Gold Coast have produced one of the greatest wins in club history with a depleted squad running down Brisbane in a stunning upset at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

Despite missing as many as nine regular first-graders, the Titans went toe to toe with their star-studded rivals to emerge triumphant 36-34 in easily the best performance of Des Hasler’s short reign as coach.

It is arguably one of the best for the club since their 2007 entry into the big league and was just their third of the season after starting the year with six straight losses.

For the Broncos, Reece Walsh was at his electrifying best in the first half after a week off with a minor knee problem but they paid the price for constant defensive lapses and a lack of desire to do the hard yards against their more committed opponents.

Rookie halfback Tom Weaver and young fullback Keano Kini starred for the jubilant underdogs while star forward David Fifita was a constant thorn in his old side’s side.

The Broncos looked like they would snatch victory with four minutes on the clock but Weaver ran down winger Corey Oates after a Josiah Karipani break in a superb cover tackle just metres from the line.

Maroons forward Patrick Carrigan was placed on report for a high shot on Josiah Pahulu but the Broncos captain is unlikely to cop anything more than a fine from the match review committee.

Brisbane were well below their best against their neighbours from down the highway and deserved to lose heading into the crucial Origin period where they will have several stars in action.

One of those big names, NSW prop Payne Haas, opened the scoring in the fifth minute but the Titans levelled at 6-6 when winger Tony Francis finished off an attacking raid and managed to put the ball down despite a shoulder injury which forced him off soon afterwards to cut short his NRL debut.

Walsh sent Karipani through a gap for Oates to put Brisbane back in front and they were up 18-6 after Deine Mariner was awarded a penalty try when Beau Fermor tackled him before he could reel in an Ezra Mam kick.

Fermor made amends by crashing over before Walsh’s silky playmaking skills presented Brendan Piakura with a four-pointer.

The Titans hit back on the stroke of half-time when Erin Clark made it an eight-point gap and makeshift five-eighth Chris Randall, forced even wider to centre after Francis went off, got around Selwyn Cobbo to reduce the deficit to just two points early in the second stanza.

Brisbane regained the momentum when Mam ran the length of the field from a miscued Tom Weaver kick but the Titans refused to go away with Keanan Palasia touching down against his old club in the 63rd minute.

When the Titans spun the ball wide to Brian Kelly on the wing, the Indigenous All Stars representative shook a leg to celebrate as Gold Coast silenced the majority of the 44,221 fans at Suncorp Stadium spectators by taking a 32-30 lead with 13 minutes left.

Alofiana-Khan Pereira touched down in the left corner, wearing the Indigenous Round jersey designed by his mother Sylvia, to give the visitors a six-point advantage heading into the final 10 minutes.

Cobbo sliced through in the 73rd minute out wide but Jock Madden’s sideline conversion sailed wide and the Broncos looked like they would snatch victory in the closing stages but Weaver saved the day with his defensive play.