We are officially just two weeks away from the end of the regular season as the top eight has been finalised thanks to Cronulla's win over New Zealand.
Round 18 saw the return of the biff with Rabbitohs centre Dane Gagai and Tigers half Luke Brooks throwing down during Thursday's clash.
Meanwhile, Cowboys enforcer Josh McGuire has another date with the judiciary after mouthing off at the referee during the Cowboys’ loss to the Storm on Sunday.
As we head into the final two rounds of the season, players and coaches alike will be finalising their preparations for the finals and their end of the season.
Here's everything you might have missed from Monday's press conferences.
DUFTY WOULD BE 'UPSET' TO SEE FLANAGAN DEPART
Dragons fullback Matt Dufty has conceded that he would be 'upset' to see assistant coach Shane Flanagan leave the club at the end of the season.
With new coach Anthony Griffin preparing to clean out the coaching staff in 2021, Flanagan is expected to part ways with the club, who are expected to decline his second-year option with the former premiership winner.
Dufty was full of praise for Flanagan and fellow assistant Jamie Shephard, praising their influence in turning him into a consistent first-grade player.
“Flanno’s taught me a lot this year,” he said.
“I was coming into 2020 as probably the third-string fullback at the club and I worked really hard in the off-season and a big part of that is Flanno and Shep (Jamie Shephard),
“They obviously taught me a lot in how to be a first-grader consistently and that’s what I was lacking in the past, I’d have a few good games and then a couple off.
“Flanno’s obviously coached a team to a premiership so he knew what qualities I had to work on. He’s been a very influential part of my year and I’ll be obviously upset if he leaves.
- Nathan Williamson
RABBITOHS BOOSTED BY JOHNSON'S RE-SIGNING
The re-signing of club legend Alex Johnson has provided a much-needed boost at Redfern, with his fellow team-mates praising his influence.
No one was more pleased with this news than centre Campbell Graham, who was comforted by the loyalty shown towards a fellow local junior.
“Personally I was stoked, clearly the rest of the boys were because when Wayne announced it, the place went off,” he said.
“It’s such a good outcome for a pretty tricky situation the club and AJ found themselves in. I’m so pleased for him that he could extend here at South Sydney.
“We love having him around here, no one embodies what we’re about more than AJ, he’s a local junior who has so much passion for this club.
“Being a local junior myself, it was really comforting, very great to see Souths were willing to do whatever they could to keep AJ on board at the club,
“I feel like he’s a great asset for the club and a big part of our leadership team heading forward.”
This was shared by Liam Knight, who believes that Johnson is a valuable asset to the club both on and off the field.
“Yeah that was a big relief, everyone at the club loves having him around. He’s a good person and he’s a great winger, he covers a lot of positions for us and is a genuinely good person,” Knight said.
“When we all found out, you should've heard the news in the sheds when we found out he re-signed.”
- Nathan Williamson
GRAHAM LOOKING TO IGNORE ORIGIN SPECULATION AHEAD OF FINALS
As the Rabbitohs continue to march up the ladder, centre Campbell Graham is looking to put any thoughts of a maiden Origin appearance behind him as they prepare for the finals.
Since moving to centre, Graham has been a revelation for South Sydney over the past month, scoring seven tries in five games.
Having played in the position through the juniors, the 21-year-old admits that he needed to lift his performances in order to replace the likes of Braidon Burns and James Roberts.
“It’s been enjoyable for myself,” Graham told media on Monday.
“I played a lot of centres coming through the juniors and the Under 20’s system.
“I got the opportunity cause Braidon and Jimmy the Jet found themselves getting injured and I’ve tried to take the opportunity with both hands and make it my own.
“The team probably need me to step up this year and I’ve really tried to do that.”
With the Coogee junior representing Australia at the Nines last year, Graham is drawing off that experience as he looks to guide Souths into the finals, suggesting that whoever is picked for the end of season Origin series will do NSW proud.
“That was big for me playing in the Nines. I got called in late to play alongside a lot of rep players in that team and a couple of the top dogs in the NRL is big for me,” he said.
“ In terms of Origin this year, this something for the end of the season so I don't have to worry about that until the season is finished
“I’m really focused here at Souths, I’m not even too worried about that, to be honest. There are plenty of stiff competition for outside backs spots in Origin so whoever goes there will be more than capable to do the job for NSW."
- Nathan Williamson
KOROISAU GRATEFUL FOR THE LADIES IN HIS LIFE AHEAD OF WOMEN IN LEAGUE ROUND
Penrith’s Api Koroisau has taken a moment to express his gratitude for the ladies in his life ahead of Women In League round this week. Koroisau gave a shoutout to his mother and his wife Amy in a press conference on Monday.
“I can’t thank my wife enough to be honest,” the family man said.
“We’ve already got two hard kids to deal with, one’s pretty chilled and the other one’s like me; doesn’t stop and real cheeky.
Known for his work ethic on the footy field, Koroisau is adamant that nothing compares to the challenges of being a mother.
“I honestly don’t know how they do it…it’s harder than playing a game of footy, I’m not even kidding, it’s a real tough gig.”
“I can’t thank [the women in his life] enough, especially my mum as well she’s been really supportive and right behind my growing up”.
Koroisau suffered a head knock against Parramatta on Friday night but is expected to play against the Cowboys this week.
- Jasper Bruce
