It was a tough round of rugby league, with mass injuries putting a huge dampener on the weekend.
There will be plenty of question marks about the substitute debate after we saw a heap of HIAs and injuries across the competition.
That being said, there were some fantastic moments on the field - and some not so great.
Here's what we liked and what we didn't like from round 3.
PENRITH PANTHERS VS MELBOURNE STORM
What we liked: Burton and Hynes excel in placeholder roles
With two of the game's best players in Nathan Cleary and Ryan Papenhuyzen out of action with injury, it was up to their replacements to hold up their end of the bargan in the grand final rematch.
Matt Burton was fantastic in a winning side, showing all the classy touches that will have Bulldogs fans excited for his 2022 arrival.
Nicho Hynes looked brilliant at the back for the Storm despite the loss, and he will attract plenty of interest from rival clubs heading into next year.
The fullback laid on a try and looked dangerous the entire 80 minutes. The bloke is way too good to be a bench or QLD Cup player.
What we didn't like: Cameron Munster's hip drop tackle
It was the game of the season so far - but this incident just before half-time could have done some serious damage to Spencer Leniu.
After a week where the Storm were in the spotlight for some questionable tactics, this one is likely to get the match review committee's attention.
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS V MANLY SEA EAGLES
What we liked: Corey Norman
Picking up from where Ben Hunt left off, Corey Norman arguably played one of his best halves for the Dragons in the opening 40 minutes of this match.
Norman's kicking game was the main stand out, producing a pin-point kick to set up Zac Lomax for the first try of the game.
He would then put Tariq Sims through a hole, setting up Matt Dufty for an easy try.
The dominant win would be capped when Norman turned direct provided,
Anthony Griffin continues to breathe new light into these Dragons halves. If they can manage to continue this level of form, they could end up being the surprise team of the competition.
What we didn't like: Manly's attack
Des Hasler and the Sea Eagles need to end this Dylan Walker experiment because it just isn't working for the club.
Walker has yet to flourish at the back and the Sea Eagles attack looked toothless despite dominating territory and possession.
They were their own worse enemy, completing at just under 65%, recording 38 tackles inside the Dragons 20 for just 12 points.
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS V SYDNEY ROOSTERS
What we liked: Rabbitohs defence
As the old saying goes: attack wins you games but defence wins you titles. If the Rabbitohs carry-over this defensive performance into the rest of 2021, they will be tough to beat for their 22nd title as they strangled the lethal Roosters attack.
Aside from a brief lapse to allow a Tedesco try, the Bunnies smothered the Roosters playmakers, giving them no time to spread the ball as they looked disjointed.
They made the Roosters look a shadow of the team that put 40 points on the Sea Eagles and Tigers, allowing just two line-breaks and zero penalties.
Whilst the likes of Walker, Mitchell and Cook will dominate headlines for their attacking prowess, it's their defence that has taken them to another level in 2021.
What we didn't like: DSF's cheap shot
In a frustrating night for the Roosters, they look set to lose Daniel Suluka-Fifita for the foreseeable future after a nasty incident involving Rabbitohs recruit Jai Arrow.
Suluka-Fifita was sin-binned before the half after throwing a cheap shot at Arrow, punching him in the back of his head.
Call it what you want but that was a sucker punch, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the judiciary hand down a lengthy ban.
CANBERRA RAIDERS VS NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
What we liked: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
Everyone is talking about that desperate attempt to save a try in the dying stages of the game - and so they should.
But it was the entire 80 minutes from Roger Tuivasa-Sheck that left many fans claiming it as the skipper's best game ever.
RTS finished with a game-high 253 run metres, a try, two linebreaks, 10 tackle breaks and six offloads in a ridiculous performance.
He is going to be a huge loss in 2022 - not only for the Warriors, but for rugby league.
What we didn't like: Injuries
While the Raiders probably shouldn't have given up the lead that they had, injuries across the board certainly didn't help them.
Ryan James, Sebastian Kris and Joseph Tapine were all ruled out of the game during the first half, leaving the hosts to just 14 men in the second half.
