An upset on Thursday, a five-try haul on Friday, wild wet weather on Saturday and an emotional homecoming on Sunday.
Round 16 of the NRL had it all.
Here's what we liked and disliked from every game this week.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 36 - 30 Melbourne Storm
What we liked: Daly Cherry-Evans’ kicking game
Entering into the contest, Manly had the third-best completion rate in the competition. Yet in the first 20-minute spell they could barely hang onto the ball completing just two of their first seven sets.
Firstly, Haumole Olakau’atu dropped it with the line at his mercy, then Sean Keppie lost it deep inside the Sea Eagles’ own territory, while Tolutau Koula spilled the ball on the end of a right-edge shift.
Des Hasler’s men had made six errors, yet they had still, somehow, managed to post two tries in that time.
Their second was a result of DCE’s 40/20 and it proved to be the turning point of the game, as Manly raced into an unassailable lead. With Jason Saab profiting off the touch finder in the resulting set and Koula claiming his second thanks to a DCE bomb shortly afterwards.
The Sea Eagles finally managing to break their record of being unable to beat a side above them as they held on for a vital win.
What we disliked: Manly's nightmare final ten minutes
With the game well and truly in the bag, the Sea Eagles dropped off defensively and conceded four tries in four minutes as their massive lead nearly evaporated in front of their eyes.
It is the second game in a row where Manly have held a comfortable lead going into the closing stages, only to get run down.
The Cowboys did it to them in round 15 and, if they still had a little more time, you felt the Storm would have done it to them again as Des Hasler's troops imploded.
Luckily, this time their dire final 10 minutes didn't come back to haunt them, but it will no doubt be a big concern for the coach as the club enters into a vital stretch of games that will go on to define their season.
Newcastle Knights 38-12 Gold Coast Titans
What we liked: Lee, Young provide fuel for Knights attack
Newcastle had only scored four tries in their past five games - who would guess that two players alone would crush this tally?
Edrick Lee set a Newcastle try-scoring record with five tries in an absolutely scintillating performance with three in the first half and two in the second when the Titans were attempting a comeback.
The winger was ably supported by Dominic Young who crossed over three times, including the first and last tries.
It's been a tough season for the Knights but the home fans had plenty to cheer about on Friday night.
What we disliked: Titans abysmal season continues
It was Gold Coast's sixth defeat in a row as they remain marooned on the bottom of the NRL table with only three wins for the entire season.
A bake from coach Justin Holbrook prompted a mini fightback in the second half, with the Titans nabbing the first two tries.
But as in many games this season, the Titans folded late, conceding three tries in the last 16 minutes to make the defeat comprehensive.
Penrith Panthers 26 - 18 Sydney Roosters
What we liked: Panthers march on toward minor premiership
With Melbourne Storm losing on Thursday night, Penrith strengthened their grip on the minor premiership with a gritty win against the Roosters.
Penrith are now two wins ahead of the Storm with eight matches to play - and with a near-fully fit squad for the run home.
Ivan Cleary's side were never headed throughout the 80 minutes and always had the answers despite the Roosters hanging in there.
What we disliked: Roosters gutsy but now on worst streak since 2016
Has there ever been a better team outside the top eight?
The Roosters lost their fourth game in a row and are now on their worst losing streak for six years.
Missing stars Luke Keary and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, the Roosters battled valiantly, going try-for-try with Penrith until Api Koroisau sealed the match in the 71st minute.
Trent Robinson's side are now sitting in 10th position, three full wins outside the top four.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 18 - 6 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
What we liked: Cronulla's back five get it done in the wet
In absolutely treacherous conditions, Cronulla's back five were a standout and proved the difference in their 12-point win over a gallant Bulldogs outfit.
All five players ran for over 100 metres, with both Ronaldo Mulitalo and Sione Katoa crossing for tries in the low-scoring affair.
Siosifa Talakai was at his damaging best with ball in hand, finishing with a game-high 182 metres as well as a try assist, while centre partner Jesse Ramien produced seven tackle breaks.
Will Kennedy was as solid as ever, incredibly safe in the wet at the back and finishing with well over 150 run metres.
Compare their performance to their opposing back five, with no Bulldogs backline member registering over 100 metres, and it was clearly a big difference between the two sides.
What we disliked: Declan's disastrous debut
This was extremely tough to watch.
In his first grade debut for Canterbury, young centre Declan Casey had an afternoon to forget in horror conditions at CommBank Stadium.
Casey finished with three errors and three missed tackles, before his debut ended in awful fashion after being knocked out while attempting a tackle on Andrew Fifita.
Here's hoping for a speedy recovery and better days ahead for the 22-year-old.
