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Nathan Cleary has shown his class to ensure Penrith have kept their NRL title defence on track with an 18-4 win over a dogged Titans outfit on the Gold Coast.

It wasn't pretty but Penrith have kept their NRL title defence on track with an 18-4 win over a dogged Gold Coast at Cbus Super Stadium.

The undefeated Panthers looked rattled at times against the battling hosts but held on to extend their unbeaten season start to eight straight after Nathan Cleary inspired a second-half revival.

The Titans appeared vulnerable after losing four of their last six matches including the last three.

Yet they were more than a match on Friday night despite making the surprise call to relegate X-factor David Fifita to the bench following last round's failed switch to the centres.

In the end, Cleary proved the difference after the Titans grabbed a surprise 4-0 halftime lead.

He showed his class, grubbering for Izack Tago to score his sixth try in eight games in the 43rd minute.

He then combined with hulking backrower Viliame Kikau before scoring himself four minutes later to threaten the expected blow out.

It didn't come but the Penrith juggernaut still rumbled along, with Cleary grubbering for Jarome Luai to score in the 74th minute.

Penrith's victory marked the first time in history a team had won the opening eight games in back to back seasons.

"It just goes to show this Penrith mindset. They were down at halftime but they have come back out, played their normal football to get points and that is exactly what they have done," Cronulla title-winning coach Shane Flanagan told Fox Sports.

Gold Coast held an unlikely lead at the main break after an error-riddled first half.

Penrith were frustrated by Gold Coast but looked to have drawn first blood in the 22nd minute, only for fullback Dylan Edwards to be denied after the video referee ruled Cleary had obstructed Moeaki Fotuaika in the lead-up.

Balmain great Steve Roach told Fox Sports: "Moe Fotuaika was a 1000-1 to get to Edwards there."

But Flanagan interjected: "It's a tough one but I agree with the call".

Both sides traded many errors before the Titans finally broke through thanks to some brilliance from surprise bench starter Fifita.

Fifita carved through Penrith close to the line, keeping the ball alive before winger Greg Marzhew gobbled up Will Smith's pin point chip kick and crashed over in the 38th minute.

Cleary's two-point field goal attempt was waved away at halftime, ending a forgettable first stanza that featured 11 errors - six by the defending premiers.

"That's a fulltime stat usually for Penrith. Very rarely do they give away six errors in a half," Flanagan said of the Panthers who had an ordinary 70 per cent completion rate for the first stanza.

Benji Marshall added: "Penrith have almost done everything they can to lose this game - I haven't seen them look this rattled for a long time."