Round 13 may have been an Origin-affected round featuring only four games but it still threw up a host of talking points.
Here are 20 thoughts from a round that probably ended a season or two.
1. There has long been a line of thinking that a top quality NSW Cup side could beat the Bulldogs. On Friday night we saw just that. I type that in jest but some of the players who have found themselves playing in reserve grade for the Panthers would walk into that Dogs side.
2. Truthfully it was a pretty dire weekend of rugby league but it had nothing to do with Origin. The Warriors, Dogs and Titans were missing a combined one player yet were still wiped off the park. Some horror times ahead for all of those clubs.
3. Scott Drinkwater is in some serious form right now. The undoubted player of Week 13. To think he couldn't make the Cowboys top 17 until Round 5 should really provide encouragement for players on the outer. He has taken his chance and is in career best form.
4. On the opposite side of the fixture this past Thursday night, not one single member of the Titans' 17 would make that Cowboys side. Justin Holbrook's time is ticking. Another comment, that if made in the pre-season, would be met with laughter. Right now I don't see a way back for the Gold Coast.
5. Tom Gilbert is shaping as a super signing for the Dolphins. Those are the kind of signings that will shape and define this club's near future. Sticking with the Fins, Jeremy Marshall-King has undoubted potential and Wayne Bennett could be the coach to bring it out of him.
6. Whatever they're putting in the water out Penrith way could be bottled and sold for huge profits. No Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai, Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin, Stephen Chrichton or Brian To'o ... no worries! Kurt Falls was near perfect on debut, Moses Leota was a monster and Sean O'Sullivan was brilliant.
7. As for the poor old Doggies, Matt Burton continues to prove that his signing was a genuine future shaping one. If the Dogs can surround him with the right players then he will deliver on his promise.
8. Josh Addo-Carr missing Origin selection was not entirely down to the Dogs woes. The Dragons are sitting outside the eight yet have two players in the Origin run on squads. Ben Hunt is leading the Dally M race. Daniel Tupou is imposing and To'o is made for Origin. That's the story here.
9. Viliame Kikau is arguably the form second rower of the competition right now. The general feeling last year was that he was destructive when he wanted to be. 2022 seems to be the year where Kikau has found that level of consistency opposition fans all hoped he wouldn't.
10. No player will ever replace Tommy Turbo for Manly but my word Reuben Garrick is doing a fair job of it. Both he and Joseph Manu could play fullback for a host of clubs. Garrick is a try scoring machine in any position.
Watch a full Origin preview on this week's Rugby League Outlaws
11. There is talk that Jake Trbojevic was unlucky to miss out on Origin but for mine the Manly forward who can be most filthy about the snub is Haumole Olakau'atu.
12. There are talks that Kotoni Staggs and Daniel Tupou may skip Origin 2 to be eligible for Tonga come World Cup time. I don't claim to have the answer but how can a player represent NSW for one game only to bail on the following games to be able to represent their country later? Could it be as simple as, if you don't make the Kangaroos squad you can play for whoever you're eligible for?
13. I cannot believe there are people blowing up about Joseph Suaalii's inclusion in the extended Origin squad. I don't have the data but I'm pretty confident he's not the first youngster to be picked for the experience in camp with an eye to the future.
14. Xavier Savage looks the player we all thought he could be. Young players are going to go through times of inconsistency, it goes with the territory, but Savage has rebounded from an early season dropping in a big way.
15. Terrell May made first grade on the back of efforts of 30 runs for 300+ metres. On Sunday afternoon he had five runs for 34 metres. Daniel Suluka-Fifita, an equally hulking bench prop had five runs for 48 metres in less than half a time. Sometimes it's about effort rather than size.
16. A lot has been made of Accor Stadium not yet being sold out for Wednesday's Origin opener. It is a shock but given it's going to be about six degrees during the game, you're not going to catch me lining up to pay $100+ for a nosebleed ticket. The demand just isn't there this year. Simple as that.
17. Away from this week's games, or Origin, I don't like reports that the Sharks are looking to re-sign Matt Moylan for two years. Kurt Falls just had a wow of a game on debut. Players are out there. I wouldn't be rushing into locking Nicho Hynes's peak years to a player without a host of suitors just yet.
18. Four games of rugby league across a weekend simply are not enough. I understand why but I'm glad the bye rounds have been reduced.
19. Ryan Papenhuyzen is due back this week, or next. The Melbourne Storm suddenly become a big problem again. Given the Panthers just blew the Dogs away sans their six biggest stars proves that the Storm need all hands on deck to worry Penrith.
20. A huge opportunity was missed this past weekend by Fox League only showing one NSW Cup game. Most of us were watching the fight on Sunday afternoon but that Jets-Raiders game would have been a rating winner otherwise.
