There some big ups and some very big downs from the weekend's action.
The Dragons continue to surprise and the Panthers continue to dominate, the Sea Eagles and Cowboys enjoyed thrilling drought-breaking wins, while Newcastle and Canberra have fallen out of form.
Meanwhile, there were some incredible individual performances from the likes of Sam Walker, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Matt Dufty.
For all the likes and disliked from round five, read below.
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS 35 - 6 BRISBANE BRONCOS
What we liked: Adam Reynolds' half-time buzzer beater two-point field goal
Adam Reynolds' has barely put a foot wrong on the field this year while his contract situation plays out off it.
And on Thursday night the Rabbitohs skipper gave Souths powerbrokers another reminder of why he's worth a long-term contract.
With the seconds ticking down before the halftime siren, Reynolds put the dagger in the Broncos kicking the NRL's first two-point field goal to put his side comfortably ahead at 18-6.
A history-making play aside, the kick was a beauty from the off-contract skipper, blasting it from 45 metres out and watching it sail over the black dot.
It appears increasingly likely Reynolds will depart the club at the end of this year after turning down the Rabbitohs' latest offer, but that hasn't affected his performances so far.
What we disliked: Jake Turpin's off night
There's no shortage of pressures on Kevin Walters' halves to start producing, but there's no doubt Jake Turpin needs to lift also.
The hooker's service wasn't up to scratch in the heavy loss to South Sydney, which did his side no favours whenever they managed to gain some field position.
Turpin was also quiet out of the ruck, making just four runs for 28 metres.
The likes of Anthony Milford and Tom Dearden rely heavily on Turpin's effectiveness, and it showed on Thursday night as the Broncos' spine just didn't click.
MANLY SEA EAGLES 13 - 12 NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
What we liked: Manly breaking the drought
Given how lopsided this year's competition has been to this point, it was good to see one of the league's struggling sides get their first win.
It was a scrappy affair and was by no means a drastic improvement on past performances, but the Sea Eagles clawed back momentum in the second-half and managed to ice the final minutes of the game to get Daly Cherry-Evans in position for the game-winning field goal.
Des Hasler's side will now welcome back their biggest weapon in Tom Trbojevic and hope to make it two straight in front of their home fans next weekend against the Titans.
What we disliked: More Sea Eagles injury woes
The trade-off to Friday's thrilling victory, is that Manly will now be without Dylan Walker and Jack Gosiewski long-term.
Walker was taken off with a hamstring injury that is expected to sideline him for up to two months, while Gosiewki looks sets to miss the rest of the year with a broken foot.
Alleviating some of the pain is that Tom Trbojevic will be welcomed back next week, but the last thing Des Hasler needs is more injuries - his depth has already been tested to start the year.
PENRITH PANTHERS 30 - 10 CANBERRA RAIDERS
What we liked: Penrith's swagger
This divides some, but the Panthers 'cockiness' as it's been labeled, is good for rugby league.
Penrith's form has been underestimated to start the year, with the victories over the Sea Eagles, Cowboys and Bulldogs so far this year making it hard to gauge where Ivan Cleary's side are at.
But the win over the Raiders on Friday made a huge statement to the rest of the competition.
While it may be perceived as arrogance, the confidence and swagger the young Panthers play with, led by the likes of Jarome Luai and Stephen Crichton, adds huge amounts of excitement to the spectacle.
What we disliked: Canberra's poor execution
Ricky Stuart conceded this 30-10 exposed that his side simply aren't good enough yet, and the Raiders coach is right on the money.
The Green Machine's poor execution in attack was heavily exposed on Penrith, and stood out even more given what Penrith were able to do with the Steeden.
The no try to Jarrod Croker in the first half was a huge missed opportunity to go 12-0 up early. From there whenever the Raiders got the ball down in attacking areas, they looked out of sorts.
It's something Stuart will want to address quickly before next week's blockbuster clash with the in-form Eels.
GOLD COAST TITANS 42 - 16 NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
What we liked: David Fifita
David Fifita is officially unstoppable.
Having terrorised opposition defences in the opening month, Fifita wreaked havoc again against the Knights on Saturday, scoring a blistering hattrick and running ragged in the 42-16.
It was a blockbuster match-up between the Titans edge forward and Newcastle's Tyson Frizell, and Fifita well and truly came out on top.
If the tries weren't impressive enough, two of which Fifita scored on his own, he also had a whopping eight tackle breaks and 11 runs for 144 metres.
