Brisbane Broncos remain on top of the NRL standings after thrashing Gold Coast Titans
Sunday 26 July 2015 11:26, UK
Brisbane Broncos extended their winning streak to eight games when they beat Gold Coast 34-0 in Round 20 of the National Rugby League.
The Broncos remain top of the table after scoring six unanswered tries to hand the Titans a fifth-straight loss.
Brisbane are four points clear of North Queensland while third-placed Sydney Roosters took their run of wins to six in a row when they defeated Wests 33-8, James Maloney scoring a try and kicking five goals.
The Roosters led 8-4 after a scrappy first half, helped by Maloney's boot, and extended their advantage with a burst of three tries to one at the start of the second half, before Brendan Elliot made the game safe with the second try of an impressive double.
Fourth-placed Souths beat Newcastle 52-6, captain Greg Inglis and winger Dylan Walker scoring three tries apiece, while Alex Johnston bagged a brace.
Melbourne are fifth after a 22-4 win over St George-Illawarra and Cronulla moved up to sixth thanks to an 18-16 win on Sunday over the Bulldogs.
Manly are 11th but still just about in contention for a top-eight finish after a 32-12 win at New Zealand Warriors, Brett Stewart and Jorge Taufua scoring two tries each.
The Sea Eagles were forced to play the last 25 minutes with no players left on the interchange bench after first half injuries to Steve Matai, Luke Burgess and Ligi Sao, and another in the second half to Tom Symonds.
Coach Geoff Toovey said: "It was a fantastic effort, very heroic.
"It was a fantastic win for us and one we needed. We need to win every game we've got to sneak into those semis."
The Warriors slipped away from the top four with their second straight loss and, at the same time, lost crucial playmaker Shaun Johnson for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.
