The Sydney Roosters moved to second position on the NRL ladder with a 48-22 win over Gold Coast but face a nervous wait on a potential charge for prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, who was put on report.
Second-rower Angus Crichton scored his second career hat-trick as the Roosters went to 36 points on the ladder with their win at Robina and ousted Penrith from second based on a superior for-and-against.
The Tricolours can wrap up a top two finish if they beat Canberra and South Sydney in their remaining matches.
The Roosters lost Waerea-Hargreaves to the sin-bin in the 12th minute when the firebrand was put on report for an incident in the lead-up to a try to Titans winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira.
Waerea-Hargreaves, in his first game back from a four-match suspension, was pinged on review by The Bunker for forceful contact to the head of Titans hooker Sam Verrills .
"I don’t think I can talk too much on that. It was disappointing for him to go to the bin but I might keep it at that," Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
Due to his prior offences, a grade two charge by the match review committee would lead to a three-match ban for Waerea-Hargreaves.
If the Roosters don't make the top four and were to lose their opening final, unlikely though that is, that would be the end of Waerea-Hargreaves' NRL career. The three-time premiership winner will join England's Hull Kingston Rovers next season.
The Roosters lost centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to a shoulder injury in the first half but Robinson said it was "a really bad stinger" and hoped it would improve by Monday.
Robinson said second on the ladder was one of those "nice rewards".
"You want to be as high as you can. That is pretty clear in our competition," he said.
Roosters hooker Brandon Smith was a late withdrawal with injury and was replaced by Zach Dockar-Clay, who charged through the middle early before forward Angus Crichton scored the opening try in the fourth minute.
The Titans hit back with Khan-Pereira scoring the first of his three tries of the afternoon.
Roosters No.6 Luke Keary put in a deft lob for winger Dominic Young to score in a sublime piece of skill by the veteran.
Khan-Pereira then beat opposite number Dom Young twice, Joey Manu and James Tedesco in a 90m run to the line in which he didn't run at full pace once in a remarkable display of athleticism.
Roosters half Sam Walker went over and winger Daniel Tupou scored a double in a try blitz before halftime for the visitors to take a 26-10 lead.
When skipper Tedesco scored the first try after the break the result was sealed. The Roosters then ran riot as only they can.
Titans second-rower David Fifita and his counterpart Crichton played out an engrossing battle within the battle - understandable considering Fifita backflipped on joining the Tricolours earlier in the season.
Khan-Pereira was one bright spot for the Titans. He leads the NRL try scoring list this season with 23.
"It is a tremendous achievement for the young man," coach Des Hasler said.
The scores were level at 12-all closing in on halftime but it was all downhill from there for the Titans.
"Then there were three soft tries. We have got to be stronger," Hasler said.
