The Cowboys continue to build and the Raiders start to find their feet again.
The Bulldogs woes deepen and the Storm officially make history of the worst kind. Here are all the key numbers from Round 9.
Raiders back in business?
It was an inauspicious start to the season for the reigning minor premiers, who slumped to 1-4 with four home defeats in succession going back to last year's finals campaign.
Between Rounds 2 and 5 they scored just 50 points and were subsequently beaten in all of those matches.
Over the past four matches they've put on 104 points in total, lifting the average from 12.5 to 26. They've picked up three victories in that four-week run to almost square their season away.
Perhaps Ricky Stuart's men are still in this fight?
Sharks put down a marker
It has been difficult to get a read on Cronulla this season.
They've beaten the Raiders away, taken down the impressive Warriors and have twice scored 50 points in a game through the first two months. They've also been soundly beaten by the Dolphins, hammered by Penrith and rolled by the resurgent Cowboys.
However, the 52-10 demolition of the Tigers might be a window into what they can be capable of when they put it all together.
The perennial finalist have been touted for a while as a team capable of taking the next step and some numbers suggest it may be possible.
This is the first time in the club's history that they have scored 50+ twice in the same campaign.
It is also their second biggest ever win over the Tigers and their biggest against anyone since late 2024.
They have also been the only side this season to have every match decided by double digit margins. The next step clearly is to close the gap between their best and their worst.
It is a tougher read for the Tigers though, who after a promising start to the season endured their biggest defeat, lowest score and highest score conceded for the season.
It is in fact their heaviest defeat since Round 10 last year when the Storm got them 64-0.
Knights and Cowboys putting the score on the board
The Knights horror 2025 was most evident in their inability to score and put any level of offensive pressure on opposition sides.
The Knights only scored 20+ points on six occasions last season, and have now achieved that six times in nine matches so far this year.
The 42 chalked up on Sunday was their highest score against the Rabbitohs this century, and their highest score against anyone since Round 19 of 2023.
The Cowboys are another side who have shown significant improvement. After dropping their first two games they have proceeded to win six of the next seven. In that time they have racked up 205 points with only the Panthers and Roosters scoring more points through that time.
Storm officially hit record
After jumping out to a 10-0 lead the Melbourne Storm were soundly beaten by the Dolphins, delivering their seventh straight defeat.
This now makes it officially the worst run of defeats in the club's history.
More of a mystery has been the outlier in the poor run of form of the Canterbury Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs two weeks immediately before the shock Panthers win and the three weeks after paint a grim story. They've conceded 144 points, so nearly 30 a game. and are averaging under 17. It increasingly looks like one of the most bizarre results we'll see this year.
The Bulldogs have also never made the finals from a 3-5 start.
