The three-peat was achieved by the Penrith Panthers in 2023, in one of the most tightly-contested competitions of the modern era.
The opening third of the season saw some incredibly close margins, with the dominant teams starting to open the gaps on their opponents towards the back end of the year.
The Dolphins won plenty of fans in their inaugural NRL year in a season that many would not have predicted to be as successful.
The Warriors were adopted as many fans' 'second-favourite' team, with many riding the 'Wahs Wave', feeling affection for the Shaun Johnson-led side that arguably endured the hardest journey in and out of the COVID-affected period.
The NRL set new records for viewership and attendance in 2023, and it was a year where so many teams were still mathematically in finals contention until the final few rounds.
There was a plethora of encounters that we had to consider when finalising our top ten games of the year. Did we get them right? Were there any matches that you would have included?
11. Round 23 - Knights vs Dolphins:ย Ponga parade continues in Perth
The Knights finish to the season really was one of the all-time great stretches of form in rugby league history.
Not that they will be in the record books, but given where they were on the ladder at one point, to wind up with a home elimination final was really quite special.
A lot of that was down to Kalyn Ponga, but it certainly wasn't without its moments, like this Round 23 game in Perth against the Dolphins.
After going ahead early, a Jamayne Isaako hat-trick while Lacjlan Fitztgibbon sat in the sin bin had the Knights' run of wins on the rack. But as the Knights tended to do during the second half of the season, they scratched, clawed and fought.
Three unanswered tries between the 53rd and 69th minute brought them back into the game and ahead, before a late Connelly Lemuelu Dolphins try set up a thrilling finish.
The Knights would ultimately hold on by just two points to take the win.
