For long periods, it was an untidy display from the Auckland club -- flair, then frustration, magic, then mistakes.
They dominated the game but it wasn't reflected on the scoreboard against a gritty but severely undermanned Titans outfit.
But the Warriors showed heart to come back from a halftime deficit and didn't concede a single point in the second half to seal their third win, 24-16, in four games.
They face the struggling Newcastle Knights next Sunday and now have a chance to build some genuine momentum.
Shaun Johnson limped off with an ankle injury, to go with the groin complaint he took into the game, which had prevented him from goal kicking.
The extent of Johnson's injury was unknown last night but Warriors coach Andrew McFadden said he could be out for a week or two. That could cause a headache for the club, with Thomas Leuluai still two or three weeks away from a comeback.
Siliva Havili and Nathan Friend shared the hooking duties to great effect and David Fusitua, who was a late inclusion for an injured Kevin Locke, continues to impress.
Numerous times throughout the match, the Warriors threatened to bolt clear but the Gold Coast team were like an annoying tourist tout in Surfers Paradise who you just can't shake off.
In the second half, the Warriors had almost 30 tackles in the opposition 20 metre zone compared with the Titans' one, but the game wasn't in the bag until the final few minutes.
There were the usual inexplicable mistakes -- Konrad Hurrell throwing a crazy pass over the sideline, Chad Townsend trying an ill-fated kick right on halftime and Suaia Matagi ignoring an unmarked Sam Tomkins to bomb a try. That kind of play, combined with a sloppy completion rate, kept the home side in the game in the first half.
The Titans started this season in rare form -- and topped the NRL ladder after six rounds. They have fallen away since and had a depleted side last night, missing Greg Bird, Nate Myles and Albert Kelly, among many others.
Hurrell showed his enigmatic side last night. He reminded us of his inexperience with some costly errors but there was much more good than bad.
On Queensland soil, he looked like a latter-day Chris Close or Mal Meninga with some of his bullocking runs and had two outstanding assists to set up both of Fusitua's tries.
In the first half, the Warriors did the one thing they were desperate not to do -- hand the Titans the initiative with penalties (6-2 at halftime) and mistakes.
The makeshift Gold Coast team grew in confidence and took their chances. All three of Dave Taylor first-half tries came directly from Warriors' errors or penalties.
Things started promisingly, as Ben Matulino scored the first try of the match for the third successive week. It's a remarkable statistic -- if it was cricket, eyebrows might be raised -- as Matulino had scored just nine tries in more than 135 games before his current streak started.
The Gold Coast's reply, through Taylor, came after an unfortunate Tomkins mistake.
Johnson scored a classic try off a Fusitua offload to restore the Warriors' advantage. But it couldn't be maintained, as Taylor bulldozed through again and only some superb Ngani Laumape defence prevented further damage.
A Fusitua try in the 37th minute had the Warriors sailing into halftime, before the Titans got lucky from Townsend's kick.
A powerful Simon Mannering try took them back into the lead in the 46th minute. Feleti Mateo then created the space for Hurrell to
send Fusitua over with 18 minutes to play.
The visitors should have scored on a couple more occasions but a combination of courageous defence and poor execution ensured a nervy finish.
Warriors 24 (B. Matulino, S. Johnson, D. Fusitua 2, S. Mannering tries; C. Townsend 2 goals), Titans 16 (D. Taylor 3 tries; B. Henry 2 goals). Halftime: Titans 16-14.
