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?
In a thrilling Round 4 clash between the Eels and Panthers, both teams showcased exceptional discipline with a high completion rate and minimal errors.
Debutant Brendan Hands faced his former team, with the first half ending in deadlock at 8-8.
As the clock wound down, a high tackle on Zac Hosking with 15 seconds left handed the Panthers a crucial penalty. Oozing with tactical finesse and precision, Nathan Cleary found touch on the 40m mark and followed it up with an over-the-black-dot 2-point field goal.
The drama didn't end there though, as Mitchell Moses emerged the hero in Golden Point extra time for the Eels, securing a 17-16 victory with a perfectly executed field goal.
Dubbed "The Battle of Brisbane", this monumental matchup attracted a roaring crowd of 51,047. They'd come to witness the clash between the NRL's newest team, The Dolphins, and Queensland's seasoned powerhouse, the Brisbane Broncos.
The game served as a platform for emerging stars Reece Walsh (Reece Lightning) and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (The Hammer) to make a resounding statement in the 2023 season.
The game was an intense, fierce battle with The Dolphins threatening a boil-over upset.
Eventually the game was put to bed following a scintillating 100m try by Broncos' centre Kotoni Staggs, who emphatically declared "Our f**king home" after crossing the line.
The atmosphere was electric as the Dolphins and Broncos showcased the intensity and excitement that make rugby league a spectacle. A new rivalry was born.
In a pulsating Round 5 clash between the Knights and Sea Eagles, Dom Young emerged as the standout performer, showcasing his prowess by scoring an impressive four tries.
The match was a relentless see-saw, with both teams exchanging blows throughout.
Haumole Olakau'atu started the game in beast mode leaving an indelible impact, but his late first-half sin-binning brought him undone.
The match held special significance as Cooper Johns of Manly faced off against his brother Jack Johns of Newcastle, a fraternal rivalry, both sons of former Newcastle Knights great, Matthew Johns.
The high-scoring spectacle ultimately concluded in a dramatic draw with both teams unable to get the edge in Golden Point extra time.
The Cronulla Sharks and New Zealand Warriors delivered a rugby league spectacle that kept fans on the edge of their seats throughout the entire contest.
The Warriors had conceded an impressive 12 points per game leading up to this one, but the Sharks exploded out of the gates, taking an early 20-0 lead within the opening 21 minutes.
Nicho Hynes orchestrated a masterclass in the first half, combining with Talakai and Kennedy leaving the Warriors scrambling to contain the onslaught against the backdrop of neighbouring high-rise construction.
The Warriors showcased their resilience, and former Shark Shaun Johnson emerged as the hero in the second half, breaking Cronulla hearts with a clutch penalty goal from 36 metres out with a mere 30 seconds left on the clock.
The drama continued until the final seconds, with a late penalty awarded to Cronulla off a short restart attempt. In a nail-biting twist, Hynes narrowly missed the conversion opportunity after the siren, leaving the Warriors with the 2 points.
With the 'Battle of Brookvale' still fresh in the minds of many of the players, this was just another episode in the saga.
The Sea Eagles soared to an early lead, courtesy of the electrifying synergy between Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic.
The match threatened to bubble over on countless occasions as a roller-coaster of late hits, sin-bins, all-in brawls and colossal tackles embodied the intensity expected when two great enemies clash.
Emotions ran high as the Sea Eagles and Storm left it all on the field, showcasing the raw essence of rugby league rivalry.
Despite the fierce competition, Manly emerged triumphant, securing a hard-fought 18-8 victory. The contest not only added another chapter to their storied history but also affirmed the Sea Eagles' continued ability to find form against the Storm.
In a gripping ANZAC Round spectacle, the Panthers and Rabbitohs delivered a 2021 Grand Final rematch that lived up to its billing. The clash featured brutal hits, silky-smooth attack, a low error rate and end-to-end footy that had fans on the edge of their seats.
The lead changed hands five times, reflecting the see-saw nature of the contest.
Stephen Crichton was one of the Panthers' best, scoring a hat-trick, while Latrell Mitchell's two tries kept the Rabbitohs in the hunt. Nathan Cleary displayed his prowess on both sides of the ball with a defensive masterclass.
In a thrilling climax, Mitchell, Cody Walker and Isaiah Tass combined to score a long-range try in the final minute, securing a dramatic 20-18 upset win for the Rabbitohs.
Another Queensland rivalry was born in Round 8, with the Dolphins and Titans, with the latter falling to one of the NRL era's greatest ever comebacks. Dominant early, the Titans secured a commanding 26-0 lead in the first 33 minutes.
Much had been made of Wayne Bennett's off-season recruitment strategy of focusing on experienced, hard-nosed forwards.
Tries from Mark Nicholls and Jarrod Wallace sparked the comeback. The comeback could have came to fruition earlier, if not for one of the all-time brain explosions from Robert Jennings. Unopposed and just a metre from the try-line, he lay down and surrendered to a tackle, despite no defenders being anywhere near him.
