Round 14 of the NRL season is officially in the books, with some high-scoring and narrow affairs rounding out a quality weekend of Origin-affected football.
Canberra got over the top of the Tigers after a controversial late penalty to open up the round, while the likes of South Sydney and Brisbane further flexed their premiership muscle.
After a string of poor performances, the Roosters bounced back to secure a crucial two points, while the struggling Cowboys returned to form with a brilliant win over Melbourne.
Here's what we liked and disliked from every game of Round 14.
Canberra Raiders 20 - 19 Wests Tigers
What we liked: Fogarty masterclass gets Raiders home
Jamal Fogarty was exceptional in the halves at Campbelltown.
Scoring off two of his own kicks, he would ice the game with the game winning penalty goal with four minutes remaining.
After going ahead 18 points to nil the Raiders almost let it slip after the sin-binning of Tom Starling.
The Raiders once again showed their class in tight games and just held on.
They are now tied with first on points and look a certainty for finals footy.
What we disliked: Tigers lose it at the death
The Tigers would pay for a sloppy first-half filled with errors.
Down 18-0 it looked all but done for the Tigers but they were galvanised after a Raiders sin-binning.
The Tigers would score 19 points straight and took the lead with it their game to lose.
WAKEHAM TIES IT UP! 🐯 #NRLTigersRaiders pic.twitter.com/GSO04h96sh
— NRL (@NRL) June 2, 2023
They would ultimately lose to a Fogarty field goal, with the Tigers yet again dominating the attacking statistics but not the final scoreline.
New Zealand Warriors 30 - 8 The Dolphins
What we liked: Monster second-half secures the Warriors the win
Shaun Johnson was magic around the Dolphins tryline using his footwork to bag two tries.
Johnson dances in for his second! 🕺 #NRLWarriorsDolphins pic.twitter.com/ejhAk0o2nd
— NRL (@NRL) June 3, 2023
His class was matched by the Warriors forward pack who mauled the Dolphins.
The Warriors gained 300 more run metres than the Dolphins and made the most of the extra space when the Dolphins went down to 12 men.
This Warriors are now three from four at home in Auckland with the win securing their place in the top 8 for yet another week.
What we disliked: Dolphins middles struggle to keep up
The Dolphins look tired, they were monstered by the elite Warriors forward pack and looked like they were just holding on for the majority game.
Unable to make metres or break the line the Dolphins had no momentum in attack.
That wasn't helped by the loss of Jeremy Marshall-King who they rely heavily to create in their attack.
The Dolphins still sit in the top 8 but it looks like Wayne Bennett will have to do something special to keep them there.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 46 - 28 Gold Coast Titans
What we liked: Rabbitohs bounce back
After an unconvincing first-half, South Sydney were excellent in the second-half returning to the winning column after two consecutive losses.
The Bunnies left side attack was deadly, the combination of Walker, Cook and Johnston terrorised the Titans defence.
HAT-TRICK! 🚨 #NRLTitansSouths pic.twitter.com/QfUjFHRKqR
— NRL (@NRL) June 3, 2023
After trailing at halftime the Rabbitohs turned it on in the second half. They held the ball well and kept immense pressure on the Titans tryline.
They made it look easy and showed why they are serious premiership contenders.
The only negative from the Saturday night matchup are the concerning injuries to both Cameron Murray and Jai Arrow.
What we disliked: Titans blow it again
Yet another blown lead for the Titans, as they lost for the fourth time this year after leading by double digits.
It has become all too common for the Titans, who came out a completely different side and were shutout in the second half
The Titans struggled to gain any ascendance unable to keep possession of the ball or put pressure on their opponents.
The club is lacking resilience or a game plan to close out games and it's why they have a 5-8 record on the season.
Brisbane Broncos 20 - 12 Cronulla Sharks
What we liked: Brisbane's rock solid defence
Despite being on the wrong end of the possession battle, Brisbane's defence proved to be the difference in a further example of their growing premiership credentials.
Kevin Walters' side also had multiple players backing up from Origin duties and were too strong for the Sharks, who left plenty of opportunities out there in front of their home fans.
