Gold Coast winger Chris Walker made amends for two second half clangers with a controversial 79th minute try to help the Titans to a 24-20 get-out-of-jail win over the Sydney Roosters in the NRL clash at Bluetongue Stadium on Saturday night.

Video referee Russell Smith ruled former Rooster Walker had grounded the ball before taking out a corner post as the Coast sneaked home against the determined Roosters.

Walker had earlier come up with two second-half knock-ons in his own 20m zone, the second contributing to the first of Roosters winger Sisa Waqa's two tries.

A barnstorming four-pointer from local junior Tom Symonds appeared to have had the last-placed Roosters home after they had come back from an 18-6 halftime deficit to hit the front 20-18 with eight minutes left.

It finished four tries apiece in front of a small crowd of 6,232, with Scott Prince's four goals from four attempts the eventual difference.

"I had no doubt whatsoever that I'd scored," Walker told AAP. "The rest is history.

"The knock-on I had was just a little mistake that I had but the try was good."

Relieved Titans coach John Cartwright was pleased with the two points, but little else.

"It probably wasn't a win for the 80 minutes that we deserved," he told reporters.

The Roosters fought back from the 12-point halftime deficit with the first three tries of the second half, eventually grabbing the lead in the 72nd minute through a determined run from three-game rookie Symonds.

They had led 6-0 after just four minutes through a neat-stepping effort from halfback Mitchell Pearce but a burst of three tries in the final 11 minutes of the first half from Nathan Friend, Aaron Cannings and Esi Tonga gave the visitors their halftime buffer.

The Roosters fought back to 18-10 when winger Waqa dived on a Pearce grubber nine minutes after the break and the game came alive, particularly when Titans replacement Luke O'Dwyer leapt from dummy half to trade blows with tackler Braith Anasta.

"It's always good to see that side of footy," Roosters coach Brad Fittler said of the blow-up.

"You don't see it that much anymore, it's so dominated by blokes diving on the ground and getting quick play-the-balls."

The fightback continued when Waqa's second was awarded by Smith in the 62nd minute - despite a hint of a Jarryd Hayne-style foot on a blade of grass of the touchline - and the Roosters trailed by four.

Fittler seemed more pleased with his side continuing their good effort after a strong showing against Manly last week than disappointed by the loss, and skipper Anasta said they had felt a win was in their grasp.

"We showed a lot of character tonight which was something we've probably been lacking a bit all year," he said. "That second half was great."

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