Hayne is the Titans' X-factor - and more talking points from the NRL weekend

You really couldn’t have asked for anything more if you were Neil Henry could you? Hayne has come in and played two very good games to start his time on the Gold Coast.

He has been close to the Titans best in both weeks, and while it had a mitigating factor on their overall game and certainly that of Ashley Taylor’s last weekend, they seemed to get the overall package like this weekend.

But the X-factor scenario is evident more than a few times a game – whether it is a big run out of his own end, great field vision for a kick or pass, an excellent play in defence or attacking a high ball he just has so many ways to hurt an opposition.

That’s before you think about how the Titans game ended on the weekend against the Wests Tigers – it was a classic game, everything it was supposed to be between two teams battling for a spot in the top eight.

It did however, descend into a field goal war during the last ten minutes. After multiple missed attempts, it was Hayne who stood up and knocked one over with mere seconds on the clock from a fair distance out.

If that, plus everything else he has done, doesn’t scream X-factor then I’m not sure what does and with a game like that which essentially becomes a four-point turnaround, the Titans should now find themselves in position to qualify for the finals.

The Broncos’ real challenge starts now
So, the Brisbane Broncos have finally reversed their form slump – but have they really?

On the scoreboard the answer is absolutely yes, but off the scoreboard the answer is still yet to be found out.

You have to remember that even though the club that once were premiership favourites have managed to win two straight it has been against sides that are at the wrong end of the table and really struggling to gain any ascendancy in the competition.

They defeated the St George Illawarra Dragons (and more on them shortly) last week by just three points in a performance that wouldn’t have filled many Broncos fans with much hope before a statement type game against the Parramatta Eels.

Honestly, the ‘statement type’ game from the Broncos has been a long time coming. You only have to remember losses against teams like the Sydney Roosters to realise where they should be and how they should be playing.

The match against the Eels on the weekend though felt like a return to form with Anthony Milford having his best performance in months, their forwards standing up, and Darius Boyd returning to form.

While there is still a lot of work to be done in Brisbane, there are no questions that it was a massively positive performance.

But does it really mean anything in the long run? The Broncos will come up against the Canterbury Bulldogs at home next week – and the Bulldogs who are playing good footy in the top four will be right up for that game as most teams are when they travel north.

The week after, they travel south to play the form team of the competition – the Melbourne Storm.

All I’m going to say in closing is why don’t we chat about the Broncos premiership credentials in a fortnight instead of now.

The New Zealand Warriors are cooked
The New Zealand Warriors look to be on their annual structure. Inconsistent at the start of the season, then massive during the Origin period in time for everyone to insert them as premiership favourites before they have a demise at the end of the season.

That demise has started in a big way on the weekend as a South Sydney Rabbitohs side who have been priming themselves for a victory over the last few weeks finally got one and in a big way over the Warriors.

They were blown off the park in the first half of the match and it was just all one-way traffic. Their attack was disappointing, defence not a whole lot better and despite all the home games they have at the back end of the season, it’s hard to see them making the eight.

Sitting on 24 points now they are still obviously a chance, but realistically the way they played on the weekend indicates they have peaked and won’t be coming back for a last run at September.

Even if they did, it would be a match on the road and you would rate their chances about as highly as me climbing Everest tomorrow.

Where has that been all season for the Dragons?
For Dragons fans like myself their victory on the weekend over the Cronulla Sharks was pleasing, but also one that made you sit there, jaw dropped and ask ‘where the hell has that been all season?’

The Dragons were switched on from the first set on both ends of the park and looked like a different team to the one we have seen for the first 22 weeks.

It’s like something finally clicked for them – hey, if we pass the football, we might score points. Well they did and yep, they scored 30 points against one of the best defensive sides in the competition.

They now need to finish the season like that and, with any realistic hope of the finals gone, build for 2017.

Is 49 becoming 50 in the Shire?
It’s been 49 long years in the Shire without a premiership – it’s an all too well-known fact that they have never won one but this year had a seriously different feel about it for the men in black, white and blue.

They had gone on a record-breaking winning streak and were crushing everyone in their path, but the real question now after a draw against the Titans and back-to-back losses against the Canberra Raiders and St George Illawarra Dragons is have they peaked too early?

The Sharks have looked like a different team over the last fortnight, and while I don’t want to write them off just yet finding some form again before the finals is absolutely key.

They haven’t been struck down with injuries, suspension or misfortune and their level of intensity and play has been gradually dropping for the last month one might argue.

That elusive premiership looks to be slowly slipping away, as does the minor and without a turnaround in form, it might be all too easy for the Melbourne Storm to run away with the trophy.

Are the Newcastle Knights the worst team ever?
Earlier in the season Roarer Taking it one week at a time had a look at whether the Knights would be the worst team in history and after another blowout it’s starting to get very difficult to argue against it.

On the weekend, they got walloped 42-6 by a Penrith Panthers team who are in a desperate struggle to make the top eight. While they looked competitive for the first half an hour of the contest they conceded 34 second half points.

Their defence is woeful and with a for and against that is now sitting on negative 451 and only one win and a draw from 21 games it has been a season to forget.

But are they the worst of all time?

Their for-and-against is now worse than the Western Suburbs Magpies of 1998 and while it won’t get to the level of 1999 they haven’t played as many matches.

The bottom line is all of the teams that are in the running for worst team ever have won multiple games – the Knights have three weeks to turn it around and with a run home against the desperate Titans, resurgent Rabbitohs and Dragons it’s hard to see them picking up two more victories.

So yes – yes they are.

Cowboys fans should probably be concerned right about now
To close out the round, the North Queensland Cowboys travelled south to Allianz Stadium and, putting it nicely, they didn’t play well.

It’s another worry for the Cowboys fans and after a couple of losses in a row the bid to go back-to-back is starting to look very shaky.

They, like the Broncos, looked like one of the best teams in the competition once again before the Origin period, but they have just never got their momentum back and after a performance that was worse than what they managed during Origin last year, plus an injury to Johnathan Thurston, they are struggling big time.

Full credit to their opponents the Sydney Roosters, but they Cowboys shouldn’t be losing to them if they want to go anywhere near the grand final.

Even with JT on the park they didn’t look good enough, and after he was rushed back from injury whereas he would normally be given a little more time on the sideline at this point in the season you have to wonder if there are a few underlying problems in Townsville.

Roarers, there you have it – our talking points from the weekend that was. What did you make of it? What did I miss?

Be sure to check back in next Sunday Night for another edition.

Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde