To anyone that doesn't support the Broncos, hearing Wayne Bennett complain about scheduling is akin to listening to the Queen moan about her tea being a bit warm. But somewhere in his decent Red Hill rant on Thursday were some good points about the double standards around player welfare and State of Origin, although Set of Six can't help but feel that at least some of it was designed to take all focus off Brisbane before their match in Townsville. Bennett's aim fell squarely on a number of the game's leading player - including his own - who regularly question the packed calendar and want less football, not more, spread out over time. But making $90,000 off an Origin series and returning to club duties with barely a whimper of protest must surely dilute their arguments. It may take a bloc of players to refuse to play two days after the most draining contest of the year for action to finally be taken.

Look global, buy local

It was interesting to see Newcastle Knights boss Matt Gidley pen an open letter to fans urging them to be patient as they get put through the grinder every week. There's no doubt it's been painful to watch and the fall from grace for a proud football city has been alarming to say the least. Teams inevitably go through their cycles of success and failure but the hope is the troughs aren't so low they end up with a side that can't compete with most of the competition. But the club has one thing spot on with its relentless promotion of local talent. Nothing reinvigorates a regional side more than the local kid made good, something a newer side like the Titans have struggled with since day one. Until that comes to fruition, though, the Knights must at least show they belong on the same park as their NRL rivals. They give it another crack at Campbelltown on Saturday against the Tigers.

Sea Eagles must take flight

Trent Barrett's vacant stare after his side was easily accounted for by the Brisbane Broncos told a million stories. Here was a coach who was at a loss to explain what was happening and how to go about tuning up an outfit that, on paper, should be doing far better. Things don't get any easier on Saturday night when they travel to mee the Sharks, who have managed to turn themselves into one of the elite sides alongside Melbourne, Brisbane and the Cowboys. The most concerning aspect of the hammering from Brisbane was the total lack of energy, despite all of the players in the lead-up suggesting they were primed to come out and produce a huge upset. It is doubtful the scoreline will be any kinder to Manly unless they shape up in a major way against Cronulla, who can bully them through the middle even more than the small-ball Broncos.

Oh dear: Sea Eagles coach Trent Barrett looks on. Photo: Matt King

Birds of a feather

Moa, I'm off the streets. Gonna go where the bright lights and Homebush meet. With a red-haired prop, on fire. De-si-i-i-i-re. With zero apologies to U2 whatsoever, their Rattle and Hum single should have been all the rage at Bondi Junction during the week. To see Roosters captain Jake Friend say the club was missing the will to win would have sunk the hearts of the Roosters faithful, who must be staring at the ladder in utter disbelief in their nightmare start to the season. But to see Friend and coach Trent Robinson speak with such raw honestly would have done far more for the group than ranting about referees. That really might have been the loss they had to have - and that's no disrespect to the Titans, who deserve far more respect than they usual are afforded. Expect a big bounceback against the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon.

Sorry sight: Roosters Mitchell Pearce, Boyd Cordner and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves during the loss to the Gold Coast. Photo: Chris Hyde

Slippery slope

How much motivation will be left in the tank for the Eels? They were the most intriguing team to watch last week given their salary cap drama and a loss to South Sydney could well have sunk their hopes of what would have been a miraculous run to the finals. Statistically, they can still get there but the enduring challenge now for Brad Arthur will be to try and keep them motivated as the task becomes more improbable by the week. Unfortunately for them, after losing to a Rabbitohs side that has found a bit of form at long last, they now host Melbourne at Pirtek Stadium, a match in which they have been installed as favourites. Anyone who saw the Storm's superb win over the Cowboys must be thinking that the $2 quote is some sort of misprint. If the hearts of the Eels are already starting to break, it could be a very long night against a very good team.

Impressive win: The Storm against the North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium. Photo: Ian Hitchcock

Light in the dark

Set of Six tends to look forward rather than backwards but the grace, courage and humility of Sea Eagles forward Darcy Lussick needs to be highlighted. Lussick played last weekend just days after the death of his mum Christie, 42, who was buried on Wednesday. It was the most emotional of nights for him as he took the field in honour of a woman who was his biggest fan throughout his career. After the match, Lussick was strong enough and gracious enough to speak to a handful of reporters about his decision to play and how he managed to get through the week. It was a heartbreaking interview but once he started, the words kept flowing and flowing. Hats off to Trent Barrett and the Manly club for looking after Lussick so well and also to the Sea Eagles media department, who encouraged the delicate interaction rather than just shut it down without asking the question.