The Wests Tigers have sent departing skipper Brett Hodgson out on a high note with a comfortable 28-12 defeat of the Gold Coast Titans at Skilled Park on Sunday.
With both sides out the 2008 finals race, this match was always going to produce some entertaining football, but most of it came from the Tigers who built on a commanding 18-6 half-time lead with the first two tries after the break to ease towards an impressive victory.
The Huddersfield-bound Hodgson finished his time at the joint-venture club with a typically solid game at the back in both attack and defence whilst landing four goals from five attempts, but the star of the show was five-eighth Benji Marshall who produced glimpses of his red-hot 2005 form to prove the difference between the two sides.
The win sees the Tigers finish the premiership season in 10th position, while the Titans have paid dearly for injuries to key players late in the season, dropping to 13th spot on the ladder after spending the first half of the year entrenched in the top-eight.
Earlier in the day the Titans' under 20's side qualified for the inaugural Toyota Cup finals series with an enterprising 38-22 defeat of the young Tigers to give the 20,723 pro-Gold Coast crowd the perfect entree for the main event that was to follow.
But the Tigers' NRL side silenced the sun-drenched locals early when a superb inside ball from half-back John Morris sent rookie Tim Moltzen dashing over for the opening try of the game.
Hodgson converted for a 6-0 lead to the Tigers.
Moltzen was over again 10 minutes later, this time running onto a clever Liam Fulton flick pass to score in the right corner.
Hodgson landed the sideline conversion to give the Tigers a handy 12-0 advantage.
The Titans were dropping off tackles at a rapid rate as the Tigers, through halves Marshall and Morris, continued to pose plenty of questions with the ball in hand.
Tim Sheens' men were over again in the 29th minute when young centre Chris Lawrence hit the gap off a good Marshall pass to bag his 10th try of the season, opening up an 18-0 lead for the visitors.
But the Titans picked up their game in the final 10 minutes of the first half, posting a 35th minute converted try through skipper Scott Prince.
The Tigers regained their 18-point advantage in the 46th minute when a Marshall kick ricocheted off Gavin Cooper's hands for Moltzen to pick up and flick the ball onto big winger Taniela Tuiaki for a converted try.
There was more Marshall magic in the 58th minute when he produced a perfect kick for winger Beau Ryan to collect on the fly for the match-sealer.
Titans centre Brett Delaney grabbed a consolation four-pointer three minutes from the death to put some respectability into the scoreline for the home side.
Wests Tigers 28
Tries: Moltzen 2, Lawrence, Tuiaki, Ryan
Conversions: Hodgson 4
Gold Coast Titans 12
Tries: Prince, Delaney
Conversions: Prince 2
Sportal's NRL Player of the Year:
3 - Benji Marshall (Tigers)
2 - Tim Moltzen (Tigers)
1 - Brett Hodgson (Tigers)