Mitchell Pearce insists the Sydney Roosters can “absolutely” be an NRL title force in 2016 after breathing life into their flagging campaign with an inspired return from his drunken Australia Day antics.

Playing his first match of the year following an eight-match suspension, Pearce guided the Roosters to a crushing – and desperately needed – 38-0 victory over Newcastle at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.

Pearce received a standing ovation after having a hand or foot in three of his side’s six tries and scoring one himself to help drag the Roosters off the bottom of the ladder, above the hapless Knights, with just their second win from nine starts.

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“I know how to play footy and it was just good to get back out there and rip in with my mates because being on the sidelines has been hurting me big time,” Pearce said.

“I just wanted to get out there and play well and do my thing.”

As did coach Trent Robinson, who said having his little general back allowed his teammates – chiefly five-eighth Jackson Hastings – to flourish.

“It felt like having Mitchell back there allowed a lot more of the players to play their roles,” Robinson said.

“Jacko, I thought, played really well in his natural role.

“We had our conductor back and it allowed us to move around freely around him.”

Only two teams in the NRL’s 18-year era have made the finals after winning just one of their first eight games but Pearce is adamant the Roosters can be the third.

“Absolutely. I’m certainly confident about that,” he said.

Minor premiers for the past three years, the Roosters still have a mountain to climb to make the playoffs but they’ve certainly given fans reason for hope.

Inspirational prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves also made a successful comeback after missing the first eight games with a knee injury, leaving coach Trent Robinson at last with virtually a full-strength line-up after fellow hardman Boyd Cordner’s return from a pectoral tear last week.

Pearce, though, has undoubtedly been the Roosters’ missing link and wasted no time proving so in a dominant display that would have also impressed NSW State of Origin coach Laurie Daley.

NSW’s incumbent No.6 totally outplayed the Blues’ current No.7 Trent Hodkinson, who was powerless to prevent the Knights being kept scoreless for the second time in three games.

As if being trounced 34-18 by premiers North Queensland wasn’t enough, Manly have lost star Dylan Walker to a leg in jury.

Already down on numbers before his departure, the Sea Eagles were outmuscled by the Cowboys in front of 11,734 fans at Brookvale Oval on Saturday night.

The home side lost Brett Stewart, Tom Trbojevic and Api Koroisau before kick off, causing a major reshuffle but had another spoke thrown in the wheel when Walker left the field midway through the second half.

Despite Manly officials insisting he was fine and that he was only taken off as a precaution, their star recruit spent most of the second half on the bench.

With their line up in disarray, the Sea Eagles offered little resistance as the Cowboys’ stars ran riot to record their seventh win from nine rounds.

Importantly, it equalled the club’s best start to a season, matching the 7-2 opening to their 2006 campaign.

And earlier, a 79th-minute field goal to Peter Wallace gave Penrith a thrilling 19-18 win over Canberra, continuing their remarkable recent run of close contests.

The Panthers looked headed for a second straight heartbreaking defeat when Jordan Rapana levelled the score with his second try in the 74th minute.

Both Aidan Sezer and Jamie Soward missed shots at field goal in the final five minutes, before Wallace nailed the 25-metre game-winner in Bathurst.

His one-pointer comes two years after tearing his ACL on the same ground.

Down 18-6 with 11 minutes remaining, Raiders forward Paul Vaughan started the comeback with a try from close range, before Rapana soared over Peta Hiku to give the visitors all the momentum.

But the Panthers held on for a thrilling win, meaning all nine of their games this season have been decided in the final five minutes.