold Coast have now dropped down into fourth spot and with a tough game against the Tigers in the final round, could miss out on the chance to host a home game final.

The result was a small victory for Cronulla, who at least now will finish the season ahead of the Cowboys and the out-of-contention Storm.

The Sharks were first to open their account on Saturday night when the retiring Luke Covell got over in just the seventh minute after he intercepted the ball and sprinted 45 metres, converting his own try to put the home side in front 6 – nil.

Covell would go on to convert every one of Cronulla’s five tries on the night, giving him a personal haul of 14 points for the night in the final home game of his career.

Ten minutes after putting their first points on the board, the Sharks were over again when Nathan Gardner scored their second converted try, extended their lead to 12.

The Titans fought back in the 29^th minute when Bodene Thompson got over, the kick converted by Scott Prince to narrow the margin to six.

But before the first half was over the Sharks Paul Gallen got in their third unanswered try, after setting Gardner up for his earlier try, giving them a tidy 18 – 6 lead to take to the break.

Back in the second half, the Thompson made it a match double with his second try of the night for the Titans in the 49^th minute. Prince missed the kick, however, so they still trailed by two converted tries.

Cronulla put the result beyond doubt over the next 20 minutes scoring twice more, one each to Tim Smith, the halfback putting in a little kick for himself in the 57^th minute, and Luke Douglas to give them a total of 30 points.

The Gold Coast scored one last try in the final minute through Jordan Atkins, but even with the kick successful it was too little too late and they went down in an embarrassing defeat.

In another blow for the Titans, veteran Mat Rogers left Saturday’s match early with a hip injury and is in doubt of playing next week.

Don’t bet on any of the final NRL round games at the TAB. SportsBet guarantee to have better odds than the TAB meaning smart punters that sign up with this trusted online bookie will win more money every time!

The Titans were at great early odds through SportsBet to ‘Make the Top 4’ and look good to come through for fans that bet on them to do so

After flirting with the top four all season, the Gold Coast have now cemented their spot after winning four big games on the trot defeating the likes of the Dragons, Warriors and the Eels.

North Queensland, on the other hand, now look like finishing the season last of the premiership contenders after the Sharks, the other poor performer of the year, beat the Roosters in shock upset on Friday night.

The Titans totally dominated all night in their six-tries-to-three victory on Saturday night.

In the first half the Cowboys were kept scoreless while the home side ran in three unanswered tries.

Skipper Scott Prince opened their account in the 21^st minute, followed 10 minutes later by Nathan Friend and then ex-Bronco Steve Michaels scored their third three minutes from the break.

Michaels, rejected by Brisbane earlier this season, was picked up by the Titans mid-season and his classy performance on Saturday proved him to be the buy of the year for the glitter strip side.

Prince, who had a beautiful night on the boot, converted all three and kicked a cheeky field goal right on the half time siren to give the Gold Coast a comfortable 19 – nil lead to take to the sheds.

Back from the break North Queensland were able to score twice in the first 10 minutes with Ty Williams getting a fast double with four-pointers in the 42^nd and 50^th minutes.

John Williams converted two from two to narrow the deficit to 19 – 12. Then the visitors looked to have made the comeback of the season when they scored again through Anthony Watts in the 56^th minute and were within one point of taking the lead.

The fiery encounter included the sin-binning of Luke O’Donnell and Nathan Friend in the second half after they got into a fight, O’Donnell also straining his knee and due to miss the remainder of the season.

But the Titans were just too good and scored three more tries of their own to take the two competition points.

In the last quarter Luke Bailey, Mark Minichiello and Steve Michaels all scored converted tries so the Titans won by 19 points, Michaels making it a match double after his earlier effort.

Don’t bet on the Titans this week when they play the Roosters through the TAB. Get better odds than the TAB for this match and all the others with leading online bookmaker SportsBet so visit them today!

The Titans are working their way right back up the ladder having moved into the top four following three wins on the trot including their tidy 34 – 12 victory over the Eels last week.

With a top two finish in their sights the Gold Coast are powered up and ready to hand the Cowboys another thrashing.