Undeterred, the Dolphins orchestrated a stunning revival, overcoming the 26-0 deficit to secure a sensational 28-26 victory. This historic comeback showcased the Dolphin's resilience and left the Titans to contemplate a game that slipped away.
They say the most dangerous time to play a struggling team is immediately after a coach is sacked, and nothing was more true of this Anzac Day rematch in Round 12 on a Friday night at Kogarah.
There might have only been a tick over 9,000 fans in attendance, but it was a party on the hill as the last play of the game brought with it a Mat Feagai try that sealed two critical competition points for the Red V.
They had run away to an early lead through tries to Moses Suli and Ben Hunt, but had the brakes put on then by the Roosters, who found a run of points after halftime to take the lead.
The game then ebbed and flowed, as the lead swapped hands with tries to Jaydn Su'A and then James Tedesco, but it was Hunt setting up Feagai that set off raucous scenes at Kogarah.
Field goal shootouts can bring out the best and indeed the worst of this amazing sport.
This was hardly the best, but then turned into something thrilling in the final two minutes. Penrith, playing without their Origin stars in Townsville, looked to have the game well in hand at halftime after leading 20 points to 12 and then making a solid start to the second half.
It was tries to young gun Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and, well, not so young winger Kyle Feldt though that'd push the game to 22-all where it remained.
Into the final ten minutes, there were a number of missed field goal shots, before Chad Townsend sent the Cowboys ahead less than two minutes from fulltime. Jack Cogger managed to answer back in Penrith's next use of the ball to force golden point though.
The game then looked set to be a draw until a Scott Drinkwater try ensured the Cowboys picked up two points in a nail-biter.
How Shaun Johnson didn't win the 2023 Dally M Medal will remain one of the great rugby league mysteries.
His season was simply phenomenal, and without his guidance from the number seven jersey, a Warriors' top four finish would have been pie in the sky stuff, as most expected it would be early in the season.
But it was wins like their Round 21 one in Auckland against the Warriors which told the difference on a congested ladder at the end of the season.
Thrilling would be underselling it. The Warriors looked to be all but home and hosed in a regulation win, before tries in back-to-back sets on the final siren to Elliott Whitehead and Jack Wighton forced golden point.
Johnson's calmness and composure came to the fore though, slotting a field goal in the opening minute of golden point to ensure the Warriors got the job done and picked up, what, at that stage, were two critical competition points in the race for a top four berth.
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.
It's quite rare that much good comes out of two NRL sides resting most of their first-choice 17. It's the same argument around the State of Origin period, debated ad nauseum every single year.
A new tradition however seems to be that the same thing happens in Round 27, and with their top four spots secure, the Broncos and Storm elected to rest just about everybody.
But that's where the complaining stopped. Two thrown together teams put on an excellent display of rugby league at Suncorp Stadium, which would funnily enough be the same setting the two teams would play at a week later in their qualifying final.
Ryan Papenhuyzen looked somewhere near his best across 77 minutes, and the emergence of Sualauvi Fa'alogo was something to witness as the debutant ran on a double.
Jock Madden and Josh Rogers gave the Broncos a glimpse at their depth in the halves, while Tristan Sailor continued to increase his value across 80 minutes.
It may not be memorable in years time, but it's a game well worth re-watching.
This Week 1 elimination final was shaping as the best game of the finals until the grand final, but more on that shortly.
It was a game that had everything though as the Raiders, who had crawled into the finals, travelled to the other side of Sydney to play on the red-hot Knights. Ricky Stuart all but admitted his side were anything but favourites before the game in an attempt to gain some sort of mental edge.
It was a mental edge that seemed to work though. After Greg Marzhew scored the opener for Newcastle, the green machine ran on three unanswered tries - James Schiller, Trey Mooney and then Schiller again - to take a 16 points to 6 lead into the break.
But then came the controversy. Star five-eighth Jack Wighton, who will turn out for the Rabbitohs in 2024, was accused of biting Tyson Gamble. He stayed on the field, but it didn't matter. The crowd took over, and Newcastle promptly ran on four tries in just 15 minutes as Kalyn Ponga took over.
The Raiders found a way to hit back with two late tries though, forcing the game to extra time before Ponga slotted an 88th-minute penalty goal, with the Knights then hanging on for the win.
This may well go down as the greatest grand final of the modern era, which is saying something when you consider there was that golden point thriller in 2015 that also featured the Broncos.
The Broncos wound up on the wrong side of that one, and did so again in the 2023 decider as Nathan Cleary lit up the game in the final 20 minutes to pull off a miraculous comeback for the men from the foot of the mountains as they made it three premierships on the hop.
Funnily enough, it was only individual brilliance which had brought Brisbane back into the game in the first place as Ezra Mam ran on an unanswered hat-trick to put one hand on the Provan Summons trophy after being behind at halftime.
Brisbane were powerless to stop the Cleary express though with the final try scored in the dying stages of a dramatic decider.