The Sydney Roosters were the star team from round eight, thumping the Dragons in an Anzac Day masterclass.
Parramatta went through déjà vu with another second half collapse while Cronulla sits on top of the ladder, but their biggest challenges are coming up.
1. Titans win, Warriors lose spark and NZ should host on Anzac Day
The opening match of the round provided three talking points which were all worthy of a mention.
Des Hasler finally has a win as Titans coach and the Gold Coast deserved it, beating the Warriors 27-24.
It felt as if the Titans had been building to this win, and the triumph in Auckland laid a blueprint for future success.
AJ Brimson’s roaming fullback roll makes the Gold Coast attack lethal from anywhere on the park, the halves pairing of Kieran Foran and Tanah Boyd is starting to gel, and when David Fifita is feeling it he is a match-winner on his own.
Meanwhile, the Warriors do not look like the side who made it to last season’s preliminary final. They are winless in their last three, and unconvincing in their last two.
Like the previous week’s loss to the Dragons, the Warriors started strong before losing all momentum after 20 minutes. It is an issue they will want to address quickly with tough matches ahead.
But the major takeaway must be that playing in New Zealand on Anzac Day is non-negotiable. It is hard to believe that was only the second Anzac Day game played there.
The crowd were out in force and the pre-match ceremony was just as moving as anything in Sydney or Melbourne.
Going forward, the first game on Anzac Day should be a Warriors home game.
Going into the Anzac Day clash, the tricolours had not been able to string together back-to-back wins. The best of the Roosters was too often followed by poor performances.
Thursday afternoon’s 60-18 belting of St George Illawarra showed the class the Roosters have.
Sam Walker had close to the best game of his career, scoring 24 points and having a hand in many of the Roosters’ 10 tries.
In the middle, the Roosters forwards made metres at ease while the edge threats of Joey Manu and Dominic Young were too much for the Dragons to handle.
On paper the Roosters have a side that can win a premiership, with a roster of proven winners.
More performances like this throughout 2024 and they will enter the title race discussion.
But consistency has been the major hurdle for Sydney so far in 2024. A big showing this weekend at Lang Park against the Broncos will silence many doubters.
