Titans phenom scores 'miracle' match-winner as Broncos slump to fifth straight loss
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Titans young gun Keano Kini produced what’s being hailed as one of the greatest tries in Gold Coast history to win the game for his team as the Broncos slumped to their fifth consecutive loss.
Kini made the sensational attacking play in the 77th minute of Saturday night’s game at Suncorp Stadium.
Titans young gun Keano Kini on the run at Suncorp Stadium. Getty
In the 80th minute, he manufactured a tremendous defensive play to snuff out a last-gasp Broncos try.
Broncos captain Adam Reynolds slotted a one-point field goal in the 73rd minute to give Brisbane a 23-22 lead.
Cue the Kini magic.
The 22-year-old scooted onto the ball at first receiver on the right edge 60 metres out, chipped over the defensive line, lunged down at full pace, scooped up the footy under the nose of Reece Walsh, and raced another 30 metres to score.
“I can’t believe what I’ve just seen,” Greg Alexander said of Kini’s try on the Fox League broadcast.
“That is something special from Keano Kini.”
Commentator Dan Ginnane declared the try “one of the greatest in club history”, to which Alexander replied: “I’m not going to argue with that.”
Speaking post-game, Cooper Cronk described the try as a “miracle play”.
With the Titans clinging to a 28-23 lead in the 80th minute and defending their try line desperately, Ezra Mam got into dummy-half and threaded a grubber into the in-goal area.
Grant Anderson was hot in pursuit, and if he scored and the try was converted, the Broncos would have won the game.
But a retreating Kini threw his fist at the ball and batted it over the dead-ball line, sealing a 28-23 victory for Gold Coast.
“He does that most weeks,” Titans coach Josh Hannay said in his post-game press conference.
“There was a game here against the Dolphins earlier in the year [where] he saved two tries [with] last-ditch tackles on the try line.
“I’m glad you brought it up because he gets a lot of recognition for his attacking sort of flair, but he throws his body on the line and defends the try line like it matters, and it means a lot to us.
“He’s not just on one side of the ball, that kid; he plays tough on the other side of the ball, as well.”
Inside a seven-minute period in the second half, Titans livewire Jayden Campbell scored two tries and converted both to secure a 22-12 lead for his side.
The Broncos hit back through Jesse Arthars, Anderson and the Reynolds field goal to regain the lead, before Kini’s heroics stole the win for the Titans.
“I’m just proud I could pull that out for my team today,” Kini told Fox League.
The Titans broke a five-game losing streak to clinch their third win of the season.
As for the Broncos, their title defence is in even more peril than it already was.
They are languishing in 12th on the ladder on 12 points. If the Sharks beat the Dragons on Sunday and the Tigers upset the Panthers, the Broncos will be six points behind eighth.
“They’re bloody trying – I know that,” Broncos coach Michael Maguire said in his post-game press conference.
“That’s one thing I have – I’ve got a group that’s trying hard.
“It’s just things aren’t quite clicking for us at times.”
