With the completion of Round 17, we officially have ten regular season rounds remaining.
The race for finals spots is as red hot as it has been in recent memory, while even the battle at the bottom of the table shifts from week to week.
At the top, it looks like a case of the Storm roaring to yet another Minor Premiership, although I'd bet there is a twist or turn ahead of us yet.
Below are 20 thoughts from Round 17's round of NRL action:
1. As I wrote over the weekend Nicho Hynes recent form is really worrying. Not so much that he's in a form slump but the manner of it mirrors 2023's post Origin fall from grace for the Sharks halfback. Hynes really needs to shake the cobwebs as I maintain he is the most important player in the competition when it comes to his teams fortunes.
2. The Bunker backed themselves into a corner last week due to the combination or a horror decision and Graham Annesley backing said horror decision. During Origin we saw a lifting tackle that was exactly the same as the one that saw Roger Tuivasa-Sheck sin-binned days earlier. Players even mentioned it. No sin bin eventuated. Fast forward another few days, and Apisai Koroisau was marched for the least dangerous part of the lot.
3. Peter Gough needs to spend less time lecturing players and more time watching where he is going. I make that comment in jest, but referees seem far more worried about talking down to players than making the right decisions.
4. Does anyone want to win this competition? Right now, the Panthers are on a rare downslope. Melbourne, despite clearly leading atop the NRL ladder, haven't yet had a game with their first choice spine. Meanwhile, the Sharks and Dolphins are on a slide, and the Roosters keep losing games randomly. This competition is screaming for someone to stand up and challenge Penrith.
5. Last week I expressed huge concerns over the NRL's inability to act unless players stay down ... and then doubled down when Graham Annesley warned players not to stay down. This past Friday night Braydon Trindall was put down in a crusher tackle. He would have won the penalty if he had stayed down, as later in the game, the offending player was put on report. Meanwhile, the Dogs gained a penalty for a near-identical tackle two sets later. The only difference? The Dogs player didn't get up to play the ball.
6. If you ever needed an argument to find a way to limit Origin-effected footy, it came in the Panthers/Cowboys clash on Sunday afternoon. That game should have been a marquee fixture in front of a sold-out crowd. Instead, it was two depleted squads going through the motions. Great win by the Cowboys, but come on ...
7. I am a huge fan of talks about moving superstar Tom Trbojevic to centre upon his return from injury this weekend. The competition is better when Turbo is playing week to week. Unfortunately, his body has let him down, and a move should absolutely help with that.
8. How, during the week of all weeks, did Mitchell Moses not touch the ball 20 times in that final set on Saturday evening? I don't believe he touched it once despite the game being on the line. Boy, did he give his side a spray after? Well deserved!
9. Kaeo Weekes may be a shout for fastest man in rugby league. The way he burned noted speedster Sua Faalogo with ease was a thing of beauty. That kid has a monster future.
10. It was great to finally see a player sin binned for a blatant trip. With action comes a reaction, and hopefully, players will stop allowing it to happen now they know they can pay the price.
11. Will Pryce had an incredible debut for the Knights on Saturday. I still can't believe more NRL sides aren't taking punts on Super League players. You could see how much it meant to him and his family in the post game also. Brilliant stuff!
12. There is no chance I'm making any changes to the NSW Blues Origin squad for game three. That said, if there is an injury out wide, Bradman Best walks into a centre position. He has been so good since his return from injury.
13. Mitch Moses produced the best 40 minutes of rugby league I have seen all season ... in a must-win Origin contest in front of 90,000 fans. That is what you call rising to the occasion. He continued that for the Eels also. What a week.
14. Paul Gallen's comments suggesting that Sifa Talakai ran the ball to hard and too far (the play before the missed Hynes field goal) are among the most ridiculous I have ever heard. Nicho Hynes had a chip shot, from 15 metres out, right in front. We need to stop making excuses for Hynes. He just missed it. It happens. Talakai did everything right. Hynes had another tackle to set it up if he wasn't happy with the perfect set up.
15. I am pretty hard on the refs but I think Friday evening's decision to reward a defender running into a bloke standing 15 metres away from anything relevant, has to be the worst of them all. The standard of officiating this season has been equal parts laughable and offensive. Time to hire some people with a feel for the game.
16. Jamie Soward should be appointed the new Sky Blues coach (NRLW Origin). His passion for the women's game is second to none and he has a wealth of knowledge. The current Sky Blues set up is an embarrassment but I know Soward could turn it all around.
17. Just quietly Jaime Chapman produced the two highlights of the Women's Origin series. She is the most dangerous runner in the women's game. She touched the ball a combined ten times in Origins two and three. That is abhorrent coaching and gameplay from the halves.
18. Despite the previous entries negativity, the Women's Origin expanding to three games was a monster success. Three huge crowds, record ratings and two brilliant games (and a stinker) made for an incredible spectacle.
19. I was drawn into an online argument (my fault for allowing) by a group of fans who were convinced that losing a Finals game was better than not making Finals. By very definition you need to make Finals to play Finals. That should end all further discussions.
20. Sure are a lot of fanbases calling the Sharks frauds. Frauds who sit two games inside the competition's top four. Just wanted to point that out before it all goes wrong in the Shire.