North Queensland Cowboys 40 - 26 Brisbane Broncos
What we liked: Jeremiah Nanai's bid for history
In the Cowboys’ dominant win over their arch rivals, Nanai stepped past a desperate Kurt Capewell attempted tackle before wrong-footing Selwyn Cobbo to score his 12th try of the season.
The big backrower has gained a reputation for being damaging in the air, but his running game was on full display with this solo try.
If he registers another four-pointer this year, he will now get his name into the record books as the highest-scoring forward in North Queensland’s history.
You wouldn't bet against the teenager accomplishing this feat in his next game for the Cowboys, such is the scintillating form he's in.
What we disliked: Adam Reynolds’ unhappy return
Brisbane was buoyed by the inclusion of Adam Reynolds after he’d missed the last few weeks through a rib injury. However, he made plenty of errors in the first half as he and the Broncos struggled with the pace the Cowboys set.
His cut-out pass was intercepted by Murray Taulagi who touched down to level the scores, before the halfback then kicked it out on the full twice in a row to gift the Cowboys back-to-back points.
His range with the boot was off once more when he kicked it dead and gave the Cowboys a seven-tackle set, as North Queensland bombarded the Broncos’ defensive line in the opening stanza.
Reynolds’ bad night was summed up when he kicked it for himself on the first tackle, while in good field position, only to give the ball straight back to the Cowboys.
He conceded in the post-match press conference that he was "embarrassed" by his display.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 30 - 12 Parramatta Eels
What we liked: Latrell Mitchell's return
It goes without saying that South Sydney are a better outfit when they have Latrell Mitchell patrolling out the back. Just his presence alone is enough to lift any side he's in.
But in his return from a long-term injury, the fullback was impressive.
He finished the match with over 100 running metres, a try assist and four linebreak assists, before declaring he wanted to focus on South Sydney rather than enter into Origin camp with NSW.
His work for Damien Cook's try was classic Latrell, as he smashed his way through Reed Mahoney before sending two or three Eels defenders on a wild goose chase.
OOFT. Welcome back, Latrell! 😤#NRLSouthsEels pic.twitter.com/TAoa5M3nZo
— NRL (@NRL) July 2, 2022
What we disliked: The Eels prove disappointing once again
Parramatta have dominated through the middle against the likes of the Roosters, Panthers and Storm, with a combination of brute force and clever offloads helping to shift their point of attack
However, there was none of that on show against the Bunnies, as they toiled away with a lack of go-forward and any sort of threat in their offence.
South Sydney dictated terms to them almost from the very first whistle, with the Eels repeatedly forced to work it off their own try line.
Parramatta continue to swing from one extreme to the other. They are either impressive or dreadful. And from one week to the next, you can never be sure which one it will be.
New Zealand Warriors 22 - 2 Wests Tigers
What we liked: A positive result after a long-awaited return home
It's been over two years since the Warriors last played in New Zealand, so it was an emotional game for the club and its fans.
Fortunately, they put on a strong display, treating a packed Mt Smart Stadium to a win on their homecoming, snapping a seven-game losing streak in the process.
The pre-match ceremony was goosebump-inducing and was a great reminder of the impact of rugby league on the greater New Zealand community.
It was far from a polished performance by the Warriors, but at the end of the day, it didn't matter.
What we disliked: Wests Tigers deliver another lacklustre performance
Going try-less against a struggling Warriors side is a tough pill to swallow.
There has been next to no improvement since the sacking of Michael Maguire, and the results are becoming increasingly disappointing.
Joe Ofahengaue was a bright spot for the visiting side, but his 58 tackles weren't enough to steer the Tigers to a good performance.
St George-Illawarra Dragons 12 - 10 Canberra Raiders
What we liked: Dragons' resilience
With the Dragons and the Raiders pushing to crack into the top eight, this was a crucial game for both teams.
Ultimately, it was the home side who prevailed, thanks to a tough and determined performance.
With the wet conditions, it was set to be a low-scoring encounter, and the Red V were able to defend their line at key moments to ensure their two tries would be enough to get the win.
Notably, their organised defensive effort in the final set of the game helped to guarantee the two points when it seemed like the match was about to be snatched from them in the dying stages.
What we disliked: Cody Ramsey's nightmare afternoon under the high ball
In wet and windy conditions, it was never going to be an easy game for Cody Ramsey.
The young fullback racked up four errors and three missed tackles in a challenging afternoon.
He crucially dropped a high ball in the final minutes of the game, allowing the Raiders one last set 20 metres out from the try-line, but was spared his blushes when his side valiantly held on.
Ramsey has been terrific in recent weeks, but hopefully for the Dragons' sake, this game won't affect his confidence too much.
