The Gold Coast handed the St George Illawarra Dragons its 16th loss of the season, with the Red V all but securing the dreaded wooden spoon for 2026.
The Dragons had plenty to play for at Kogarah in the 38-18 defeat on Sunday, but Dean Young's men weren't able to capitalise on attacking in the Titans' red zone and were left scratching their heads after the Titans poured on the points.
Co-skipper Clinton Gutherson played the 250th game of his NRL career, with stints at Manly and Parramatta before linking up in Wollongong at the start of 2025.
But the Titans spoilt the celebrations, leaving the Dragons looking down the barrel of their first wooden spoon in the joint venture's history.
"When you're coming into an environment like this, it felt like we were walking into a trap with them having so much to play for, so I just loved how we went about it," Titans coach Josh Hannay said in his post-match press conference.
"We have had some tight losses and haven't had a lot of reward at different times. There have been a few instances where we have had a level game at halftime, and we'd flinch in the second half. I feel like this group, little by little, is growing.
"We're fully aware of where we're at, the journey we're on and that there's going to be some hard lessons. They have had to learn a lot on the run, these guys, and they're growing exponentially."
Titans star half Jayden Campbell had a day out in the side's trip to Sydney, setting up three tries, scoring one, and having his fingerprints on a few more.
The club has now won back-to-back games for the first time since the start of last season after compounding on a high-scoring performance against Manly at home last week.
Titans skipper Tino Fa'asuamaleaui was full of praise for Campbell and his connection with rookie halfback Zane Harrison, who are shaping up as the cemented halves pairing for the next 10 years in Gold Coast colours.
Harrison's composed kicking game and ability to finish sets strongly have unlocked Campbell to play at his brilliant best, while the rest of the spine featuring hooker Oliver Pascoe and livewire fullback Keano Kini are building each time they share the field.
"In a short amount of time, the combination they have built has been massive," captain Fa'asuamaleaui said.
"We have an experienced pack being told what to do by a young spine, including Keano (fullback Kini) and Olly (hooker Oliver Pascoe) up the middle, has been so good and refreshing.
"What Zane, and obviously JC (Campbell), have brought to this team and achieved by taking their opportunities with two hands is what we're looking to do each week."
Meanwhile, the Dragons have only won two games this year following the departure of Shane Flanagan, but are set to improve out of sight when they welcome a plethora of stars in 2027.
It includes Keaon Koloamatangi, Scott Drinkwater, Connor Watson, Luke Metcalf and Phillip Sami.
The Titans' win shoots them up into 13th place, while the distance between the Dragons and the rest of the bottom eight grows larger.
The Dolphins visit Wollongong on Friday night, while the Titans host the New Zealand Warriors on Saturday.
