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Gold Coast prop Moeaki Fotuaika will miss one match after being sent off for a high shot in the loss to the Warriors on Friday night.

Penrith five-eighth Jarome Luai has escaped a suspension of his own and instead received a fine for a shoulder charge on Melbourne's Nelson Asofa-Solomona in the later game at Penrith.

Early in the clash at Cbus Super Stadium, Fotuaika made high contact to the head of Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, who fell to the ground in discomfort and eventually walked from the field in a daze.

The Titans were forced to play 64 minutes with only 12 men when referee Ben Cummins sent Fotuaika from the field and they ultimately lost 28-18.

Fotuaika became the second NRL player to be sent off in the space of 24 hours, with Sydney Roosters middle Nathan Brown marched against Manly on Thursday.

Brown also received a one-match ban but Titans interim coach Jim Lenihan did not believe Foutaika's hit was of the same severity.

"I don't think Moe is recklessly coming out of the ground. Moe is pretty much bracing," he said.

"There might have been a bit of contact to the head and 10 minutes (in the sin bin) was probably sufficient. I don't know if it justifies at that point to ruin the game.

"It put us under a hell of a lot of pressure and pretty much the game was over at that point."

On Saturday morning, the match review committee handed Fotuaika a grade-two careless high-tackle charge and proposed a one-match ban.

He will miss next Friday's clash against Cronulla but risks sitting out of the subsequent game against Penrith if he opts to challenge the charge at the judiciary.

Prior to round 23, only one player had been sent from the field this season - Newcastle prop Jacob Saifiti in round two - but Lenihan said the NRL had not given clubs any notice of a crackdown.

"I didn't hear anything. We had no warning on it," he said.

In Penrith, Luai found himself placed on report for a shoulder charge in the Panthers' 26-6 victory over the Storm but the shot on Asofa-Solomona was categorised as a grade-one careless high tackle.

He will pay a $3,000 fine with an early guilty plea.

Warriors second-rower Marata Niukore was not charged for slapping Gold Coast's David Fifita - an offence that landed him in the sin bin during the first half.

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In-form Jayden Campbell is set for an extended run as Gold Coast fullback whether regular No.1 AJ Brimson is available to play next week or not.

Brimson withdrew injured in the warm-up before the 28-18 loss to New Zealand Warriors on Friday night.

Titans coach Jim Lenihan said Brimson would have played centre and Campbell at fullback even if he had made it on the field.

Lenihan said Brimson had an oblique muscle tear and pain in the rib area. The Titans have not revealed the extent of the injury.

It was in the win over the Cowboys, where Campbell came off the bench to shine at fullback and Brimson had a stint in the centres when he returned to the field from injury, that provides a template for the short-term future of both players.

Where both get to start in regular positions next year will be decided by incoming 2024 coach Des Hasler.

Campbell was brilliant against the Warriors where he ran for 258 metres, set up a try with a silky grubber kick and scored a 90-metre intercept try himself to keep the Titans in the match.

Lenihan, whose Titans are away to Cronulla in their next match, said super sub Campbell was "certainly" set for more games at No.1.

"There is no doubt that JC would be more than likely playing there at fullback anyway just because of how AJ is," Lenihan said.

"We have got to have him out there. We have got to try and have AJ out there as well. It is something we will look at and Des will look at in the pre-season and into next year.

"At the moment, AJ may not play again (this season) depending how bad that injury is.

"I think it is an oblique tear. I don't think it is really bad but it is one of those awkward things that is very painful where it is on the body."

Lenihan said Queensland representative fullback Brimson still had " a lot of fluid on his hip"

"I don't think the needles work because there is that much fluid in his body at the moment," he said,

"He tried his best for us but just couldn't get on the field. In the warm-up it was still grabbing him.

"I'm not sure whether enough swelling will come out of it this week or whether it is another week off for him."

The Titans were brave with 12 men against the third-placed Warriors after prop Moeaki Fotuaika was sent off in the 17th minute for a shoulder to the head of Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.

"We have got a lot to work on, and defence is one of them, but our ability to have grit and determination in our defence and work hard for each other was on display again tonight," Lenihan said.

"For the last six games we've had one bad half and other times where we were working hard and evolving. We don't want to be bullied anymore."

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Gold Coast prop Moeaki Fotuaika has been sent off in the Warriors' 28-18 win to become the second NRL player in less than 24 hours to be given his marching orders.

On Thursday night, Sydney Roosters forward Nathan Brown was sent off for a high shot on Manly's Ben Trbojevic.

Fotuaika was dismissed in the 17th minute for a shoulder to the head of Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, which left the Warriors fullback dazed.

The Warriors No.1 was assisted from the field and did not return, as Fotuaika's night also came to an early end in a spiteful contest.

"I thought the send-off was harsh for us," Titans coach Jim Lenihan said.

"If you compare the (Brown hit) it wasn't the same.

"I don't think Moe was coming off the ground recklessly. Maybe 10 minutes (in the sin bin) was sufficient.

"It put us under a hell of a lot of pressure and the game was pretty much over at that point."

Gold Coast hooker Chris Randall was put on report in the 14th minute for a high shot on Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, an incident that set the tone for an explosive first half

Two minutes after Fotuaika's early exit, Warriors second-rower Marata Niukore was sin-binned for slapping the face of counterpart David Fifita.

Referee Ben Cummins called captains Kieran Foran and Tohu Harris together and gave them both a stern talking to.

"I'm sick and tired of this. Concentrate on the footy," Cummins told the pair in a warning that did the trick.

The hosts scored first when Fifita crashed over but after that Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson crossed for two cracking tries in front of 20,877 fans.

Johnson weaved his magic to score his first with a right-foot step that bamboozled the defence.

He then split the Titans from 30m out and found Watene-Zelezniak, who unfurled a one-handed inside pass back to his on-fire No.7 while being tackled by three defenders to give the visitors a 12-6 lead at the break.

Johnson created a try for rampaging forward Jackson Ford but Gold Coast refused to go away with fullback Jayden Campbell laying on a try for Joe Stimson with a grubberkick.

Campbell then grabbed an incredible reflex intercept 10m out from his own tryline and raced the length to level it up at 18-18.

Harris crashed over next to the sticks and Watene-Zelezniak chased a Johnson kick to finally put the brave Titans away with tries in the final seven minutes.

The Warriors (32 points) remain third on the ladder and on track for a top-four finish.

"Sometimes you've got to win ugly and we are all understanding it definitely was ugly," coach Andrew Webster said.

"Our boys tried hard again but we didn't nail what we wanted to do tonight and didn't adjust. We've got to get better than that."

Gold Coast, on 22 points, are out of the finals race but are playing with fight.

"To still be 18-all with six minutes to go ... I thought they were really brave and I was proud of them," Lenihan said.

© AAP 2023