The Mole: Plea Madge must make to retiring Adam Reynolds to save 'totally lost' Broncos

Adam Reynolds has decided to retire at the end of the season - but after the Broncos' woeful performance at Manly on Saturday night, Michael Maguire may well be tempted to ask him to play one last season in 2027.

The Broncos looked totally lost and rudderless without the veteran halfback, slumping to an embarrassing 32-4 defeat.

Manly were without their playmaker Jamal Fogarty and the inspirational Tom Trbojevic yet were still way too good for a fumbling, bumbling Broncos outfit, much to the delight of the full house at Brookvale.

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The Broncos could have real problems in the post-Reynolds era with their playmaking options looking shaky.

Ben Hunt is past his best, Ezra Mam had an absolute shocker - seven missed tackles and three errors - and Reece Walsh can over-play his hand and make errors when things don't go his way.

Jonah Pezet arrives next year from Parramatta, and youngster Tom Duffy is the future - but is he ready?

Reynolds is the glue that holds the Broncos together and at 35, may still have another season in him.

With his body starting to fall apart, he won't need to play 26 games - just help the Broncos through rough patches and steer them to the finals.

Maguire and Reynolds are extremely close, their relationship going back to South Sydney's 2014 premiership and I have no doubt that if the coach asks the question, his on-field general will strap on the boots for one more year.

HOW TIGERS HAVE HELPED QUEENSLAND

The fragile Wests Tigers defence may have turned the tide of the State of Origin series - before a ball has been kicked.

The Maroons bosses have privately been worried about the form of their two guns - Cam Munster and Harry Grant - during the Storm's horrid seven-game losing run.

Both had been well down on their devastating best but turned it all around as the Storm thrashed a disappointing Tigers side 44-16.

Munster had a big smile on his face for much of the game as the Storm released the pressure valve, scoring three tries in the opening 10 minutes to set the tone.

The classy five-eighth bagged two tries, ending a 24-game scoring drought - and Grant dived over for one while having a hand in three others.

If Laurie Daley was watching the game - and there's no doubt the Blues coach did so - he would have finished in a cold sweat.

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RECORD HOLDER DEFYING LOGIC

Even on one leg, the remarkable Alex Johnston continues to break records in the most prolific season of his long career.

Clearly struggling with a leg injury, without his main man Latrell Mitchell and playing against hot favourites Cronulla, it looked like being a tough night for AJ at Accor Stadium on Saturday.

But the veteran flanker raced in three tries in the Rabbitohs' 36-12 win, combining superbly with the 'new Latrell' - Latrell Siegwalt, who set up two of his tries.

Johnston's haul sent the historians searching through the records - he scored multiple tries in a match for the 61st time - 11 ahead of the next best player, Ken Irvine.

AJ bagged his 17th career hat-trick, overtaking Frank Burge and Ken Irvine for the most three-try games ever.

He became the first Souths player since the great Benny Wearing in the 1920s to score in nine straight games.

Throw in hitting 100 tries at Accor, making him the first player to score a century at any venue.

Truly an amazing night's work as the flashy winger continues to re-write the record books.

YOUNG HURTING HIS COACHING CAREER

The Dragons have killed off Dean Young's hopes of coaching the team full-time after just two games in charge.

Fans thought things couldn't get any worse when Shane Flanagan was sent packing…sadly they were wrong.

The Red V have leaked over 100 points in Young's two games at the helm and the young players he has brought in simply aren't up to the task.

It's fine to blood players for the future - but throwing them in to a team that cannot play can do more harm than good for their long-term development.

With Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best showing the poor Dragons no mercy, Newcastle raced to a 32-0 lead at halftime against the shell-shocked Dragons.

The pair continually attacked the fragile Dragons right edge, with winger Greg Marzhew scoring a club record-equalling five tries as a result.

The Knights are averaging nearly 40 points in the four games Ponga has played and who's to say he can't lead them into the top four for the final series?

WILL PEZET FIND A WAY BACK?

Ronald Volkman's career looked all but over when he was involved in a messy contract dispute with the Dragons a couple of years ago and then missed all of last season recovering from shoulder surgery.

Then the Eels decided to throw the talented 23-year-old a bone as back-up to the classy Jonah Pezet.

But with Pezet suspended in recent weeks, Volkman has been outstanding at five-eighth.

He was so dominant in the upset win at the Cowboys on Friday night that plenty of fans are calling for him to be retained in the team when Pezet returns.

A powerful running pivot, Volkman caused the Cowboys plenty of trouble out wide, having a hand in a couple of tries in the epic golden point win.

The good news is, with Pezet on the move at the end of his short stint at the club in a few months, the Eels have a ready made replacement and a great foil for Mitchell Moses.

A DEFINING MOMENT FOR ENFORCER?

Spencer Leniu has played grand finals and Origins, but Friday night's Roosters - Titans clash before a tiny crowd in Gosford may go down as one of the most important of his career.

After making just one run for five metres last week, speculation has been rife about the controversial prop's future at the Roosters.

Coach Trent Robinson decided to put the ball in Leniu's court, elevating him to the starting side for the clash with the Titans.

Another shocker and Leniu might have been put out to pasture, but the big man responded to the challenge with a strong game up front.

Leniu ran for over 120 metres in his 40 minutes of game time, bending back the Titans' line more than once and coming up with some bruising tackles.

It's just the response Robinson would have been looking for - and Leniu seems to be back in favour at the Roosters again.

TRAGIC STORY BEHIND BOSTOCK'S PERFORMANCE

Jack Bostock absolutely destroyed the Bulldogs out wide on Thursday night but he did so with a heavy heart.

Bostock took the field just two days after his uncle Aaron died after a short illness in his home town of Wollongong.

"Aaron would have wanted Jack to play," a source close to the family told Wide World of Sports.

"And the kid was great."

The Dolphins trailed 12-4 early but then hit the 'go' button, piling on 40 straight points as their backline - arguably the fastest in the league - cut loose.

The Bulldogs simply had no answer and their form is so poor they might be playing skipper Stephen Crichton out of contention for Origin One later this month.

Crichton is one of the most respected players in the game and is almost certain to be named by Daley for the opening game.

But the disaster that is the Bulldogs spine has resulted in Crichton struggling for quality ball and his form dipping as a result.