St George Illawarra Dragons battled both the weather conditions and Sydney Roosters on Saturday to claim a hard-fought 14-12 victory and move joint top of the NRL.
The Dragons ended a five-match losing run in one of the league's fiercest rivalries to mark captain Ben Creagh's 250th NRL game with a triumph made all the sweeter by a surprise defeat for Melbourne Storm at Manly Sea Eagles.
The Storm slipped to third thanks to Brisbane Broncos' 28-16 victory over Parramatta Eels in the final match of the day.
Tries from Peter Mata'utia and Mitch Rein put the Dragons in control before a half-hour delay came about due to hail and thunder.
When play resumed, Gareth Widdop's kicking helping the Dragons into a 14-6 lead going into a tense last 10 minutes, with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck touching down to pile on the pressure.
However, Paul McGregor's side held firm to claim a sixth straight league win and move top thanks to Manly Sea Eagles' shock victory over old foes Melbourne Storm.
Despite going into the clash at opposite ends of the table, Manly - boosted by the return to fitness of captain Brett Stewart - ran out 12-10 victors with a gritty defensive display.
The visitors trailed 10-2 at the break, but tries from Tom Symonds and David Williams in the second period helped Manly to only their second victory of the season as Storm slipped two points off the pace.
The Broncos ran out comfortable victors at the Suncorp Stadium despite Bureta Faraimo scoring a hat-trick for Parramatta as Brisbane never relinquished their 13th-minute lead, adding a touch of gloss to the scoreline with a late Anthony Milford try.
Gold Coast Titans fought back from 18-12 down to claim a 32-28 victory against New Zealand Warriors.
The Titans did not lead until the 51st minute on Saturday, but eventually assumed control against a Warriors side who lost Ryan Hoffman to a head knock early in the second half.
North Queensland Cowboys recovered from two early blows to edge out Newcastle Knights 26-24 and claim a fifth consecutive victory.
Jason Taumalolo and hooker Jake Granville were both taken off early in New South Wales and, while the hosts piled on the pressure late in the day, they were unable to avoid a fourth straight defeat.