In oppressive Queensland humidity, on a Thursday night, in South Sydney's first match of their premiership defence, in Wayne Bennett's first match back at the Broncos, on the same day Titans players faced court on cocaine charges and Geoff Toovey already looked under enormous pressure at Manly, a day after a Souths premiership ring was found in a Darwin drug bust, in the same week the NRL denied an off-field incident in Arizona had been covered up by star recruit Shane Richardson, an amazing thing happened.

The season started ... Oh that's right! The game! The actual game! We almost forgot.

An unusually busy, but not entirely unexpected, off-season of drama could not end soon enough for the suits of the NRL.

Defending premiers Souths shrugged off extreme heat at Suncorp Stadium to scorch the Broncos 36-6, but in reality it doesn't mean a thing.