The Nathan Brown-era has started impressively at the Warriors, his side showing off a new defensive steel in their 19-6 season-opening NRL win over Gold Coast.
Expectations were high for the Titans this year following the lucrative signings of star forwards David Fifita and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui over the summer.
However the big-name reputations mattered little to a much-improved Warriors outfit that have been based in Australia since leaving New Zealand in early January.
The Auckland-based club have seemingly made a home on the NSW Central Coast, where they thoroughly outplayed the Titans in Brown's first game at the helm.
"We earned everything out there today. We had a lot of defence to do and lost a few players with head knocks early in the second half," Brown said.
"The boys kept turning up for each other. That was the key to our victory. We were very gritty, but we'd like to think that over the course of the year, the other part of the game will improve."
The former Newcastle coach got plenty of juice from his prized recruit in Addin Fonua-Blake, who was arguably the best player on the field with a game-high 177 metres and three offloads.
In contrast, Fifita, on a reported $2.5 million deal over three years, and Fa'asuamaleaui, were held in check for most of a hot afternoon in Gosford.
Despite the oppressive conditions, neither side was able to assert itself in a tight first half.
Titans halfback Ashley Taylor thought he produced the opening try when he dummied through early, only to be denied by a Roger Tuivasa-Sheck trysaver.
But that was a rare chance for the visitors, with unheralded Warriors signing Bayley Sironen providing the only points for the half with a soft 26th minute try from close range.
Gold Coast continued to spurn opportunities in the second period, with Patrick Herbert throwing a routine pass forward to Anthony Don with the tryline begging.
And again the Warriors made them pay down the other end, with Leeson Ah Mau also crashing through some flimsy goal-line defence in the 52nd minute.
A Kodi Nikorima four-pointer sealed the two points, with Titans winger Corey Thompson scoring their first points with a consolation try in the final minutes.
Warriors halfback Chanel Harris-Tavita, who iced the win with a field goal, was cited for tripping in the second half.
"We just let in a couple of soft, little barge over tries ... we knew how the Warriors were going to play, but we couldn't stop them," Titans coach Justin Holbrook said.
"It was a real tough game, but they played it better than us."
