A titanic performance from Gold Coast skipper Tino Fa'asuamaleaui paved the way for his side's upset win over the Eels to close out Magic Round, with the Maroons forward also topping the VB Hard Earned Index list for Round 10 for his efforts.
Fa'asuamaleaui was immense in both attack and defence as the Titans hung on to defeat the Eels, making 43 tackles, 19 runs (12 of which were for eight metres or more), four tackle breaks and two offloads in the gritty two-point win.
He was one of four Titans to feature in this week's side, with Brian Kelly posting the highest score among any centres with 70, David Fifita chalking up 79 points to feature in the back row while Moeaki Fotuaika's 87 saw him nab a bench spot.
Magic Numbers
Two Eels also featured in the hardest-working players with Dylan Brown producing the highest score of any five-eighth while Ran Matterson ran for over 250 metres off the bench to finish with 98 points – a score better only by Fa'asuamaleaui.
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Elsewhere, Wests Tigers duo David Nofoaluma (69 points) and Alex Twal (87 points) headlined as Tim Sheens' men made it back-to-back wins for the first time this season while Penrith's return to form over the Warriors saw Dylan Edwards (89), Brian To'o (72), Nathan Cleary (76) and Zac Hosking (88) all included.
VB Hard Earned Index: Round 10
- Dylan Edwards (Panthers) – 89 points
- Brian To’o (Panthers) – 72 points
- Brian Kelly (Titans) – 70 points
- Matt Timoko (Raiders) – 66 points
- David Nofoaluma (Wests Tigers) – 69 points
- Dylan Brown (Eels) – 79 points
- Nathan Cleary (Panthers) – 76 points
- Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (Titans) – 109 points
- Reece Robson (Cowboys) – 56 points
- Jack de Belin (Dragons) – 90 points
- Zac Hosking (Panthers) – 88 points
- David Fifita (Titans) – 79 points
- Reuben Cotter (Cowboys) – 92 points
- Ryan Matterson (Eels) – 98 points
- Tohu Harris (Warriors) – 89 points
- Alex Twal (Wests Tigers) – 87 points
- Moeaki Fotuaika (Titans) – 87 points
Stats for the VB Hard Earned Index and Team of the Week are provided via Fox Sports.