All eyes were on the returning Ryan Papenhuyzen over the weekend, with the Storm fullback coming back from a lengthy injury absence during a reserve grade fixture in Queensland.
The 25-year-old drew plenty of fans into the ground for his first game in over 12 months, and with Melbourne headed towards another finals berth, Papenhuyzen could factor into selection discussions in the coming weeks.
Elsewhere, a teenage star pushed for an NRL debut in the red and white, while a Souths enforcer made a case for a recall amid the club's injury crisis.
The Sporting News delves into the performances of five standouts across NSW Cup and QLD Cup below.
Ryan Papenhuyzen - Sunshine Coast Falcons
After a lengthy absence due to a horrific knee injury, Storm superstar Ryan Papenhuyzen made his return to the field over the weekend during a QLD Cup fixture for Sunshine Coast.
The 25-year-old started at fullback for the Falcons in their 24-10 victory over Ipswich Jets, playing the first-half and nailing two conversions before being subbed off.
Papenhuyzen finished with eight runs for 46 metres, one try assist and one tackle break in a solid display, with the hopes Melbourne could welcome him back in a limited role for the NRL finals series.
To watch the full highlights from Papenhuyzen's return, click here.
Jesse Marschke - North Sydney Bears
North Sydney cemented their spot atop the NSW Cup ladder over the weekend, demolishing Newcastle and giving themselves a five-point buffer in first place.
Among the standout performers was Jesse Marschke, who crossed for two tries and made three linebreaks in the 54-14 victory on Saturday afternoon.
The five-eighth finished with 23 runs for 163 metres and two try assists to cap off an incredible individual effort.
Bench forward Ben Thomas was also impressive in his role, registering a game-high 192 run metres - more than half of which were post-contact - and 17 tackles.
Savelio Tamale - St George Illawarra Dragons
While the Dragons may have fallen short in both grades on Sunday afternoon, young gun Savelio Tamale had himself a brilliant day out against the Eels.
The teenage centre recently featured in the NSW U19s and will be pushing for a spot in the NRL to begin next season, with his display against Parramatta likely to do his chances no harm.
Tamale bagged four tries in the 44-28 defeat and with first grade centre Moses Suli sidelined with a calf injury, the former rugby union prodigy could earn a debut sooner than expected.
Daniel Suluka-Fifita - South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney recorded an important NSW Cup victory over the weekend, pushing themselves towards the top-four after defeating Newtown 32-16 on Saturday.
One man at the forefront of the Rabbitohs' win was front-rower Daniel Suluka-Fifita, who finished with a team-high 199 run metres and 21 tackles as he pushes for a spot in the top grade.
His performance could have come at the perfect time for the Bunnies, who are set to be without four starting middle-forwards for their must-win clash with the Dragons in Round 24.
JJ Collins - Central Queensland Capras
Dolphins forward JJ Collins has received limited opportunities in first grade this season, but he did his chances of a recall no harm during the Capras' 44-22 victory over the Blachawks.
The front-rower finished with an eye-catching 176 run metres during his 64 minutes on the field, while also making four tackle breaks and producing two offloads.
Collins was equally-impressive without the ball, making 25 tackles with just two misses as Central Queensland draw closer to a top-four finish in the QLD Cup competition.
