Gold Coast consolidated their top four position and maintained an unbeaten NRL home record this season with a grafting 18-12 victory over Parramatta at Skilled Park on Monday night.

The Titans led all night but only shook off the fiesty Eels with a skilful late backline try to Papua New Guinea winger David Mead, a late injury inclusion, set up by mercurial five-eighth Mat Rogers.

In a display of his best and worst in his return from a rib injury, Rogers laid on two tries for the home side but also contributed to two for the visitors who threatened an upset in front of 14,840 fans.

The Coast jumped to equal second with the Bulldogs on 26 points, two behind the table-topping Dragons, with the win but were forced to earn it the hard way after jumping out to a 14-0 lead after just 12 minutes.

After leaking 38 points the previous week against Penrith and conceding 14 quickly at Skilled Park, Parramatta held their line intact for an hour and grafted their way back to 14-12 down with three unconverted tries.

But despite going close a couple of times as they gained control of the ruck battle, the Eels failed to deliver the killer blow.

They could also rue some poor goalkicking, highlighted by a magenta-haired Krisnan Inu's costly miss from the side of the posts just before halftime.

Without Jarryd Hayne, Inu provided some spark in attack - and put Daniel Mortimer over from a dreadful Rogers miscued kick - while fullback Luke Burt was a stand-out.

Burt put the Eels within two with a smart lobbed cut-out pass from dummy-half for an Eric Grothe try in the 48th minute after a Rogers error and also ran down opposite number Will Zillman to keep his team in the game with a quarter-hour left.

But in the end Rogers' reflex inside ball to Zillman proved vital.

Zillman then threw an overhead pass to Brett Delaney for the centre to put Mead over which decided the match.

It was a crucial eighth straight win at home for the Titans whose wheels have fallen off at this stage of the season in the previous two years.

Returning veterans Luke Bailey (broken arm) and Rogers (ribs) took little time to prove they were completely over their injuries.

Bailey evoked memories of Greg Dowling's memorable 1984 State of Origin try in the mud with expert fingertip control in pouncing on a Scott Prince grubber which rebounded off the upright before he crossed in the second minute.

It was the NSW prop's first touch of the ball since fracturing his forearm for the second time, in the win over St George Illawarra six weeks ago.

Rogers also had an immediate impact by off-loading in a tackle to put winger Kevin Gordon away down the sideline. From the next play, the Titans spread the ball wide for Chris Walker to score in the right corner.

Walker limped off with a thigh strain immediately after for Mead, only given a spot on the bench after Preston Campbell succumbed to the flu.

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