Slow starts still plague the Gold Coast Titans but coach Neil Henry admits he has no idea how to solve it after their 32-26 NRL loss to North Queensland.

A fast-finishing Titans piled on two tries in the final five minutes but fell short yet again due to the way they began the round four clash at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday night.

In the first 20 minutes North Queensland enjoyed almost 80 per cent possession with a 100 per cent completion rate, racing to a 10-0 lead.

The Titans had completed 50 more tackles by that stage.

Gold Coast typically dug deep to snatch a 12-10 first half lead before two-try Cowboys backrower Coen Hess took charge in the second stanza.

The Titans are now the only NRL team to have not scored a point inside the opening 20 minutes of a match this season.

Not that Henry had to be reminded.

"We've talked about starting better," Henry said.

"But there's no magic formula to starting better.

"I don't know if you have a solution to it?"

In their first four games Gold Coast have not only failed to score in the opening 20 minutes, they have also conceded a total of 38 points in that time.

"It's the patches where we don't have the ball for the first 10 minutes (which hurt)," Henry said.

"It takes a lot of energy out of the guys out there - it all adds up."

Gold Coast's whirlwind finish coming back from a 20-12 halftime deficit only added to Henry's frustration.

Henry admitted he wondered what might have been if their attack - led by impressive halfback Ash Taylor - had received more ball, and earlier.

"I thought we played some entertaining football and really tested their defence," he said.

"But we needed a bit more possession and our goal-line defence needs to be better.

"If we get that right our attack is good enough to worry other teams."

Cowboys co-captain Johnathan Thurston enjoyed a points decision over Taylor but admitted the Titans No.7 had kept him honest.

"That's always going to be the way when you come up against an exciting talent like him," Thurston said.

"He's no doubt got a big future ahead of him - it was nice to get one over him."

Ex-Sydney Roosters centre Dale Copley also impressed with two tries on Titans debut.

Another Titans debutant, ex-Brisbane winger Daniel Vidot, also scored in the final Titans frenzy.

Gold Coast still have 11 players out including NRL star Jarryd Hayne - not back for at least another three weeks - and ex-Parramatta rake Nathan Peats.

In another worry, prop Agnatius Paasi is nursing a shoulder injury while co-captain Ryan James may come under scrutiny for his 18th minute hit on Cowboys prop Patrick Kaufusi.