Finals race blown open, contender’s lack of metres and a Roosters’ resurgence: 20 thoughts from NRL Round 21

It's safe to say that it's getting serious now.

We have a clear top two sides in the competition, as well as the unfortunate bottom three. Anywhere in between though is anyone's guess as to where sides will end up.

Coming into the weekend I was convinced there were nine sides in the running for a top eight spot. Now I'm extending that to around 12 sides.

Below are 20 thoughts from a newsworthy and topsy-turvy Round 21 of NRL action, plus a few from the NRLW's historic Round 1.

1. Last week I could only see nine teams in the finals reckoning. After Round 21 I'm now opening it up to Newcastle, Manly and the Roosters. This is equal parts belief in these three sides and disbelief in the likes of the Sharks and Eels. The competition is alive again!

2. One side who is absolutely locked in for a top eight spot, and increasingly likely top four, are the Warriors. Earlier this year I said they'd be flat chat avoiding the bottom spots. Last year I said the same about the Cowboys. The morale of the story? Bet on whoever I predict will finish with the wooden spoon to finish in the top four next season.

3. The Roosters have been awful this season. That said they now sit a win (and points differential) outside the eight. If they were to squeeze into a finals spot, given the talent within this roster, you'd be braver than I am to write them off. Considering just last week they were sitting in the bottom four and we were talking an all time down year for the tri-colours... what a difference a week can make.

4. The Gold Coast Titans need to make a tough decision, as soon as this weekend. Having Jayden Campbell on the bench is a complete and utter waste of talent. How Tanah Boyd continues to hold his spot with Campbell being relegated to spectator for 60-plus minutes is beyond belief.

5. Last week I joked that the Tigers would be the first team to ever drop from 16th to 17th. That was largely in jest, but what isn't funny is finishing in last place and getting worse. Their loss to the Dragons all but confirms a second straight wooden spoon. Their most exciting player on the night, Daine Laurie, signed to return to Penrith less than 48 hours after. Yikes!

6. It's no secret that the Sharks have a number of issues but I'd rate not having a starting middle forward run for over 100 metres right up top.

7. Newcastle home games are now my favourite to watch, and it's almost entirely down to their fan base. Knights fans are seemingly the loudest in the competition and create at atmosphere that is unmatched. The way they cheered their team home against the mighty Storm was something else. So much fun!

8. Imagine winning 44 points to 18 and still being almost filthy with your performance. That is the life of a Panthers fan. Truthfully they were probably 60 points better than the Dogs yesterday afternoon but looked to take the foot off the gas a long way out.

9. Sticking with the Dogs, the 17 they named yesterday may have been the weakest side I've seen in modern times. I mean no disrespect but Dogs fans were universally disgusted with the side named.

10. The Newtown Jets announced (as they do every week) and attendance of 8.972 people on Saturday afternoon but the crowd would have been 12,000 at least. Those who missed it, the Jets hold an annual Beer, Footy and Food festival and it's a huge occasion. For anyone living in Sydney, definitely one to mark down on your calendar for next season.

11. Some of those NRLW post try celebrations over the weekend had me in stitches. The Eels ladies had their side doing the limbo, the Roosters took a penalty during the Women's World Cup and the Sharks made fun of the fact a try celebration from the night prior was interrupted. If you haven't seen them, they're worth going out of your way. Try July - what a brilliant introduction.

12. Speaking of the NRLW, how great was that round one action? The biggest weekend of NRLW action ever, saw two of the new sides win, two heavyweights assert their dominance and even produced the competition's first send off.

13. Jake Averillo has been the Dogs best player, by some margin, for three months now. Dogs fans can be rightfully filthy that he's been allowed to walk away next season to make space for a player coming off a four year, enforced hiatus.

14. It will go largely unnoticed but how about Mitch Moses overruling his captain late in the game on Saturday night? Down by eight, and with a gimme two points via a penalty, Clint Gutherson pointed to the sticks. Moses overruled him and the Eels lost the ball a few plays later. The penalty goal would have meant the Eels only needed one try (albeit a converted one) to force Golden Point. Turning it down meant they needed two tries.

15. The Broncos are a completely different side with Reece Walsh back in the lineup. Ok, they won without him last week but it was against the Dogs and they also rested their entire Origin forward pack. His addition was arguably the difference between Brisbane and the Bunnies. I can't wait to see Latrell back. I dare say there is a rematch coming up in September.

16. Sticking with Souths, they better hope Latrell Mitchell is back this weekend. They've dropped out of the eight and are only a result from dropping out the top ten. I still think Souths are the most likely side, outside of Brisbane, to worry the Panthers come finals time, but they have to get there first.

17. Scott Drinkwater may be the form player of the competition right now. Let me rephrase. Scott Drinkwater is the form player of the competition right now.

18. I fully expect a bidding war to eventuate should Jarome Luai test the market. That said, I don't buy into the fact a $100,000 third-party sponsorship ending will have any effect on his decision. His next contract will be upwards of 3 to 5 million dollars over the long-term.

19. Cameron Ciraldo's decision to move his prizes recruit, and number nine, into the middle to accommodate Kyle Flanagan works perfectly into my agenda that Ciraldo isn't up to first grade coaching. Happy to eat these words as I wish bad results on no one, but he's not helping himself.

20. In the space of 24 hours we saw a player sin-binned for "direct, forceful contact" to the head, lead to no HIA, and also a player sent for a HIA due to a high tackle, where no penalty was given. Rugby League!