Brisbane Broncos beat Gold Coast Titans 32-6 in Suncorp derby Brisbane Anthony Griffin describes a heated and controversial first half as a "throwback to the seventies," but praises his side's concentration after they dominated the Gold Coast 32-6. David Stagg was taken off after suffering what appeared to be a bad knee injury after a tackle went wrong against the titans. Brisbane Broncos players celebrate a Lachlan Maranta (no 20) try. LIFE without Justin Hodges may not be so bleak after all for the Brisbane Broncos. The Broncos, minus their most dangerous player, marched deeper into the NRL top eight with a commanding 32-6 win against the Gold Coast Titans last night at Suncorp Stadium. As shambolic as the Titans were, Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin should have been pleased with the clinical finishing of a side steered by fullback Corey Norman and the new halves pairing of Peter Wallace and Ben Hunt. Hunt made a seamless transition from impact player to architect and Scott Prince may not be an automatic selection when he returns from a hamstring injury. Hooker Jake Granville also made an impressive NRL debut in front of 34,596 spectators, setting up a try and saving one with a crunching tackle on Titans rake Matt Srama. The Broncos' biggest win in a local derby was, however, soured by injuries to centre Jack Reed and interchange forward David Stagg. Picture: Channel Nine Source: Reed had performed solidly against Titans giant Jamal Idris until he departed with an eye injury. You could feel the despair in the cool night air as the luckless Stagg was assisted from the field in the second half after injuring his left knee. Otherwise, it was a confident step towards the testing State of Origin period for the Broncos who face the Bulldogs and Warriors before the series kicks off next month. Brisbane's match-winning 24-0 halftime lead came without them breaking into a sweat. Josh Hoffman, Sam Thaiday and Reed scored soft tries as Gold Coast gifted their hosts 70 per cent of the possession. What should have been a test of Brisbane's strength without injured weapon Hodges, and an examination of Wallace and Hunt was instead a party for the Broncos. Still, they had to maintain discipline, and they managed that without a hiccup while Gold Coast lost co-captain Greg Bird to the sin-bin and had Dave Taylor on report for a late and high tackle on Wallace. Given their close proximity to the top four, the Titans' lack of urgency in the opening 20 minutes was inexplicable. The visitors were down 12-0 after as many minutes and the Broncos were not even out of second gear. The Titans' Greg Bird has a dislocated finger put back in place by the trainer. There was no pressure on Brisbane playmakers Norman and Wallace, and Gold Coast's default play was to mindlessly launch bombs at Norman. The Titans chance were cruelled by a 10-2 first-half penalty count. BRISBANE 32 (J Hoffman L Maranta J Reed S Thaiday tries C Parker 8 goals) GOLD COAST 6 (D Mead try A Sezer goal) at Suncorp Stadium. Referees: Ben Cummins, Phil Haines.