Tough weekend across the board in the NRL, and the Raiders were hit hard.
BRISBANE BRONCOS VS CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
What we liked: Xavier Coates
A couple of tries, 229 metres and wasn't he loving every minute of it.
The QLD Origin flyer is such a joy to watch, and it was great to see him in full flight on Saturday night.
Brisbane need to do whatever they can to hold on to this young man. He is passionate, well-spoken and a freakish talent - the type of player you want to build a club around.
What we didn't like: Bulldogs attack (again)
This could legitimately be a copy-paste from round 2, but in all honesty - the Bulldogs attack is terrible.
When they went down to Penrith last weekend, the conditions were less than ideal and there could be excuses made. On Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium, not so much.
Kyle Flanagan and Corey Allan were bought into the club as long-term spine options, but the early stages of their Bulldogs career have been poor.
Trent Barrett worked wonders with the Panthers' attack in 2020, but he looks to have an uphill battle at Belmore this year.
PARRAMATTA EELS VS CRONULLA SHARKS
What we liked: All hail King Gutho
When star halfback Mitchell Moses went down, somebody had to stand up for Parramatta - and of course, it was Clint Gutherson.
The captain and fullbacked starred in the 28-4 victory, involving himself in everything for the hosts. Gutherson finished with a game-high 284 run metres, which is par for the course at this stage.
He even stepped up and kicked goals, finishing with 3/5 conversions after Moses left the field due to injury.
What we didn't like: Concussion dramas raise more question marks
Cronulla battled bravely after losing three players to failed HIAs - but their decimation saw the 18th man debate open up once again.
Briton Nikora, Will Kennedy and Wade Graham were all ruled out of the game after suffering head knocks, while winger Sione Katoa went down with a knee injury.
After the loss, Sharks coach John Morris urged the NRL to consider bringing in a substitute for concussions - but Eels coach Brad Arthur was on the other side of the argument.
The game needs to step in and make a decision on this, because right now every man and their dog are having their say and nothing is being done about it.
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS VS WESTS TIGERS
What we liked: Tigers spine beginning to click
It took them a few rounds, but the Wests Tigers main men were all firing at the same time on Sunday afternoon.
Daine Laurie, Adam Doeuihi and Luke Brooks all had solid games, setting up a try each in the 24-20 upset victory.
Brooks had plenty of criticism coming his way during the week, but the No.7 looked far better than he did in the first two games of the season.
What we didn't like: Knights errors
17 of them, to be precise.
Tex Hoy, Dominic Young and Gehamat Shibasaki all had some forgettable moments in the loss, coming up with 10 errors between them.
Shibasaki finished with three errors after being shifted to the wing prior to kickoff, and will be under immense pressure to hold his spot next weekend.
Hoy has another couple of weeks to impress Adam O'Brien before Kalyn Ponga's return, while Young's debut for the club wasn't exactly a dream.
Inconsistency has been a major issue for the Knights in recent years, and performances like Sunday set them back a step or two as genuine contenders in 2021.
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS VS GOLD COAST TITANS
What we liked: Titans forwards dominating
The big boys were in full flight on Sunday night for the Titans, completely dominating their opponents in the 44-8 victory.
Moeaki Fotuiaka, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and David Fifita all racked up well over 100 running metres each, with the latter also producing an immense 12 tackle breaks.
Jaimin Jolliffe was huge off the bench as well, and is quickly becoming one of the most improved players in the NRL.
What we didn't like: Cowboys soft first half display
Something is clearly not working at the Cowboys under Todd Payten.
Yes, they are missing some big names in Jason Taumalolo and Michael Morgan - but that was no excuse for some of the moments we saw on Sunday night, especially in the first half.
Down 26-0 at the break isn't giving them much hope of a comeback in the second half. They showed some fight later in the game as they piled on some tries, but it was all too late.
Just one Cowboys forward reached 100 metres, and some of the missed tackles were very disappointing - 30 in the first half is borderline embarrassing.
Something needs to change up north, and it needs to change quickly.
