What a finish to Round 5. Sunday alone saw two classic finishes including one of the all-time great golden point field goal conclusions.
The NRWL dominated headlines mid-week following the opening of the 2023 signing period. More on that later.
Round 5 produced in a big way. Here are 20 thoughts from a magnificent weekend on and off the field.
1. What an incredible weekend of rugby league! A draw, a golden point thriller and a game that was live until the very last second. Unfortunately, there were three blowouts this weekend but overall 2023 is feeling vastly superior to 2022.
2. Ok Canberra aren't exactly firing right now but oh my goodness did Penrith remind us all of their abilities this weekend. At 13-6 at halftime it was game on. Penrith ran riot in the second half. You have to admit that Jaeman Salmon try on fulltime was brilliant theatre.
3. Sticking with the Raiders, surely it is time to start discussing Ricky Stuart's future as coach? He gets a free pass due to his success in the past but an unconvincing win over an out of sorts Sharks isn't enough to hang your hat on. Perhaps it is time for a fresh start in the capital?
4. The Roosters looked pretty good following their bye. They started slowly but now have a wins over Souths and Parra either side of the aforementioned bye. With some serious cattle due back, the Chooks are starting to look like the side we believed they were.
5. That Sharks left edge is utterly disgusting in defense. Matt Moylan is done as a first grade footballer. Let's hope Craig Fitzgibbon realises it and brings Braydon Trindall back in before Moylan's lack of defensive abilities ends Teig Wilton's stint in the first team.
6. What in the world was Justin Pascoe thinking kicking a ball around during his side's warm up on Saturday night? In the grand scheme of things it's a minor detail but this guy should be glued to his desk in efforts to turn around the side's horror start to the season.
7. Last week I said I had fears for the Dolphins due to a lack of depth in their squad. Unfortunately Saturday night confirmed my fears big time. Anthony Milford looks set for a stint on the sidelines, further adding to the issues. With the Cowboys, Bunnies and Titans in the next three weeks, it could be tough times ahead.
8. Jamie Soward won NRL Twitter this week and it wasn't even close. His traveling to meet members of his NRLW squad, which he then announced on social media, was brilliant to watch. Other clubs can learn something from his efforts.
9. Time to complain. I absolutely hate the "inside the ten" rule on drop outs and kick offs. If the kicker lands the ball seven metres out then it bounces up and hits a member of the opposition team, they get the penalty!? It should have to break the ten metres on the full. I hate the random bounce and wait outcome that is these short drop outs.
10. Matt Burton's field goal was better than Nathan Cleary's last weekend. Come at me Panthers fans.
11. Jackson Hastings was pretty much walked out of the Tigers in the off-season. He has outplayed every single Tiger to a man thus far in 2023.
12. Sometimes luck leads to great success. Dominic Young wasn't even named in the very game where he crossed for four tries. Only a late scratching saw him come in. Fair to say he took full advantage of his opportunity on the day.
13. I hate, hate, hate the hip drop tackle. It's a scourge in our game and can only lead to injuries. I'm ok with the referees leaning to the side of over policing in order to remove it from the game.
14. What a difference a week can make. Last week the Dragons was embarrassed, at home by their local rivals. Fast forward six nights and they played the Dolphins off the park. Mikaele Ravalawa crossed for a double after barely touching the ball last weekend. Blake Lawrie was a monster! Tyrell Sloan is one of the most exciting young players in the game. Very entertaining from the Red V.
15. I tweeted on Saturday night that if you drop one of the top five hookers into that Broncos outfit that they'd be near title favourites. Walters and Paix have more than done their job this season but if Apisai Koroisau had moved to Brisbane rather than the Tigers, oh my!
16. What about that Melbourne Storm! No Jahrome Hughes, no Nelson Asofa-Solomona, no Ryan Papenhuyzen, no worries. This side just keeps delivering. Souths, coming off a morale boosting win over Manly, entered as deserved favourites but you can never count out the Storm.
17. It may have been Wrestlemania weekend but Jacob Preston-Mania is the one truly running wild. This kid had a monster future ahead of him. What a start to his NRL career.
18. Payne Haas has obviously read my calling Joseph Tapine's the game best middle forward and has taken that personally. He should be the first player picked for the Blues this season. He has been unstoppable thus far in 2023.
19. Sticking with the Broncos, we have a new prince of Suncorp Stadium in Reece Walsh. Another Origin certainty. He looks a completely different player to the one who ran out for the Warriors last season. It's good to be home for Reece Walsh.
20. Adam Doueihi sure did cop a lot of grief from his club's fans this weekend. Almost as though taking one of your best player and forcing him out of position is a bad idea!? Tim Sheens looks a man devoid of good ideas. I'd argue his decision to joke about beating the bye might be right up there with the most terrible though.
Sticky is a protected species as long as Don Furner is CEO.
Personally, I have never rated him as a coach. At Easts, he won a GF with a _very good_ side put together by others. Both Cronulla and Parramatta were appalling when he was coach. He went to Canberra as the “last chance saloon”, and whilst he has had a couple of good seasons, he has never won anything, and he has had some poor seasons as well.
I must have missed something about Tim Sheens. When he passed his opinion on beating the bye, I thought he was being serious.