No matter how much defence teams throw at Fifita to nullify his influence, the barnstorming forward finds a way and did exactly that in an influential performance.
What we disliked: Knights' paper-thin defence
For a team that's promising to be top four contender, Newcastle's defence against the Titans was simply woeful.
Injuries can be no excuse in this case, the Knights opened up way too easily in the middle and on the edges against the Gold Coast, in a display that will have Adam O'Brien tearing hair out.
That's now three back-to-back losses on the trot for O'Brien's side, who are quickly drifting down the ladder, with no sign of reprieve ahead as they face the Sharks, Panthers and Roosters in the next three weeks.
MELBOURNE STORM 52 - 18 CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
What we liked: Ryan Papenhuyzen scoring more points than the Bulldogs
Isn't the explosive fullback in some good form lately?
Papenhuyzen scored 20 points against the Dogs, kicking 8/9 conversions and crossing for a try.
The reigning Clive Churchill Medal winner also ran for 198 metres, made two linebreaks and set up a try in the convincing victory.
He continues to put pressure on Roosters superstar James Tedesco for the title of game's best fullback.
What we disliked: Bulldogs' defence
A lot has been made about Canterbury's attack in the opening four rounds, but their defence on Saturday night was the major issue.
Leaking 52 points in a game is simply not good enough, and if you score 18 points in a game, you should be in the contest most weeks.
There is a long way to go for Trent Barrett in his new job.
SYDNEY ROOSTERS 26 - 18 CRONULLA SHARKS
What we liked: Sam Walker fires in second half masterclass
After a tough first 40 minutes against Cronulla, rookie halfback Sam Walker dazzled in the Roosters come-from-behind victory on Saturday night.
The 18-year old scored a crucial try late in the game and set up another three, as the Tricolours overcame a 14-point deficit to take their season record to 4-1.
Walker is tough and resilient as he is talented. After things weren't going his way to start the game, he kept his composure and eventually turned the tide.
This kid has a huge future in the game if his first two games are anything to go by.
What we disliked: Injury woes continue at hooker for the Roosters
Jake Friend has retired. Sam Verrills, Adam Keighran and Lachlan Lam are all out injured.
And now, the Roosters have lost Freddy Lussick, after the dummy-half injured his arm during the win over the Sharks.
To make matters worse, Ben Marschke is facing a one-game ban for a crusher tackle, leaving the Roosters searching for a seventh-string option.
Victor Radley seems a likely candidate to fill in at hooker next week - but the return of Verrills can't come soon enough at this stage.
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS 34 - 30 WESTS TIGERS
What we liked: Scott Drinkwater
After four straight losses to start the year, the Cowboys had a really nice first-half display against the Tigers on Sunday - and it was led by their five-eighth.
Drinkwater scored a try and set up another two as North Queensland flew out to a 28-6 halftime lead, before holding on to win 34-30 at Leichhardt Oval.
With Michael Morgan forced into retirement, it will be up to Drinkwater to stand up moving forward, and today was a good first step.
What we disliked: Tigers' poor attitude
On a day where they were honouring a club legend in Tommy Raudonikis, the performance from the Tigers in the opening 40 minutes was terrible.
Leaking 28 points in a half to any side is bad enough, but it's made worse by the fact it was against a Cowboys outfit that were winless prior to this weekend.
They looked lifeless in attack and showed little desperation in defence, and Michael Maguire will certainly be worried by some of the things he saw.
Something has to give at Concord.
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS 26 - 12 PARRAMATTA EELS
What we liked: Dufty and Clune's combination
There has been plenty of speculation that Adam Clune could be out the door and headed to the Cowboys - but the Dragons may want to stand in the way of that.
Again filling in for the injured Ben Hunt, the halfback was fantastic in his side's victory at Bankwest Stadium, with his combination with fullback and best mate Matt Dufty paying dividends.
Dufty had a brilliant game, scoring two tries and setting up another - but his work with Clune will have Dragons fans excited moving forward, even once Hunt returns.
What we didn't like: Fergy Ferg's handling errors
He had a mixed game against the Tigers on Easter Monday, but on Sunday night against the Dragons it was anything but mixed for Blake Ferguson.
The veteran winger came up with four errors in the 26-12 loss, with plenty of them coming at crucial times in the game.
He was also seen throwing up at stages during the game, so maybe that was the reason why - but it was certainly a night to forget for the larrikin.