The halves combination of Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam combined for 50 tackles between them, while second-rower Jordan Riki had a flawless night in defence with 39 tackles and no misses.
What we disliked: Tough night at the office for Ronaldo Mulitalo
Cronulla's superstar winger produced an uncharacteristic performance on Saturday night, failing to convert numerous try-scoring opportunities despite the weight of possession for the Sharks.
Mulitalo made five errors and gave away a penalty in the eight-point defeat and will be ruing the missed chances with ball in hand.
The side's attack struggled across the board, but this was a night that Mulitalo will be hoping to forget.
Sydney Roosters 25 - 24 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
What we liked: James Tedesco bounces back
After a tough week, the superstar Roosters captain produced arguably his best performance of the year on Sunday afternoon in a narrow victory.
Tedesco crossed for two tries in the opening 40 minutes, before coming up with a crucial linebreak and try assist in the second stanza to help set up a much-needed victory.
The fullback also finished with 190 run metres and 11 tackle breaks, while club debutant Junior Pauga ran for 192 metres and scored a try in front of a packed stadium at Gosford.
Tedesco copped plenty of criticism following the State of Origin opener, but he managed to put any concerns over his current form to bed with a strong individual display.
What we disliked: Costly refereeing errors cost Bulldogs
While there will be some frustration on Canterbury's end due to their own inability to close out the game, two costly refereeing errors will also haunt them.
The visitors were up by six points heading into the dying stages, but a try through Joseph Suaalii levelled the score and allowed the Roosters to eventually nail a field-goal to decide the outcome.
However, the try came after Paul Alamoti was clearly left rattled on the deck after copping a head knock and Josh Addo-Carr was caught out of position by pointing to his teammate and urging the officials to stop play.
After the Tricolours hit the front, Jake Averillo had a chance to fly down the right-hand sideline and potentially set up a grandstand finish, but was called back for a controversial forward pass.
North Queensland Cowboys 45 - 20 Melbourne Storm
What we liked: Valentine Holmes sparks Cowboys turnaround
There was plenty to like about North Queensland's shock victory on Sunday afternoon - but the returning Valentine Holmes was at the top of the pile.
After a mixed night in the State of Origin opener, Holmes was back on deck to help lift his club side back into finals contention, producing a remarkable individual performance against the Storm.
The 27-year-old finished with one try, six goals, three linebreaks, two try assists and a game-high 192 run metres and terrorised the Melbourne defence.
Fellow rep stars Murray Taulagi (two tries) and Jeremiah Nanai (one try) also crossed in the big victory, while new recruit Semi Valemei bagged a hat-trick in his club debut.
What we disliked: Melbourne struggle to match Cowboys energy
It was a horrific performance across the board for Melbourne, with their second-half a major concern for Craig Bellamy heading into the second-half of the season.
Conceding 45 points is never a good sign, but the amount of errors and penalties will also be keeping the veteran Storm coach up at night.
Melbourne also missed a whopping 52 tackles, with the likes of Reimis Smith and Jahrome Hughes having particularly tough nights in defence.
Penrith Panthers 26 - 18 St George Illawarra Dragons
What we liked: Ben Hunt's spirited performance
You could say this every week, but the influence of Ben Hunt on the Dragons is immense.
In a game they had no right to win or compete in, St George Illawarra managed to take it to the reigning premiers in a back-and-forth affair, with the performance of the skipper the major positive.
Hunt finished with two try assists, 12 runs for 63 metres and nine tackles after backing from Origin duties.
What we disliked: Nathan Cleary's injury
Get ready for Nathan Cleary watch, everyone.
The superstar halfback limped from the field early in his side's victory on Sunday night with a suspected hamstring injury and didn't return in the second-half.
Cleary was visibly frustrated following the injury and with a must-win State of Origin game less than three weeks away, it could be a major blow for NSW.
Jack de Belin was also carted off later in the night in a scary moment for the Dragons veteran, but fears over a neck injury were allayed after he returned to the sheds.
