1. Panthers (Last Week: 1)
The Panthers took another big step towards the minor premiership and all but guaranteed a home final in week one with a comprehensive win over the Tigers on Saturday. It took Penrith a while to get started, however they ran riot once they clicked and bounced their local rivals five tries to one.
Jarome Luai is becoming a superstar in one season. So too is Liam Martin who scored yet another. Speaking of scoring again, Stephen Crichton is one of the game's most potent outside backs. Nathan Cleary is running away with the Dally M medal count. Love me some Dylan Edwards.
2. Storm (2)
The Storm made a mockery of the recent rivalry with the Sea Eagles by battering them to the tune of 24 points. A late try may have padded the result slightly but Melbourne were in another class.
Justin Olam crossed for a hatty while Addo Carr scored two tries of his own. Ryan Papenhuyzen had a decent shift, lying on three try assists and four line break assists. Nicho Hynes is set to become a big star after yet another eye catching display. They're still missing some serious cattle but are way too classy for the also-ran sides like Manly.
3. Roosters (6)
Despite the 'quality' of opposition on Friday night, the Roosters reminded us all that they're still well and truly in this title race. The 58-12 win over the Broncos rounds off the one most sided rivalry this season following their earlier 59-0 win over the same opponents. The ten try party ran riot down both sides of the field.
Kyle Flanagan landed nine goals to re-enter the top point scorer race after missing two weeks. The Roosters made 11 line breaks, 220+ more metres, and 20 more tackle breaks despite a 50/50 split of possession. Scary stats. Then there's James Tedesco. Phwoar James Tedesco!
4. Raiders (5)
Canberra looked in real trouble when Tom Starling was sent to the bin just after halftime. Trailing 20-12 and down a man, the Raiders dug deep and on the back of some Jack Wighton magic broke the spirit of the Dogs and ran away with this in the end.
Josh Papalii's 222 metres were massive while Joseph Tapine bossed the Dogs in attack and defence. Despite looking shaky for a little while, this was ultimately a good, and super important, win for the Green Machine. Next week's clash with the Roosters will decide who sits in fourth after round 17. HUGE!
5. Eels (3)
Yikes. What an awful night for those in blue and gold. Trounced 38-0 on their own turf, this game exposed every weakness that the Eels have in 2020. They were AWFUL! Dylan Brown's season ended via injury, Mitch Moses can kiss his Origin hopes goodbye while
Blake Ferguson's try scoring drought has turned from funny meme into a full blown issue. They'll enjoy a huge turnaround before Sunday's clash with the Warriors which is good as they have a bout a thousand things to work on before then.
6. Rabbitohs (7)
Here come the Bunnies! For the second week in the row the famous red and green shone, this time belting the fancied Eels 38-blot. It's going to be tough to single out the star players here as the Rabbitos ran riot right across the park.
Campbell Graham is a real favourite of mine and remains super underrated. Latrell Mitchell had the ball on a string and was unstoppable before his season ended in a horror moment. Both halves are breathing fire while only five players 1 to 17 didn't make 100 metres. They had a further two in the 90s and one in the 80s. Absolute destruction.
7. Knights (4)
The Knights missed a golden opportunity to go within one win of a top four spot after falling to the Warriors in Tamworth. The 30 point loss has them in real danger of falling to eighth this weekend should they not defeat the Sharks. Gehamat Shibasaki's 19th minute try ensured the Knights went into the break only two points down but it was all one way traffic in the second half. Saulo and Randall combined off the bench for a total of zero runs and zero running metres.
8. Sharks (8)
The Sharks overcame a slow start, and the withdrawal of Shaun Johnson to out enthuse and outplay the Cowboys. Young Braydon Trindall announced himself as a genuine option at seven for the home side with a monster effort.
Will Kennedy continues to prove his mouthy critics wrong. Briton Nikora looked like a man possessed on his return to the top grade. Blayke Brailey took ownership sans his two experienced halves and helped his younger pairing direct the side around. The Sharks young stars are emerging rapidly as they continue to pile on the points. They face a genuine season-defining fixture against the Knights on Friday evening.
9. Warriors (9)
The Warriors not only kept their finals hopes alive on Saturday afternoon but announced themselves as probably the only team outside the eight to still be in the running. Leading 8-6 at halftime against the Knights, they came out in the second half and put on a show.
The 'home' team scored five unanswered tries in front of a very enthusiastic Tamworth crowd. RTS was the man with 269 metres and two tries although Adam Pompey also bagged a double. 89% completion rate on 64% possession meant this game was only going one way. The Warriors were electric and dominated every stat.
10. Titans (13)
The Titans were six minutes away from a frustrating, season-defining, loss to the Dragons. Then Tyrone Peachey's quick reactions lead to a try that looked as though it would send us to golden point. Then the Titans would score from the next set and capture the points.
Then and then and then ... I sound like an excited kid recounting a story here because the last ten minutes of this contest were awesome. Alexander Brimson is a star. If he's not in Origin contention then the Maroons don't deserve nice things. Peach had his best game in quite some time.
11. Dragons (10)
The Dragons had it all to play for on Friday evening yet fell short in their bid for two, very important competition points. A win would have had them breathing down local rivals the Sharks necks in 8th but instead they're not almost certain to miss the finals yet again.
They only managed one try against the Titans despite 55% possession and a 91% completion rate. They had 28 more runs of the ball yet only made 80 more meters. Blake Lawrie topped the metres with 206 and looks a brilliant prospect. Season over?
12. Tigers (11)
The Tigers finals chances all but ended on Saturday night. Although if we're being serious they probably ended a month ago. Despite a really positive start, holding the Panthers scoreless for almost half an hour, they were ultimately toothless and reduced to little brother status.
David Nofoaluma continued his brilliant season with 149 running metres and his team's only try. Benji is still the classier of the halves, which is scary considering he is supposedly out the door at season's end while Luke Brooks seemingly has a life contract.
13. Sea Eagles (12)
Manly continue their mid-to-late season freefall after yet another below par performance and result. A bright start fell by the wayside as Melbourne ran in a series of tries, including some highlight reel efforts.
For Manly it was the same old story. Too many errors, bad defensive reads and a serious lack of class. They recorded 15 metres less, per set, than their opponents despite having two elite quality prop forwards leading the way. Their season is now over.
14. Bulldogs (14)
In the 44th minute of this contest the Dogs lead Canberra by 20-12 and had a one man advantage after Tom Starling was sent to the sin bin. Fast forward to full time and the Dogs exited the nation's capital having suffered a 34-20 defeat.
Dogs fans online joked that they could find a loss from anywhere but this was a special effort. Kerrod Holland's 40th minute try was an absolute ripper and for 40 minutes Foran looked five years younger. Will Hopoate makes such a huge difference to this side. That said, he needs help when the going gets tough.
15. Cowboys (15)
The Cowboys started brightly against the Sharks on Saturday afternoon before being overrun. Kyle Feldt tries bookended the try scoring, however it was the five tries conceded in between that were the issue. Michael Morgan's injury issues continued as he was forced off in the 14th minute. Val Holmes did not enjoy his return to play his old side and finished 0-2 across 2020.
16. Broncos (16)
In a big positive the Broncos were more competitive than last time they played the Roosters. They only conceded 58 points this time and even managed to score a couple of tries. Patrick Carrigan, David Fifita and maybe one or two others aside, there was nothing to report here. Their four interchange players combined for 132 metres. Patrick Carrigan deserves special praise for yet another monster effort despite injury.
