With State of Origin out of the way we began the frantic race towards the finals with several teams improving their chances while others faltered.
Read on as we take a look back over some of the biggest hits and misses.
HIT
Cleary reminds us all of his brilliance
In the aftermath of Mitchell Moses stepping up into the role of halfback for New South Wales in winning Games II and III this year, some people, myself included, pondered whether selectors would break up the winning combination of Moses and Jarome Luai, should Nathan Cleary be available for Game I of next year's series. Not only did Moses handle the role so well, but Cleary's Panthers teammate Luai looked to have made a much bigger contribution out of Cleary's shadow.
Cleary hasn't been out injured for that long, but maybe his absence has faded the memory of just how good a player he is. Leading a virtual reserve grade squad in his first game back and up against a near-full-strength and desperate Dolphins side, his class shone through as firm reminder. His time with the ball, his silken touches, his ability to read a defence and to read a game, are sublime.
Despite looking down for the count, much like in last year's grand final, he showed all his lead-by-example brilliance to get the Panthers home. The winning points in golden point extra time nothing short of a 45 metre field goal, a shot so audacious that the Dolphins barely bothered to put pressure on him as he received the ball. Yes it is going to be a tough call to leave Moses out next year, but if Cleary is fit, that Blues No. 7 jersey along with the Kangaroos one must be his.
MISS
Teams can't afford to have untrained back-up goal kickers
It is hard to lay the blame for the Warriors' heartbreaking loss in Canberra at the kicking boots of Chanel Harris-Tavita, even though he did miss three conversions, including one from almost in front which would have tied the scores with minutes remaining. The Warriors scored four tries to three against the Raiders, but still lost the crucial clash by two points. The thing is, Harris-Tavita is not considered one of the Warriors' goal kickers and only took on the duty due to injuries to the other more accomplished kickers. It would seem pretty obvious that he doesn't practice goal kicking at training, which raises the question; why not?
Why wouldn't each club have all halves, wingers, fullbacks and anyone else who shows some ability, working for an hour after each training on their goal kicking? These players are being paid six figures with the sole purpose of being the best footballers they can be for their club, and goal kicking is something they could all add to their resumes. Sure, you would weed out the totally inept few and focus on a core of say, 10, then have them practice all year, even if they are never called on to kick a goal in a game.
It happened to the Rabbitohs in Round 19 against the Dolphins when they were beaten by their own lack of a competent goal kicker and now the Warriors. There is too much at stake not to have a list of well trained and confident back-ups ready to set up a kicking tee at a moment's notice to knock over an often vital two-pointer.
HIT
Barnett outstanding in backing up for Warriors
He was one of the stars for the Blues on debut last Wednesday, coming on early for Angus Crichton who was taken off for a HIA, and Mitchell Barnett did an incredible job backing up for the Warriors in Canberra. The Blues prop continually bent the Raiders line and crossed for a try in the 59th minute.
He looks to have a long representative future in front of him. He has the work rate, the size and the discipline to be an asset in any forward rotation. To back up after such a bruising Origin debut and put in another peak performance against the Raiders would have pleased his club no end.
MISS
Dog day afternoon in Townsville
The Bulldogs beat themselves against the Cowboys in a loss that could prove very costly. Rather than moving closer to a Top 4 spot, they now find themselves on the brink of tumbling out of the Top 8 all together. Next week they face the Broncos who have Adam Reynolds back and looked ominous in the way they dismantled the Knights on the weekend.
If the Bulldogs are to have any hope of staying in the hunt for a finals birth, they can't repeat the dropped bombs, bombed tries, missed one-on-one tackles and regular ruck and offside infringements that they dished up on Sunday night. They also need to find a more reliable goal kicker than Matt Burton.
HIT
Panthers big man light on his feet
Moses Leota is a rugged, hard-headed prop forward, straight out of the mould thought to have been discarded in the late 1970s. What he does possess that those tough-nuts of old didn't necessarily have, is a sublime head feint, left foot step and go.
He chose a very good time to display this skill well into the second half, with the Panthers trailing the visiting Dolphins by 26-12. Leota received the ball from the dummy half five metres out, took a step towards Dolphins lock Kenny Bromwich, then threw his weight and head towards the left, before stepping past the wrong-footed Dolphins veteran. From there he only had to dive and reach out for the crucial four-pointer which sparked the Panthers' fightback.
MISS
Titans fizzle after strong start
The Titans ventured down to Brookvale to take on the Sea Eagles with coach Des Hasler no doubt very happy with their start. It took them just 12 minutes to run in the first two tries of the game, with both conversions missed they led 8-0. The home crowd were silenced as the visitors looked to be on their way to a fourth straight victory. And then the tide turned.
The Sea Eagles scored the next 32 points unanswered, easing to a 12-8 halftime lead before going on with it after the break. Luke Brooks was instrumental and Tom Trbojevic his ever-dangerous self. The Titans showed they still have a long way to go when it comes to discipline and 80 minutes of defensive grit.