What a start to the 2021 finals series we've just witnessed.
There were huge upsets, defiant and statement-making victories, some injury and suspension drama and barbs thrown between rival coaches – what more could one demand!
Here are all the key talking points from week one of the NRL finals.
Wayne Bennett understands finals theatre better than any other coach
He's called the master coach for a reason.
Not many understand the art of winning the mental battle heading into a crucial final like Wayne Bennett.
On Friday, on the eve of the blockbuster preliminary final against Penrith, in which they were definite outsiders, Bennett fired some rockets at the Panthers' camp about what he believes are 'illegal' defensive blocking tactics to protect Nathan Cleary.
His comments came after rival coach Ivan Cleary pointed the finger at the Rabbitohs for deploying foul play to rattle Nathan Cleary the two times both sides faced off in the regular season.
It was a brave and bold psychological play from Bennett the day before a final his side weren't expected to win, but he knew exactly what he was doing and in the end it worked wonders.
South Sydney demonstrated the same defiance of their coach on the field, and took it to Penrith across all facets of the game, putting particular emphasis on nullifying Cleary's threat with the ball.
It paid huge dividends, with Penrith's usually silky attack looking out of rhythm and generally rattled.
While the players deserve most of the credit for the performance, Bennett coming out on top in the mind games shouldn't be underestimated.
The veteran coach embraces the backs against the wall mentality like no one else in the game and it's a big reason South Sydney are where they are: in the preliminary finals.
Cameron Munster is still rugby league's best big-game player
Some athletes just perform best when the lights are brightest and all eyes are on them.
American football has Tom Brady, cricket has Steve Smith, AFL has Dusty Martin, WWE has John Cena - and in the NRL, we've got Cameron Munster.
After a disrupted build-up to the game, Munster overcame a knee injury and was a major part of Melbourne's 40-12 victory over a red-hot Manly outfit on Friday night.
The 26-year-old ran for 129 metres, produced two try assists and implemented his astute kicking game, highlighted by a pinpoint 40/20 late in the game.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy was full of praise for his star five-eighth, and said the way he competes is what makes him the player he is.
"Cameron has got a lot of skill and a lot of knowledge of the game, but his strongest trait is how hard he competes," he said.
"He is a real competitor and he was definitely that tonight. He’s another one of the guys that hasn’t played a lot of footy the last six weeks, so I was real happy with his performance tonight against a real good opposition.
"He come up with some big plays for us, I couldn’t be happier for him."
Munster showed in the 2020 State of Origin series just how good he is in the big moments, steering an understrength Maroons outfit to a 2-1 victory over NSW. The fact that he did that just weeks after a grand final win for Melbourne and an epic bender in Byron Bay adds to his status.
If he continues that form deep into the finals, we could be looking at back-to-back premiers in the NRL.
Victor Radley and Mo Fotuaika among the NRL's best
This isn't so much something we learned, but the confirmation of something we already suspected.
Firstly, Roosters lock Victor Radley might be the most well-rounded player in the comp.
Behind the thunderous hits and lengthening judiciary wrap sheet, Radley is a pure footballer.
Having missed the past three matches with suspension, his impact on the team was evident from the kick off, on both sides of the footy.
Hooker Sam Verrills was the only Rooster to have more touches of the Steeden, as Radley dominated the middle of the park, linking his halves to their teammates on the edges.
He had a hand in Matt Ikuvalu's opener, while he made the break and gave the final pass to James Tedesco for the second try of the game.
In defence, he threw himself into a fresh Sam Lisone, and importantly, hit him low enough to avoid the wrath of the officials.
He also reeled in a runaway Jarrod Wallace, saving a try following an intercept.
Absolute star and built for finals footy.
For the Titans, prop Mo Fotuaika proved he belongs among the elite big men in the competition.
From 59 minutes, the front-rower had 11 runs for 146 metres, made 64 post-contact metres and had six tackle breaks as Gold Coast made a late charge.
He also made 33 tackles without a miss, going toe-to-toe with the likes of Radley and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves through the middle.
Still just 21, the Queenslander has another decade of terrorising opponents in front of him.
Rabbitohs rookie proves himself in ultimate audition
As South Sydney still mull over how to replace Adam Reynolds next season, rookie Blake Taaffe staked his claim with a breakout performance in the thrilling win over Penrith.
While he was playing fullback, his favoured position, Taaffe is a very capable ball-player and is one of a handful of rookies at the Rabbitohs tipped to be vying for Reynolds' spot in the halves next season.
Going into the clash with the Panthers, there was a fair bit of pressure heaped on Taaffe, who came in to wear the No. 1 after Latrell Mitchell was rubbed out for the season for his controversial hit on Joey Manu, no easy feat by any stretch.
And the youngster more than delivered; he was among Souths' best despite the heat put on by Nathan Cleary's kicking game, laying on a try and contributing two linebreak assists as well as running for 113 metres.
Many were writing off the Rabbitohs' premiership chances due to the absence of Mitchell, but they might want to reconsider that opinion having now witnessed how capable a fullback Taaffe is.
Knights overreliance on Ponga their biggest flaw
You can forgive the Knights for sitting back sometimes and marvelling at some of the magic Kalyn Ponga can produce with the ball.
But if this season taught us anything about Adam O'Brien's side, it's that they need another dimension in attack or evolve the game plan around Ponga to keep opposing defences on their toes.
Like they have all season, Newcastle largely looked clunky with the ball against Parramatta and late in the game when all they needed was patience were guilty of trying to overplay their hand down Ponga's favoured left side.
The superstar fullback threw two peach passes to set up Enari Tuala with tries but by the end of the game it became clear that when nothing else was working, the Knights were simply leaning on moments of brilliance from Ponga to get them over the line.
With so much talent across the park, Newcastle's attack really should be their biggest strength but countless times this season it's proven their biggest shortcoming.
The club goes back to the drawing board again this summer following another early finals exit.
Titans can hold heads high
They may not have got the chocolates against the Roosters on Saturday, but the Titans gained plenty of respect for the resolve they showed to get back into the contest and come within a pass of snatching an unlikely win.
Whether it was the bounce of the ball, the officiating, or their own execution in attack, not much was going Gold Coast's way in this elimination final.
At times, the fact they're still a very young team with next to no finals experience was evident against a Roosters team that while not at full strength knows what it's like to play in September.
Trent Robinson's men enjoyed the ascendency for most of the first 60 minutes, and looked as though they were slowly grinding the Titans down into submission.
When Daniel Tupou crossed a minute into the second half, taking scores to 18-6, it looks as though the floodgates were about to open.
But Gold Coast picked themselves up out of the mud and ground their way back into the contest with some old fashioned hard running and defensive line speed, and were rewarded aptly with two quickfire tries to level scores midway through the second half.
Even when the Roosters regained momentum, kicking a field goal in the 77th minute to hold a 25-24 edge, the Titans were brave and refused to submit to defeat, and remarkably went within a pass from clinching a nail-biting win on the last play of the game.
While it was no doubt a bitter way for their campaign to come to a close, the confidence gained from this performance, in what was their first finals match in five years, can't be underestimated.
The Gold Coast are a team on the rise and Saturday's disheartening yet brave loss confirmed their status as a finals-worthy team.
