The Penrith Panthers have recorded a tight win over the Sydney Roosters on Sunday afternoon in a game that was a typical finals scrap.
Neither team will be thrilled with the way they played, but the Panthers now have a week off before being 80 minutes away from the grand final, while the Roosters have to do it the hard way by backing up on a six-day turnaround against the Cronulla Sharks next weekend.
Here are all the big talking points from the last game in the opening week of the NRL finals.
Isaah Yeo is critical to Penrith
The Panthers were, frankly, a little clunky all afternoon, but they certainly built in to their attacking game against the Roosters, rather than going backwards as the tri-colours seemed to do the longer the game went on.
There is absolutely no surprise there that the Panthers improvement was all tied to the moment Isaah Yeo came on to the park.
A late call from coach Ivan Cleary saw him revert to the bench, and while it wasn't a benefit to the start of the game for the Panthers, it was clear to see exactly how important Yeo is to the team.
It certainly wasn't his biggest game ever, but playing through a supposedly ruptured pec, that's not exactly hard to understand either.
Still, Yeo did his job and then some, and now gets another two weeks of recovery before he has to go again in a preliminary final against either the Warriors or Knights.
Trent Robinson got it wrong last week
Trent Robinson took the bold step of resting just about his entire first-grade team last weekend.
In short, it didn't work.
The tri-colours coach certainly had fresher legs as a result, but there were just too many issues to be resting the entire team.
The biggest of those was the fact Sam Walker is out. Hugo Savala is a very capable five-eighth, but was the worst player on the park on Sunday, and that is down to the fact he hasn't played the position virtually all year.
Last week would have been a fantastic opportunity to give Cherry-Evans and Savala a hit out in combination at the very least.
It didn't happen, and now the Roosters have to play again next week.
The Roosters must convince Daniel Tupou to play another year
Daniel Tupou wasn't the best player on the field on Sunday afternoon, but he did churn out another consistent performance for the tri-colours, looking a threat as part of his big metres, and doing a solid job in defence.
There is little to no doubt that he will be critical over the coming weeks if the Roosters are to pick themselves up off the floor and be in contention for the premiership.
Beyond that, Tupou still hasn't decided whether he will play next year or not.
The Roosters though should be pulling out all the tops to convince him. He is simply that good, even at this very late stage of his long career.
Nathan Cleary deserved his sin bin, but will he be suspended?
Speaking on Fox Sports after fulltime in Parramatta, Cleary admitted the incident which saw him sin binned - where he ran through the leg of a Roosters kicker - was 'dumb'.
And that's because it was. In the modern climate of the game, it was dangerous, and deserved the sin bin that came with it.
While his teammates battled out the ten minute period he was off the park without incident, the big question now is what the MRC - and potentially judiciary - will do with Cleary.
Anyting above a Grade 1 dangerous contact charge will see him suspended.
You'd have to say there is an argument either way.
Rugby league will miss Mark Nawaqanitawase
A quick, feel-good one to finish here, because Mark Nawaqanitawase may be the most talented athlete this game has ever seen.
Not the most talented rugby league player, but in terms of natural gifts to do things that humans probably shouldn't be able to do, it's hard to suggest there are better than him.
The try he scored on Sunday, where he scooped the ball up, hit the ground and then somehow managed to run 40 metres and stay away from the defence was just, frankly, ridiculous.
Nawaqanitawase leaves the sport to head back to rugby union at the end of the year, and whether you're a Roosters fan or not, it's difficult not to be a little upset that he won't be around in 2027.
It's not as if Sunday is the first time he has made a highlight either. He does it regularly, and you can only hope he will be back in the sport after the World Cup in the 15-man version next year.
