The mighty stood taller in Round 20, while the sides on a slide continued to fall as the competition enters its final month.
Melbourne's insurmountable win over Penrith all but marked their card as minor premiers, while for Ivan Cleary's side it creates more headaches heading into finals.
Parramatta still haven't managed to shake the tag as 'April premiers' and their form slump reached new lows with a poor loss to an undermanned Roosters outfit, with a top-four spot now hanging by a thread.
While at the bottom half of the top eight St. George Illawarra have slipped out for the first time since round three, as Canberra and the Gold Coast make a late run towards September.
It was an action-packed weekend and with that there's plenty to unpack heading into Round 21.
PARRAMATTA'S PREMIERSHIP CHANCES ARE OVER
They showed plenty of promise early in the year, but Parramatta have fallen off a cliff in recent weeks - sound familiar?
Their attack over the past fortnight has been borderline diabolical, and their performance against the Roosters on Thursday night was well below-par.
Mitchell Moses' absence hurts them, but all it has really done is show how much they rely on him and if you're going to compete for a premiership you need more than one string to your bow in attack.
The injuries in the past fortnight to Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Marata Niukore will test their depth in the middle of the field as well.
There is time to turn things around, but the run home features matches against Souths, Manly, Melbourne and Penrith, which will seriously diminish their top-four hopes.
As we know, finishing in the top four is crucial, and the fact that Parramatta could drop as low as sixth means their title hopes for 2021 appear to be dashed.
WARRIORS ARE A CLUB ON THE RISE
They won't play finals this year and are a decent chance of finishing in the bottom four - but Nathan Brown is turning the New Zealand Warriors around.
A soft underbelly has haunted the club for years, rolling over when things got tough and showing a lack of resilience when adversity struck.
But in the past 18 months, something has changed for the Warriors and it showed again on Friday night.
Down 10-0 in the first half and missing at least 11 players through injury, suspension and personal reasons, they fought back and claimed a brave 18-16 win.
Brown spoke after the game about their effort throughout the entire year, and he certainly raised some valid points. In their 13 losses this year, seven have been decided by less than 10 points and another three by 20 points or less.
With a healthy roster, some new acquisitions in key positions and a return home to New Zealand likely for 2022, this is a club that is going to rise and become a force to be reckoned with.
MELBOURNE'S DEFENCE IS AS GOOD AS THEIR ATTACK
Their attack is the best in the competition and their points-differential is the best in NRL history as it stands - but the defence of the Melbourne Storm was there for all to see on Sunday afternoon.
In a top-of-the-table clash with an understrength Penrith Panthers, the reigning premiers flew away with it in the end to win 37-10 at Suncorp Stadium.
The attacking flair and prowess of Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes and Nicho Hynes was on display once again, but it was the goal-line defence that was most impressive.
This moment from Brandon Smith epitomises what the club are all about, and why they are the benchmark in the NRL.
The 🧀 ... HOW!? #NRLStormPanthers #TelstraPremiership pic.twitter.com/EYIcRD1rj3
— NRL (@NRL) August 1, 2021
ANTHONY GRIFFIN HAS BUNGLED THE DRAGONS' SUSPENSIONS
The fallout from Paul Vaughan's BBQ continued on Sunday night, with four players serving their bans and two others unavailable, leaving a huge hole in the Red V lineup.
Jack Bird, Jack de Belin, Josh McGuire and Blake Lawrie were all sidelined through suspension, while Zac Lomax and Daniel Alvaro were also missing as they complete quarantine following the COVID breach.
St George Illawarra competed with South Sydney during the opening 40 minutes, but were eventually outclassed by a far superior opposition who were far closer to full-strength.
It begs the question as to why Anthony Griffin decided to let this issue drag on for three weeks - would it have not been smarter to have all players serve their suspensions as soon as possible, and get everyone back on deck heading into finals?
Their season is now hanging on by a thread, and while the players have themselves to blame, Griffin has struggled to juggle the suspensions in their past three losses.
With a host of big names returning for the crucial round 21 clash against Canberra, there is still hope for a finals finish - but if they miss out, this period is going to prove costly and many Red V fans will be asking 'what could have been' for their side.
JAMAL FOGARTY WON'T WALK STRAIGHT BACK IN FOR TITANS
He's only two games into his NRL career, but young Gold Coast halfback Toby Sexton is giving coach Justin Holbrook plenty to think about.
Jamal Fogarty has sat out with a finger injury the past two matches, giving 20-year-old Sexton the chance to make his maiden appearances in first-grade.
Holbrook confirmed Fogarty would be available for next Sunday's round 21 clash with the Cowboys, but said he didn't know if he'd come straight back in.
"He'll be fit as of next week, so I'm not too sure, obviously I'm really happy with the way Toby's played and I'll have to have a think about that," Holbrook said after the win over the Bulldogs.
"Ash was terrific and Toby's doing a good job."
Meanwhile, big-money playmaker Ash Taylor turned in one of his best performances of the season, picking a try, an assist and a 40-20 to push his claims for a starting position every week, as well as his case for a new contract.
