Round nine had some blowout scores, meaning there were plenty of things to like from an attacking standpoint.
On the flip side, there were a lot of things that some coaches, fans and players won't be happy with in defence.
Here's everything we liked and disliked from round 9 of the NRL season.
MELBOURNE STORM 50-0 SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS
What we liked: Justin Olam's big night setting up The Foxx
Rightfully so, Josh Addo-Carr's history-making six-try haul stole the headlines from this match, but it wouldn't have been possible without Justin Olam.
Like Addo-Carr, the Storm centre was an absolute handful for South Sydney's right side defence, and did all the work to set up three of Addo-Carr's tries, including one off a perfectly shaped grubber kick while off balance.
As good as Olam is close to the try line, it's his work out of Melbourne's half and his explosive running game on the left edge which helps give his side advantages in the ruck.
Olam's rise over the last two years has been remarkable and he's quickly become one of Melbourne's most dangerous players, as he was in the 50-point Rabbitohs rout.
What we disliked: Rabbitohs lack of plan B
Aside from their abysmal right side defence that let in Addo-Carr's six tries, the Rabbitohs' inability to find a solution when they were unable to breach the Storm down their dangerous left side was concerning.
Time and time again they threw shape at Melbourne down Benji Marshall's side but it failed to pay dividends as it was clear the Storm were anticipating plenty of traffic there.
Yet despite being turned away, South Sydney were unable to come up with a plan B, which clearly began to frustrate Wayne Bennett's side.
The loss to Melbourne really exposed just how much South Sydney rely on their attacking shapes down the left side, and perhaps how little they trust their right when Adam Reynolds isn't in the 17.
PENRITH PANTHERS 48-0 CRONULLA SHARKS
What we liked: Penrith's metre-makers
Not many teams can make their way up the field like the Panthers, and their ability to win the middle through the middle third is a big reason Ivan Cleary's side are soaring at the top of the ladder.
From the 17 starting players, only Matt Burton and Api Koroisau were unable to make over 100 run metres as the side collectively racked up an incredible 2301 metres, more than double that of Cronulla.
Leading the metre-making assault was of course Brian To'o with an incredible 309 metres, with the elusive winger's running out of the back half the most elite in the game.
Meanwhile, starting front-row pair James Fisher-Harris (187m) and Moses Leota (168m) led the charge through the middle.
What we disliked: Cronulla's self-destruction
Not many teams would've beaten Penrith on Friday night with the way they played, but Cronulla didn't even give themselves a chance they were so poor with and without the ball.
They dug themselves into a hole with countless errors making it impossible to build any form of pressure with their attack, while their defence on the edges was almost non-existent.
It was a typical performance from a side bereft of confidence, coming off their now five straight losses.
Even William Kennedy, arguably the Sharks' best player this season, was poor.
PARRAMATTA EELS 31-18 SYDNEY ROOSTERS
What we liked: Eels holding their nerve
Parramatta showed their maturity by overcoming a resurgent Roosters side that was threatening to stage a thrilling late comeback.
Brad Arthur's side could easily have gotten frustrated by being continuously turned away by the Tricolours when they were seemingly on their knees in the second half.
But the Eels didn't hesitate and iced the game with a Mitch Moses field goal in the 73rd minute, before Dylan Brown scored a brilliant individual effort minutes later to put the result beyond doubt.
The Eels have been in stellar form to start the season, with a loss to the Dragons the only blemish on their season so far.
But they desperately needed a big scalp to prove themselves and got one against the Roosters.
What we disliked: More Roosters injuries
They're already without almost half of their starting side through injury and their luck on that front didn't improve in this costly loss to the Eels.
Victor Radley suffered a concussion and was ruled out in just the ninth minute after failing his HIA, but the most concerning knock was Drew Hutchison's.
Hutchison copped a knee in the ribs from Dylan Brown while scoring a try, and the stand-in halfback was immediately taken into the sheds, before he was taken to hospital with breathing difficulty.
Standing in alongside teen gun Sam Walker for the injured Luke Keary and Lachlan Lam, the injury to Hutchison will undoubtedly see the halfback miss at least a few weeks in another huge headache for Trent Robinson.
The other concern is for Walker, who fell awkwardly in a tackle and twisted his left ankle last in the second half. The young No. 7 appeared in severe discomfort but chose to play on as the Roosters attempted a late comeback.
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 24-16 CANBERRA RAIDERS
What we liked: Jayden Brailey leading from the front
The Knights captain has been one of Newcastle's best players this season but it was his one-percenters that stood out in Wagga Wagga.
The key moment was his desperate effort to get back in defence to snuff out a Raiders attack in the second-half after Jordan Rapana had made a great break.
It is those sort of efforts that display why Adam O'Brien entrusted him as one of his co-captains this season.
He also had 51 tackles for the match and scored the try that iced the game.
Great to see the young dummy-half leading from the front.
What we disliked: Canberra's second-half fade-out yet again
For the fourth time this season, the Raiders have thrown away a match after being in a winning position.
This was arguably the worst one yet.
