Keano Kini Sparks Titans 28-23 Upset Over Broncos
keano kini finished one of the solo tries of the season, sprinting 65 metres for the decisive score as the Gold Coast Titans beat Brisbane 28-23 at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night. The result ended Gold Coast’s five-match, 55-day losing run and pushed Brisbane to a fifth straight defeat.
Suncorp Stadium Swing
Gold Coast trailed 12-0 early, then turned the game with four tries in a 26-minute blitz. Phil Sami’s 70-metre break produced a try in the 38th minute, and Jayden Campbell struck twice, in the 49th and 54th minutes, to put the Titans ahead 22-12 with 25 minutes to play.
Brisbane answered through Jesse Arthars in the 57th minute and Grant Anderson in the 67th minute, dragging the match back to 22-22. Adam Reynolds then kicked a field goal seven minutes from time to put the Broncos in front 23-22 before Kini’s late run settled it.
Walsh And Mam
Reece Walsh collided with Kini on the play that led to the match-winning try, a sequence that came after he had already produced 144 metres and five tackle busts. Walsh also carried a first-half cork to his buttock, but he stayed involved in a Broncos side that had already been under pressure entering the game.
Ezra Mam entered in the 16th minute after Tom Duffy suffered a head knock, then made his mark in a 15-minute cameo with four tackle busts. Mam linked with Grant Anderson on the line break that set up Kotoni Staggs’ try in the 23rd minute, but Brisbane could not hold the lead after Reynolds’ field goal.
Five-Loss Collapse
Brisbane’s 5-8 record now tells the story as much as the scoreline. A team that led by 10 points with 25 minutes left and briefly looked ready to escape the spiral instead left Suncorp with a fifth straight loss, while Gold Coast walked away with a result built on one clean finish and a late refusal to fold.
For the Titans, this was not just a derby win; it was the kind of escape that resets a month and a half of frustration in one play. For Brisbane, the problem is harsher: a one-point lead vanished, then Kini made the final decision himself. That is the part that will linger.
