Round 16 of the NRL got off to a chaotic start, with the Cowboys and Panthers facing off in a topsy-turvy golden point clash.
A three-match Saturday spread then followed as the Eels continued their resurgence.
The Sharks then capped off the weekend with a one-sided victory over a struggling Bulldogs outfit.
Here's what we liked and disliked from every game in NRL Round 16.
North Queensland Cowboys 27 - 23 Penrith Panthers
What we liked: Townsville thriller
Who said Origin-affected rounds were boring!?
Penrith and North Queensland combined for a chaotic clash on Friday night, with both sides missing multiple key players due to representative commitments.
Despite missing 35 tackles in the first half alone and producing a scrappy performance, the Cowboys were able to mount a late surge and even took a one-point lead with only three minutes remaining.
But with less than 10 seconds left in regular time, Panthers fill-in halfback Jack Cogger would nail a field goal to send the game to golden point.
In the dying stages and a draw beckoning, Scott Drinkwater took full advantage of a scrambled defensive lineup and crossed for a try to light up Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
While it wasn't always pretty, the two sides gave footy fans plenty to cheer about in Townsville.
What we disliked: North Queensland's defensive efforts
While they did manage to get over the line late in the game, Todd Payten won't be thrilled with the defence from his side on Friday night.
The hosts missed a whopping 63 tackles - 35 in the first half when they leaked all four of their tries - with a number of players having tough nights at the office.
Jake Granville missed 12 tackles but racked up a half-century, while the likes of Peta Hiku (four missed tackles) and Chad Townsend (four missed tackles) came up with poor reads.
Two points is two points - but if the Cowboys are going to compete for a title, they need to fix up their troublesome defence, which has leaked close to 400 points this season.
Newcastle Knights 16 - 18 Sydney Roosters
What we liked: Joey Manu stepping up
No Tedesco, no Keary, no worries for the Sydney Roosters, thanks to the huge play of fullback Joey Manu.
Manu scored one of the Roosters' three tries, finishing the game with 317 run metres from 29 carries, including eight tackle breaks.
Despite a second half surge from the Knights, Manu helped steady his side as they claimed a solid bounce-back win.
What we disliked: Newcastle's execution in the closing stages
After opening the scoring in the third minute of the game, the Knights did not score again until the 54th minute, but it looked like the tides might have been turning in Newcastle's favour.
They rattled off back-to-back tries, pulling within two points of the Roosters, and had more than an adequate chance to steal this one at home.
Unfortunately, no one told the players, who failed to put together any solid play at the close of this game, instead serving up an eclectic mix of errors including multiple knock-ons, missed passes, and Dane Gagai doing his best NFL long-snapper impersonation - straight out of bounds.
By the time the final whistle sounded, Newcastle still sat two points behind the lead, but their missed opportunities amounted to so much more.
Parramatta Eels 34 - 4 Manly Sea Eagles
What we liked: Clint Gutherson puts on a show against the Sea Eagles
Clint Gutherson was the last man standing in Parramatta's spine entering into the clash with Manly.
Mitch Moses had been plucked by Freddy Fittler to try and orchestrate a Blues boilover in Brisbane, while Dylan Brown has been issued with the NRL's no-fault stand-down policy and Josh Hodgson is out injured.
Yet without the rest of the side's key playmakers, Gutherson got to work and helped the Eels to a thumping win - their fourth on the trot as they climb into the top eight for the first time this season.
The fullback was everywhere, digging over from close range for a four-pointer while also turning provider on two occasions.
Gutho had spiders on him all night, finishing with 123 running metres, seven tackle busts, one linebreak and two linebreak assists.
What we disliked: Manly crumble without their Origin stars
It came as no great surprise when the Sea Eagles offered next to nothing in attack with the side shed of both Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic.
But it was in their forward pack where they were really embarrassed with the Eels clocking over 1,600 running metres for the game with Manly unable to even reach the 1,000 metre mark.
There was no enterprise in their backline and they offered no punch through the middle against a dominant pack which was without Junior Paulo.
Manly were forced to defend wave after wave of attack which they were simply unable to do in the first stanza, heading into the sheds 24-4 down.
They held their own better in the second half, but by then the game was already long gone.
"Really frustrating night," Anthony Seibold bemoaned.
"At the moment, we take one step forward and two steps back, that’s where we are at as a group."
Wests Tigers 6 - 28 Melbourne Storm
What we liked: Alex Twal finally scores a try
How could it not be this moment, despite the Storm cruising to a big win off the back of their winger Will Warbrick bagging four tries?
The longest drought in the NRL is over - Alex Twal can finally say he has scored a four-pointer. The scenes at Campbelltown were almost fit for a premiership win, such was the let-off by both his teammates and the crowd.
OH. MY. GOSH.
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) June 17, 2023
ALEX TWAL FINALLY GETS HIS FIRST NRL TRY!!! 🤯🤯🤯
📺 Watch #NRLTigersStorm on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: https://t.co/B1ijnGY1g8
✍️ BLOG https://t.co/Klo3X81eaD
🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/aNVEQacJit pic.twitter.com/4wpzq5lJku
"One small step for man, one giant leap for Alex Twal," Andrew Voss shouted on commentary with the caller unable to contain himself.
"Even if he didn't leave earth to score the try, it's a miracle on Fox League on a Saturday night.
"Everyone at Campbelltown knows it. Unbelievable!
"Twal has scored - the world is beautiful!"
What we disliked: Tigers slide towards another wooden spoon
"I wished he'd have scored two more," Tim Sheens joked post-match after being asked for his thoughts on Twal's try-scoring exploits.
But behind the joke is the very real issue at the heart of the side's problem on Saturday night with the new halves pairing of Brandon Wakeham and Starford To'a proving ineffective.
Since their 66-18 blitz of the Cowboys in Round 12, the Tigers have lost both Api Koroisau and Luke Brooks out of their spine to injury.
Their absences were keenly felt throughout the match when they were unable to convert half chances and linebreaks into points on the scoreboard.
"I'm not going to whine about how our spine has disintegrated after the last game, but it has something to do with it," Sheens said.
However, there isn't an awful lot that Sheens can do to alter the team's predicament at present other than waiting for the cavalry to return.
Sadly, you get the feeling by that time, the club's hopes for the season will have ceased to be around chasing finals footy and instead focused solely on avoiding the wooden spoon.
Cronulla Sharks 48 - 10 Canterbury Bulldogs
What we liked: Sharks pick up a much-needed win
The Sharks had one mission on Sunday, and that was to secure two premiership points.
That was exactly what they did ... and in a rather dominant fashion.
Craig Fitzgibbon's side looked like the winning outfit from the get-go, trumping the Bulldogs in effort, skill and finishing.
Nicho Hynes rebounded well from a rare lacklustre performance last week, and the whole starting 13 fed off his attacking confidence.
Now, the next step for the Sharks is securing an elusive win against a top-eight team.
What we disliked: Bulldogs crumble too easily
It was always going to be an uphill challenge at Shark Park, but the Bulldogs were sliced open easier than expected.
Cronulla were making linebreaks at will, with Canterbury players on the back foot from the opening tackle.
Jake Averillo's gut-busting chase-down of Nicho Hynes was a defensive highlight, but outside of that, it was a very poor showing from the Bulldogs.
