Dumped halfback turned super-sub Jarrod Sammut provided the impetus and Michael Jennings the icing as Penrith crushed NRL high-flyers Gold Coast 34-20 at CUA Stadium on Monday night.

Relegated to the bench for the first time this season, Sammut turned the game the home side's way with two blistering first half tries before Jennings took his chance to remind NSW selectors of his worth with a stunning 55 metre try which iced the result.

The Titans pushed hard in a desperate bid to get into the contest, their endeavours going awry when a Scott Prince tap on was plucked out of the air by Shane Elford who completed his 90 metre run to the tryline with one arm saluting the crowd.

Early tries to halfback Luke Walsh - in his first game for the Panthers after he was preferred to Sammut - and Lachlan Coote gave the Panthers a 12-0 lead after as many minutes before Prince started and finished an 80 metre movement to give the visitors some hope.

Enter Sammut, who could have been warming the bench for much longer had fullback Coote not been forced from the field with back spasms in the 26th minute following a crusher tackle which saw Titans prop Matthew White placed on report.

Playing in the position he first made a name for himself in the top grade, Sammut cut the Titans to ribbons as he ran past Prince and Ashley Harrison to bring the 9769 fans to life in the 35th minute.

It had nothing on his effort two minutes later when he grubbered and then beat opposite number William Zillman in a scorching 55 metre run to the line to give the Panthers a 22-4 halftime lead.

The Titans rocketed back into the match thanks to two electrifying tries in as many minutes, Brett Delaney scoring the first when Preston Campbell kicked ahead twice.

The Panthers were then penalised from the kick-off when Michael Gordon was ruled to be offside, his namesake Kevin Gordon making him pay when he scooped up a brilliant Zillman flick to close the gap to 22-14 on 49 minutes.

But Jennings, in line for a debut Origin jumper, made sure of the result when he took a ball from dummy half on his side of the halfway line and streeted the Titans defence to put the home side up by more than two converted tries.

Panthers coach Matthew Elliott praised Sammut's contribution off the bench.

"I thought we rode on the back of some tremendous individual performances again and some of our key players were tremendous for us tonight," he said.

"Jarrod was very noticeable wasn't he ... Jaz just showed what he's capable of doing, I'm over the moon for him actually.

"It wasn't the easiest news to break to Jarrod that I was going to start with Walshy but it didn't faze him at all.

"He just wanted to know when he needed to do ... his response to it was reflected in the performance out there. He went onto the field, didn't think about playing fullback, went out there and did what the team needed him to do big style."

Sammut passed up the opportunity to speak after the game, with both he and Walsh put under media bans by the club.

Titans coach John Cartwright admitted his side was a bit flat and paid the price with some lapses both with and without the ball.

"We were our own worst enemy ... we just didn't turn up quite mentally as we have in the first six weeks," he said.

"They're a dangerous side if given space and we gave them space and that's what it came down to."

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