Round 11 is now in the books and wow was it fun!
We saw the Panthers put on an attacking clinic against fellow title contenders. The Cowboys and Dragons also put on a show while the Knights and Titans refused to tackle - which again made for entertaining viewing.
I suppose the Bunnies keeping the Tigers scoreless was also notable, albeit far less enjoyable.
Here are 20 thoughts from a weekend full of highlights, despite only one real "grandstand" finish:
1. The standard of refereeing right now is pretty poor. Without piling on, as referee blaming is the laziest excuse by any side post a loss, my main concern is with the Bunker. Millions of dollars of technology, multiple HD replays in slow-motion yet we're still copping errors? Hard to stomach.
2. One more on the referees then I promise I'll move on. How is it that a player was allowed to stand up and throw the ball over the sideline only to be allowed a do-over by the referee? Ok Tolutau Koula may have missed the six-again call, but since when does that matter? Do we have to go back every time a player kicks having not heard the call now? Crazy scenes!
3. For all the talk of Kalyn Ponga's "great form", he has a man of the match performance and a worst on ground in his last two. He was pretty good on return from injury. Meanwhile Reece Walsh sits third in the Dally M count, in the position they're supposedly competing for come Origin time.
4. Anyone else sick of being told their opinion doesn't matter just cause they haven't "strapped on the boots"? I'm sure Dragons fans enjoyed hearing an underperforming, big money player tell them that they don't know anything about footy. Meanwhile the Dragons are favourites for the wooden spoon. Seems as though perhaps those within the club don't really know anything about footy either?
5. One more shot at the Dragons. Jacob Liddle scored the match winner for the Dragons NSW Cup team with pure individual brilliance. He is the best number nine at the club so of course he's playing in the game that kicks off 12:30 and not the main game.
6. If Bradman Best is going to play like that, then I'd be booking him weekly tickets to Bali. He is so much fun to watch when he's on.
7. The general feeling is that the Tigers were "brave" in defeat to the Bunnies on Saturday afternoon. I have 100 per cent confidence that even if the game was still being played now that the Tigers would not have made it onto the scoreboard. I fully understand running the competition leaders close for 40 minutes, but show me a team who has ever won a game having scored zero points.
8. Anyone who doesn't watch the NSW Cup games, I again implore you to tune in early. No lead is safe in the reserve grade competition. The Jets lead 16-0 inside ten minutes over Blacktown only to be forced to hold on for a draw. Meanwhile the Magpies lead the Bunnies 22-0 yet came away without the competition points. Entertainment plus!
9. How about those poor old Roosters ... After seemingly 20 years of dominance they are going so bad that they sit an entire game outside the top eight! Oh man, I hope they make it through these toughest of times.
10. I might as well enjoy the Roosters "down fall" before they kick back into form. Scott Sorenson scored more tries on Friday night than James Tedesco has scored all season. I think that's neat.
11. Canberra have now won five games in a row. I feel I need to point that out as until this was pointed out to me last night, I had no idea. The Raiders are very, very much under the radar right now.
12. I missed the Dolphins this weekend.
13. Only one player in the Dogs vs Warriors game on Friday night didn't miss a tackle (officially - stats via nrl.com) ... Without checking the stats, who do you think that was? ... Tevita Pangai Jr. He did have an "ineffective tackle", whatever that means, but the Warriors racked up 55 misses to the Dogs 33 in a win!
14. David Fifita is an absolute must pick for Origin now. Not only was he massive, again, on Sunday afternoon, but he showed a turn of speed few knew he had. He outran noted speedster Lachlan Miller en route to a 90 metre try. Watch out Blues wide defenders.
15. Marcello Montoya and Jake Averillo don't get anywhere near the attention they should. Both just quietly go about their game, making metres and breaking tackles. Keep an eye on both over the next few weeks.
16. Penrith are victims of their own recent success. They blew the Roosters off the park on Friday night. This was the second third time they've blown past 40 points this season. This is a team who is supposedly struggling in attack. That loss to the Tigers is firmly in the rear view mirror now.
17. Taniela Paseka is in such good form that I'd absolutely be looking for an eligibility loophole for Origin selection. For the record he was born in New Zealand as is of Tongan descent. I bet both international coaches have been on the phone to the Manly giant. He has a huge future ahead of him.
18. I'm not sure how I'd feel if one of my players had been injured for weeks only to return and immediately talk about Origin. Actually I know exactly how it feels having seen Paul Gallen do it for many years. It's frustrating, selfishly, but let's face it - Origin is the pinnacle of our game and absolutely deserves to be the aim of every player in the competition.
19. Shaun Johnston has officially turned back the clock. He has one magical season for the Sharks but any talks of him leaving the Warriors at the end of the season surely need to be put to bed. He is happiest when at home in New Zealand. When he is happy he plays his best footy. When Johnson plays his best footy, it's a joy to watch. Sorry Tigers fans.
20. I'm glad Craig Bellamy is set to go around again in 2024. The NRL just wouldn't feel the same without the great man in charge in Melbourne.
On Point 2, the referee made a mistake. He actually ruled a turnover, having forgotten he ruled six again, hence Koula throwing the ball away. I believe he allowed it to go on because of his own error.
Hmm, that doesn’t make the standard of refereeing look any better, does it?