BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 11: Corey Oates of the Broncos celebrates his team's victory during the round nine NRL match between the Brisbane Broncos and the Canterbury Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium on July 11, 2020 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
1. The Broncos had to win on Saturday, simply put. They did just that despite a less than stellar performance. Incredibly the players came out and said they ran training this week to "take pressure" off Anthony Seibold. Strange tactics but a win followed so what do we know?
2. The Roosters drop the odd game but outside of the Storm, Eels and possibly the Panthers, who is honestly going to stop this team at the business end of the season? Luke Keary is the premier half in the comp right now.
3. The Sharks were hugely exposed by the Panthers on Saturday afternoon. Matt Moylan's injury meant a big reshuffle which lead to the Sharks looking like a park football club out wide. Shaun Johnson has been carrying this side for weeks, papering over some massive holes in their game. How Chad Townsend remains an automatic selection is beyond me.
4. Brandon Smith is the best interchange player in the competition. He can play nine, lock, second row or in the middle. He has an energy about him that each and every side in the NRL could use. To think he's the third best nine in the Storm set up is scary.
5. Manly look an absolute shell of their former selves after losing Tommy Turbo. I don't think it will be quite as bad for the Raiders following Josh Hodgson's injury, however I worry their title chances are now gone.
6. I loved the debut of Luke Thompson for the Dogs on Saturday evening. He was aggressive, ran hard and lived up to what was promise. I fear a suspension may not be far off, possibly as soon as this weekend thanks to a shoulder charge. Fingers crossed it is only a fine as I can't wait to see him run out again.
7. I've seen plenty of people calling this year's competition a four team competition. I don't disagree. How good is it to have four genuine title contenders though? Roosters, Storm, Eels, Panthers (in that order) for the record. Bunnies perhaps the smokey if they find a few bench forwards?
8. With all the ridiculousness of the 2020 season it is very easy to forget that we have a Grand Final rematch this week to look forward to. Can't wait to see who is named the referee, almost as fun as the contest itself.
9. The bunker made a serious of ridiculous decisions over the past fortnight however calls to slash the video ref are just as ridiculous. Bryson Goodwin would have been awarded a try over the weekend despite losing the ball three feet before he hit the ground, just for a start. Unfortunately we have to take the bad decisions.
10. Trent Barrett is not the answer at the Dogs. Struggling to find anyone who believes he might be.
11. People bagging the Titans for offering David Fifita huge "overs" really don't understand the spot the club are in. No one is going to accept market value to play for a club with no recent success. Their only hope is to sign a big name player on overs and hope it kick starts a recruitment drive.
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12. Tigers fans have every right to be gobsmacked by the decision to ban Latrell Mitchell for two weeks for the exact same incident that saw BJ Leilua banned for four. Play the incidents side by side. Exactly the same. Crazy. What hope do we have of consistency when identical incidents, a week apart, are treated differently?
13. Manly missed AFB so much this weekend. I can't believe the club didn't put him through the wringer after his idiotic outburst that cost the injury ridden side their best player for weeks. Pictures of him laughing on the sideline while his team were getting battered should upset Manly fans.
14. The Titans enter their contest with the Storm as $7 outsiders. Has there ever been a longer price starting price for a non Origin affected fixture? Yikes. The Storm still look good value at $1.05 though.
15. James Tedeco only received 49% of the player votes as best player in the competition. It should have been 99% with 1% being wrong. I've never seen such an illusive runner in my life. Incredible.
16. Where is this supposed war chest the Bulldogs boasted would target Tommy Turbo and the like? They are the club most in need of a complete roster overhaul yet have barely been sighted in the market place recently. They were a distant second this weekend to the awfully out of form Broncos.
17. The Sharks are the fourth best attacking side in the competition and have scored more points than the Storm. They've also conceded as many points as the Bulldogs and Warriors. Despite this, Toby Rudolf remains my favourite player. Had to get it in there somewhere.
18. This round really gave me the feeling that instead of multiple teams fighting for a spot in the 8, teams will simply be there by default. Sharks out, Manly have nothing without Turbo, Canberra's season is on life support, the Dragons, Cowboys and Warriors are far too inconsistent. The Tigers aren't there and the Bunnies can't beat a top side. Top five at the rest?
19. I always enjoy a weekend of footy more when the Titans win (except when at the expense of my team). I'm not sure what it is but I just love the underdog story and their style of play. Call me crazy.
20. The Dogs are averaging just over 10 points per game. With the ridiculous run of fixtures they have coming up, I fear that may drop. They HAVE to beat the Dragons this weekend. Based on what I saw last week though, that won't be happening. Now that I've death ridden them, get on the Dogs 13+