[Source: NRL]

Teenage Roosters halfback Sam Walker came off the bench to kick a 78th minute field goal to snatch a 25-24 elimination final triumph over the Gold Coast.

The Roosters will now play Manly in Mackay next weekend, but the Titans appeared set to spring a finals upset until 19-year-old Walker was thrust into action for the last nine minutes of the match to break a 24-24 deadlock in Townsville.

Walker had his first field goal attempt charged down but he made no mistake with his second shot and then stopped Gold Coast winger Phillip Sami just metres from the Roosters try line after a break by second-rower Beau Fermor.

It took 25 minutes for the first try of the match to be scored after the Titans survived the early sin binning of five-eighth Tyrone Peachey for a professional foul, when he interfered with Victor Radley chasing an in-goal grubber.

Adam Keighran opened the scoring with a 10th minute penalty goal but the Roosters failed to add any other points, while the Gold Coast were down to 12-men.

Scores were level at 2-2 when Peachey returned after a Jamaal Fogarty penalty goal.

Matt Ikavalu put the Roosters ahead 6-2 in the 25th minute after halfback Lachlan Lam combined with James Tedesco and Josh Morris before the rookie winger crossed out wide.

Gold Coast strike forward David Fifita had a try disallowed five minutes later due to an obstruction by Herbert.

The Titans paid a heavy price for the failed attempt when Tedesco scored at the other end of the field after Radley split the defence near the try-line.

However, Fermor put the Gold Coast back in the match before halftime when he pounced on a perfectly weighted Peachey grubber to score after being forced to shift from second-row to centre when Brian Kelly was forced from the field with a broken nose.

The Roosters regained control quickly after the halftime break when winger Daniel Tupou – playing in his 200th match for the club – latched onto a tip-on from Tedesco and crossed in the 42ndm minute following good lead up work from Drew Hutchison and Radley.

Trailing 18-6, the Titans needed to score next and they did, when star lock Tino Fa’asuamaleaui picked up a loose ball from a Fogarty bomb and strolled across to score in the 47th minute.

Kelly, who had returned to the match in the second half, then drew the scores level at 18-18 after stepping between Roosters forwards Angus Crichton and Isaac Liu off an inside pass from Peachey.

Morris put the Roosters back in front in the 60th minute after Tedesco combined with Ikuvalu and the veteran centre crossed out wide, but Ikuvalu gifted a try to Wallace 10 minutes later when he lost the ball near his own line.

Walker came on in the 73rd minute and after missing an earlier attempt he landed his third field goal of the season to snatch the 25-24 win.