In this week's Real or Not we look at the disappointing Anzac Day performance of the Dragons against the Roosters, ask whether the Titans' season has turned a corner, and criticise the awful jersey worn by the Rabbitohs.
Read on as we tackle some of the big talking points in this week's NRL Real or Not.
Roosters douse the Dragons' revival fire
REAL: There was real hope in the hearts of Dragons supporters as they streamed into Allianz Stadium on Anzac Day. The club had been through some dark times, but new coach Shane Flanagan was starting to deliver. Their convincing victory over premiership hopefuls New Zealand a week earlier had the faithful truly believing that the Roosters were ripe for the plucking.
Roosters fans had been concerned that their own club's run of Top 8 finishes was drawing to a close, after a start to the year which included four losses and just the three wins. Defeat in this game would see them languishing in the bottom half of the ladder.
The opening whistle saw the Big Red V kick off, players enthusiastically pouring downfield as Roosters veteran Jared Waerea-Hargreaves launched himself off the back fence for the first hit up. The collision that ensued shook the new stadium and Dragons centre Moses Suli was knocked out cold, the steam knocked out of the game momentarily as he was attended to.
Just five minutes later as Jaydn Su'a crashed over at the end of some incredible play from the Dragons, the fans in red and white were on their feet, screaming for what would surely come, a well-deserved victory over the despised enemy. But that was it, the sole moment of glory in an opening half which was otherwise littered with five Roosters tries for an agonising 30-6 deficit at the break.
Flanagan's half-time rant sparked something in the Dragons as Jack De Belin crossed for the first try after the break, but as in the first half, their defence let them down badly. The Roosters scored the next three tries and then two more after Tom Eisenhuth crossed in the 67th minute.
With 10 tries and a perfect 10 from 10 conversions from Sam Walker, the Roosters chalked up 60 points to the Dragons' 18. It wasn't just a loss, it was the kind of embarrassment the Dragons thought they had left behind.
A new coach is always the answer to a club's struggles
NOT REAL: The only team winless and struck at the bottom of the ladder, Des Hasler's Gold Coast Titans travelled to New Zealand for what was a tough task, taking on the Warriors who had suffered a shock defeat the week before.
The Titans had gone close to victory in their previous two encounters, losing by a point to the Raiders and by four points to Manly. But things got off to a disastrous start in Auckland, with the home team leading 12-0 before 10 minutes had passed.
But with AJ Brimson leading the way from fullback and David Fifita making inroads with his typical charges through the middle, the Titans fought back and even held a 15-point lead before leaking some late points.
"We just had to find a way to win, it was as simple as that," captain Kieran Foran said.
We couldn't afford to drop that one and I think you could feel the desperation from the boys.
"I'm extremely proud of the defensive effort at the end... we know we'd been unlucky the last two weeks, probably games that we should have won that we didn't."
Hasler came to the underachieving club with his own reputation for success. Many tipped the Titans would make the finals in his first season in charge, but things haven't turned out as he or the club would have planned.
New coaches bring with them new ways, new enthusiasm and hope for greater success. Sometimes it takes a while for a team to settle into all that newness, to find their feet and play the football the coach is asking of them. This gutsy win over the Warriors could be the turning point in the season for Hasler and his Titans, lets see how they go next week against the fearsome Storm.
Souths need to rethink that Anzac Day jersey
REAL: South Sydney ran out onto AAMI Park to take on the Storm hoping to break their duck in Melbourne, while wearing a jersey that made them look more like the North Queensland Cowboys. The Rabbitohs decided to abandon their traditional cardinal and myrtle hoops for a mostly white jersey with a navy square around the collar, emulating a sailor's traditional uniform. They also wore white shorts, but decided to keep the red and green socks.
The design was a nod to the Royal Australian Navy.
"The jersey underscores our enduring commitment to the values we share with the Royal Australian Navy, including mateship, high performance, commitment to the team and achieving success," a club statement read.
"The 2024 ANZAC Jersey proudly mirrors the Navy's 'sailor suits' ceremonial uniform, similar to those worn by Royal Australian Navy personnel in the Second World War."
Anzac Day jersey designs have come in for praise and criticism over the years, with some of the best involving subtle changes to the current jersey such as the inclusion of a poppy or a silhouette of some soldiers. Souths' attempt at a sailor uniform missed the mark for a club whose colours are so intrinsic to their historic brand. It didn't help that these unrecognisable Rabbitohs continued their season of unrecognisably bad form, losing convincingly to the Storm.