North Queensland have had a very disappointing season and are fighting against a ‘teaspoon’ finish with the struggling Sharks.

They have played their hearts out but haven’t seen the results and are coming off back-to-back losses to the Panthers and the Broncos.

These two haven’t met since Round four this year when the Cowboys enjoyed a 32 – 18 victory, one of only five wins for North Queensland, however the Gold Coast have really found their feet and form since the early stages of the season so expect them to seek revenge here.

North Queensland are in further trouble still with skipper Johnathan Thurston ending his season with a nasty ankle injury last week and without him it seems impossible for the visitors to roll an in-form Prince and Rogers combo.

No surprises in the SportsBet markets as the Titans are the current $1.20 favourites and the Cowboys, the longest-priced team of the round, are paying $4.50.

The Gold Coast have certainly proved they are real premiership contenders and not pretenders, and even though they are ‘safe’ won’t back down here with a home game final in their sights.

Footy Tip of the Match – Titans to win by 13 – 18 points at $5 through SportsBet

NRLleague Footy Tip of the Match:

At home against a Thurston-less Cowboys the Titans are looking down the barrel of a big win and we are tipping them to win by 13 – 18 points at $5 through SportsBet.

Current Head-to-Head Odds:

Titans $1.20 – Cowboys $4.50 SportsBet

Round 23 Titans Team:

1. Preston Campbell 2. Kevin Gordon 3. Steve Michaels 4. Clinton Toopi 5. William Zillman 6. Mat Rogers 7. Scott Prince 8. Luke Bailey 9. Nathan Friend 10. Matthew White 11. Anthony Laffranchi 12. Mark Minichiello 13. Ashley Harrison

Bench: 14. Michael Henderson 15. Brad Meyers 16. Greg Bird 17. Bodene Thompson

Reserve: 18. Ben Ridge

Round 23 Cowboys Team:

1. Matt Bowen 2. Ashley Graham 3. Ty Williams 4. Willie Tonga 5. Will Tupou 6. Arana Taumata 7. Grant Rovelli 8. Matt Scott 9. Aaron Payne 10. Willie Mason 11. Scot Bolton 12. Leeson Ah Mau 13. Luke O’Donnell

Bench: 14. Anthony Watts 15. Dane Hogan 16. Carl Webb 17. Ben Harris

Reserve: 18. Isaak Ah Mau

The Titans are looking set to make the top four after rising to fourth on the ladder following their third win on the trot.

The Titans look good to pay out on the ‘Make the Top 4’ bets punters placed at SportsBet

It is not such good news for the Eels, however, who now look out of the finals having dropped right down to 12^th after losing back-to-back games.

To make the finals Parramatta must now win all four of their final games, none looking easy as they face the Broncos, Tigers, Rabbitohs and the Warriors.

Looking at the final score from Friday night gives no indication of just how close this game was in the early stages and what an incredible second half comeback the Titans made.

In a gritty opening 40 minutes Parramatta held the advantage scoring the sole two first half tries.

Joel Reddy was first to score in the 19^th minute followed by a Jarryd Hayne special in the 26^th minute.

Luke Burt slotted both through the posts so the visitors lead 12 – nil heading into half time.

But back in the second half the Titans dug in their heels and showed the Eels how things were done at the Gold Coast scoring six unanswered tries and Scott Prince converting five to give them a total of 34 points.

Veteran Mat Rogers proved once again he was still one of the best in the game scoring their first in the 47^th minute following a nasty high shot on Prince just a minute earlier by Ben Smith.

This was followed by speedy winger Kevin Gordon in the 55^th minute, the conversion tying the score 12 all.

Then just five minutes later Bodene Thompson pushed the Titans into the lead with another four-pointer.

Mark Minichiello then got back-to-back converted tries to put the result beyond doubt.

Thompson iced the cake by scoring his second match try two minutes from time following another kick from Prince who then booted it through on the siren to leave the Eels shaking their heads in embarrassment.

Next week the Titans look to have a nice easy game against the Cowboys while the Eels must face the Broncos. Whatever team you want to back there is one thing all smart punters have in common, not betting at the TAB.

The best NRL odds are only found at one place, online through SportsBet so open an account today!