Up 16-0 at half-time, the Raiders were absolutely dominant in the first half and looked a shadow of the side that was in all the headlines this week.
But the Knights came out and produced a short kick-off to start the second half and momentum completely went to the team from the Hunter.
Ricky Stuart refused to blame his side's effort but it's clear there is some sort of attitude problem within the side.
They have the Bulldogs in Magic Round, if they don't win there then alarm bells will certainly start ringing, if they weren't already.
GOLD COAST TITANS 36-28 WESTS TIGERS
What we liked: Gold Coast's electric, attacking start
If you missed the opening ten minutes of the match, you would have wondered what on earth happened.
In a five-minute period, the Titans scored three unanswered tries to lead the Tigers 18-0.
The highlight was their second try, AJ Brimson making a break after the Titans shifted early from the kick-off.
He found Tyrone Peachey who managed to fend off Luke Brooks and make his way to the tryline.
It's the sort of attack we've become used to from the Titans who have shown they can score from anyone on the field.
Only this week, they were able to come away with the two points as well.
What we disliked: Nofoaluma lucky not to be seriously hurt
There is a lot that can be analysed from the Wests Tigers loss on Saturday but it was a lot of the same issues.
However, one of the most concerning moments was seeing winger David Nofoaluma slide into the barbed-wired fence on the eastern side of Campbelltown Stadium.
It was a great defensive effort from the Titans but for a player to be in such danger so close to the field of play shouldn't happen.
Speaking about the incident post-match, Maguire was confident that it's not something that we'll see again.
He also confirmed that Nofoaluma wasn't injured in the incident.
But it should never have gotten to that in the first place.
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS 19-18 BRISBANE BRONCOS
What we liked: Jason Taumalolo finally finding his groove in 2021
He's the man with a lot of expectation on his shoulders since the retirement of Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan
He has also been the one to cop a lot of the criticism at times when the Cowboys have underperformed.
But we saw a glimpse of the Taumalolo we all know and love against the Broncos in the Queensland derby.
He played a mammoth 72 minutes in Townsville on Saturday, more than Todd Payten usually affords him.
And he made the most of it, 236 metres from 20 hit-ups in just his third game of the season.
He then came up clutch with the try to tie the scores before Valentine Holmes slotted the match-winning field goal.
What we disliked: Tevita Pangai Jr failing to back up his performances
When he's on, Tevita Pangai Jr is one of the most damaging players in the competition.
But when he dishes up games like last night, it leaves Broncos fans frustrated.
The 25-year-old finished with 11 runs for just 86 metres, missed three tackles and made two errors as his side fell in a nail-biter against the Cowboys.
Just a week prior, Pangai Jr was at his best against the Titans and showed why he was knocking on the door of the NSW side not too long ago.
Consistency is key in the NRL, and right now, the Broncos enforcer isn't consistent enough.
MANLY SEA EAGLES 38-32 NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
What we liked: Tommy Turbo at his brilliant best
Two tries, four try assists, five linebreaks, 11 tackle breaks and a victory in front of the Brookvale Oval faithful - what a day out for the Manly superstar.
Since returning from a hamstring injury, there has been no player in the game with more impact on their side than Tom Trbojevic.
He has single-handedly turned their season around, to the point where the Sea Eagles are looking like finals contenders as opposed to wooden spoon battlers.
Trbojevic's display against the Warriors on Sunday was so exciting to watch, and here's hoping he stays injury free and these types of performances become even more regular.
What we didn't like: Late reshuffle hurts Warriors young gun
Reece Walsh has been fantastic in the first few games of his NRL career - but a late reshuffle on Sunday won't do him any favours.
With playmaker Chanel Harris-Tavita back from injury, Walsh was shafted to the bench on game day and finished with just 27 minutes.
While he did manage to score a try and looked dangerous as the Warriors looked to save the game, Walsh was thrown in the deep-end.
He was also targetted in defence, missing three tackles on the edge.
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS 32-12 CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
What we liked: Debutants both crossing for Red V
While it was a dire game of footy for the most part, it was fantastic to see two of the Dragons' best young players have som big moments.
Mat Feagai was brilliant in his NRL debut, making eight tackle breaks and scoring a try. Unfortunately, his day ended in agony after being taken off with an ankle injury.
Junior Amone went from SG Ball to first grade in the space of just a week, and while he only featured late in the game for the Dragons, he scored a try and made 60 metres in just 15 minutes of game time.
It's been a lean few years for the Red V and their devoted fan base, but there is plenty to be excited about moving forward.
What we didn't like: Bulldogs' execution issues continue
It's never a good sign when you have to hook your long-term halfback after 40 minutes - but that's exactly what happened on Sunday against the Dragons.
Kyle Flanagan has been under immense pressure since arriving at Belmore, and in the biggest indication yet that he isn't handling it, Trent Barrett benched him at half-time.
He eventually returned to the field, but it didn't matter who was in the halves - Canterbury's lack of execution is extremely poor for NRL level.
They had plenty of opportunities during the game to score points due to the Dragons' own issues with the ball, but could only manage two tries well after the Red V had taken the foot off the gas.
