With just three NRL rounds to go, it is still all the play for.
The Roosters win over Penrith means a three-way shootout for the Minor Premiership, for all of our enjoyment.
The Broncos have officially been dragged into a battle to avoid to wooden spoon given the Dragons second win a row.
This weekend we had Bunker howlers, the return of an unwanted friend, the Sharks messing the bed, an Origin coach stepping down and arguably the game of the season.
Below are 20 thoughts from Round 24 of the NRL season:
1. The disruptor is well and truly back my friends! The rulings absolutely nobody asked for have returned, en mass, almost out of nowhere. After saying goodbye to the cop out adjudication many months ago, officials have suddenly remembered and have started dishing them out like that Oprah meme. Almost as if they were reminded ...?
2. Stephen Crichton absolutely milked that "mutual infringement" against the Bunnies. He was no chance to stop Souths from scoring that try so made the decision to "step into" the referee. Ashley Klein had no option but to send it up no try and the Bunker's hands were tied. I have no real issue with the decision, but I absolutely take issue with Crichton's actions.
3. The Cronulla Sharks produced the worst moment of rugby league this decade on Saturday afternoon. Despite being told, twice, that a decision had been reviewed and confirmed, they still pressed ahead with a Captain's Challenge. Referee Bernard Sutton, clearly and calmly explained the decision had been reviewed. Nicho Hynes, standing a metre away, still pushed on with a challenge (via Blayke Brailey). He either didn't know the rules, wasn't listening to the referee, or both. Unforgivable!
4. Craig Fitzgibbon seems to escape criticism in the media but his refusal to pick his club's young, fast stars our wide is what separates him from the elite coaches. Mawene Hiroti is a serviceable fringe First Grader, at best. Sione Katoa is the slowest player in the competition. Fitzgibbon sits and watched them get torn to shreds for 80 minutes while Michael Gabrael and Sam Stonestreet play a combined zero minutes of football across the weekend. That is why the Sharks are not genuine title threats. Safety first never works.
5. Ronaldo Mulitalo either scored, or he didn't on Saturday afternoon. We spent several million dollars to set up the NRL Bunker, spend further millions running it. We have 27 camera angles and trained officials watching super slow motion, high definition angles to return a decision of "I dunno". That is not good enough. Make a decision!
6. I said it last weekend but I didn't really believe it until Thursday night, but the Sydney Roosters are the new Premiership favourites. Penrith were very much in that game without really looking like they could win.
7. What a game that was too. Although the score-line ended up just 12-6, it could have been 30-26 such was the last ditch defence. That could very well be the game of the season. Both teams played well, the referees largely stayed out of it and two Bunker howlers actually cancelled themselves out. That's about as good as it gets.
8. I'd absolutely have the New Zealand Warriors as the second favourites if not for yet another injury to Luke Metcalf. Te Marie Martin has been fantastic but looks another week away while Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad's suspension means he can't fill in at five-eight for the short-term. Metcalf's injury and an injury to Braydon Trindall really hurt.
9. That Dally Cherry-Evans signing is looking absolutely genius right about now. He looked absolutely shot last year but the Roosters believed they could slot him into a better system and he'd react. Fair to say they nailed that decision.
10. I knew it would happen. I told you it would happen! Mitch Moses was awarded a penalty for a "high shot" despite being "hit" while laying flat on the ground. It took a Captain's Challenge and one look, but we've achieved peak ridiculousness. A "high" shot on a bloke laying flat on his stomach. That cost the Cowboys the game and potentially a Final's spot ... due to a guy laying flat on the ground being hit "high". Wow!
11. Billy Slater's stepping down as coach of the QLD Origin team certainly caught me off guard. I was almost certain he was chasing the Storm job at the end of Craig Bellamy's tenure but it now looks as though Slater is moving on from coaching. Can't blame him. A thankless job.
12. Matt Ballin has been overlooked a few times for NRL coaching gigs despite being the consensus "next man up". Might be good timing if he wants the Maroons job. Ballin vs King in Origin next year is certainly very different to what we've seen the past few seasons.
13. Murray Taulagi choosing to play rugby union, potentially in France, over moving to the Roosters is certainly a choice. Good on him and all that but there is a title to be won on the wing for the Roosters.
14. The St George Illawarra Dragons are likely going to collect the wooden spoon this year but they are so far ahead of the Wests Tigers. So, so far ahead! They have a huge recruitment class incoming and a pack of forwards with representative jumpers in their future. Tigers fans are being asked to get excited over Jayden Brailey and Jake Averillo.
15. It's time to admit that Jarome Luai's signing has been a disaster. Oh field he's been, ok, I suppose. Off field he hasn't produced the culture change the Tigers had hoped for. Instead he was constantly linked to an exit, constantly denied an exit and then confirmed his exit. They don't all work unfortunately.
16. Corey Horsburgh's reported $700,000 a year deal to the Perth Bears just shows the dire straits that club are already in. Horsburgh's an Origin level player, when he's focused, but the fact the Raiders have openly let him go shows me everything I need to say. I'm a fan of Big Red but he needs to get his head in the game, especially on that money.
17. Fans at the game, and online, were boo'ing and abusing Reece Walsh for "laying down" (and much worse) but the fact he could barely walk was probably a hint. He's been ruled out for the season and the World Cup is at risk. His crime? Getting hip-dropped.
18. Can we please stop this handing former players a live microphone and having them yell constantly during the game?
19. 2025 into 2026 will see the Premiers battle to avoid a wooden spoon. It will see the wooden spooners play Finals. The beaten Grand Finalists won't play Finals. The Minor Premiers are almost certainly ruled out of Finals contention. It's looking very likely that last years entire top four will be in Bali in September.
20. Why on earth were St Helens linked with Shane Flanagan as their next coach? The fact that every Dragons player, to a man, has taken every chance to talk about how good everything is now should be enough. The Dragons wouldn't have won a game if he were still coach. Time to move on.
