Firstly, there was the weekend spent in McIntyre system limbo as I waited for the results of other matches to find out if we were still alive or dead and buried.

Really, you shouldn’t need to wait until Sunday afternoon to find out what the result of a match played on Friday means. As soon as the full-time hooter sounds you should know if you’re in or out.

You shouldn’t have to grit your teeth and cheer for rival teams just so you can play for another week.

Then, once we ended up surviving and drawing the Broncos at Brisbane, the nerves and trepidation kicked in.

Because, lets face it, our performance against the Tiggers wasn’t exactly great. The first half was the Dragons of old but we reverted to the Dragons circa late 2011 in the second half.

Rather than dominating, we got dominated. Dropping the ball on damn near every set at the back end and appearing to fold under pressure didn’t help.

It’s definitely not going to help against a Broncos side that was running hot last week. Though, in fairness, the Warriors contributed massively to their 30-point losing margin. It’s hard to see the Dragons playing that poorly in a final.

But will they play well enough to win? That’s the big question. And it all depends on which Dragons turn up on Saturday. If it’s the first-half Dragons, we’re home. If it’s the second-half Dragons, we’re dead.

Much has been made of the Wayne Bennett-Darren Lockyer storyline leading into this game but I don’t reckon that’s even a factor. As if Bennett is going to throw a game because he wants his mate on the other side to win. That suggestion is beyond ridiculous to me.

I’m just nervously hoping the Dragons can turn their season around (yet again) and bump off the Broncos. I’m not ready to stop watching the footy just yet.