Just the five games over the weekend, with Origin players missing, and we had some incredible upsets. The Dragons won just their second game for the year, while the Eels proved too good for the Sea Eagles. In other less surprising results, the Sharks continued Brisbane's horror slump, the Knights pipped the Dolphins, and the Panthers buried the Bunnies.
Here's whose stocks are up and down after Round 18.
Our footy experts cast their eye over the week's action to find out whose stocks are up -- whether it's a coaching masterstroke or a player having a blinder -- and whose are down.
Brisbane Broncos
Stocks up: We're officially into 'honourable defeat' territory, which is insane for the team that won the premiership last year. They have so many players missing to the point where some of the guys who played in this game don't have pictures on the NRL website. These aren't really positives, there aren't any, but at least it was close.
Stocks down: Eight losses in a row and the conversations have to begin pretty soon about whether or not this is the worst title defence in NRL history (salary cap-cheating Storm excluded). Payne Haas is leaving, a few guys who were sensational last year have taken massive backwards steps, and the toxic elements of the Brisbane media market, who've been waiting for a chance to stick the knives into Michael Maguire, have been feasting for weeks now.
-- Matt Bungard
Canberra Raiders
BYE
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
BYE
Cronulla Sharks
Stocks up: Sione Katoa was dropped earlier in the year and has had a few injury issues, but if Cronulla want to be a contender in a couple of months they need that entire backline fit and firing. It was easily his best game of the year as the Sharks put the final nail in Brisbane's coffin.
Stocks down: This really shouldn't have been that close. The Broncos were coming down the field trying to level the scores with a couple of minutes to go when Braydon Trindall took that intercept and blew the margin out to double digits, but with how awful Brisbane have been, and with how many injuries they have, this will be a game Sharks fans forget about quickly.
-- Matt Bungard
Dolphins
Stocks up: The Dolphins travelled to Newcastle to face the Knights and some very wintery conditions. They struggled through the first half to trail 12-0 at the break, despite having a roaring southerly behind them. After the break they maintained their record of second half success with Jake Averillo having a hand in their two tries on return from injury.
Stocks down: The Dolphins, without some of their key strike weapons, struggled to find a way through the Knights defence, not crossing for their first try until 10 minutes into the second half. They failed to take advantage of the conditions, and struggled with their cohesion and execution. They were much better in the second half, but weren't able to wrap up the victory.
-- Darren Arthur
Gold Coast Titans
BYE
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Stock up: Manly still had enough moments to make Parramatta sweat, and Joey Walsh showed glimpses in a halves pairing that was always going to need time after Luke Brooks' season-ending injury.
Stocks down: This was a missed chance for a side with top four ambitions. They were clunky in attack, couldn't consistently turn pressure into points, and were hit again by injury with Clayton Faulalo's hamstring issue. The effort was there, but without Brooks and with their combinations shifting, they looked like a side still trying to find its rhythm again.
-- Isaac Issa
Melbourne Storm
BYE
Newcastle Knights
Stocks up: The Knights hosted the Dolphins and ran into a brutal wind which blasted the ground from the south, driving occasional downpours. The Knights opened up the visitors through the middle for the first try, before cracking them out wide for their second. They looked to be on their way to a comfortable victory, but had to scramble for a one-point field goal victory with five minutes remaining.
Stocks down: The Knights turned with the wind at their back for the second half with a 12-0 lead and really should have nailed the Dolphins to their own 20 metre zone. Instead of running away with the win, they lapsed in defence against the dangerous Dolphins and allowed them to level the scores.
-- Darren Arthur
New Zealand Warriors
BYE
North Queensland Cowboys
BYE
Parramatta Eels
Stocks up: This was a proper Parramatta response. Missing Mitch Moses and coming off a rough loss, the Eels still found a way to beat Manly 23-14, with Dylan Walker producing one of the plays of the round, Jonah Pezet returning at halfback and icing the game late, and Isaiah Iongi coming up with a massive try-saver when Manly threatened.
Stocks down: The only knock is that they still made it harder than it needed to be. Manly had chances late, and Parramatta needed a few big individual moments to shut the door, but after the season they've had, they'll take ugly, brave and effective every day.
-- Isaac Issa
Penrith Panthers
Stocks up: Another win without their Origin stars, and this was one they really needed after a sluggish couple of weeks. Dylan Edwards was superb, Tom Jenkins scored a hat trick and they really set the tone early on with the physicality and a couple of line breaks.
Stocks down: The final scoreline is extremely flattering -- Souths, who didn't complete a set in the first 10 minutes of the second half, would have gone into halftime with the lead if not for a brain explosion from Cody Walker, and even then only really had the game go out of reach after a few very questionable decisions didn't go their way. Still, who cares? Without a host of players, it's another two points for the best team in the comp.
-- Matt Bungard
St George Illawarra Dragons
Stocks up: This was one they simply had to have, and they got it. The Dragons were cleaner, tougher and more composed than the Tigers, winning 24-10 at Jubilee and finally giving their fans something to breathe about. Val Holmes was strong, the side found enough points, and more importantly they didn't collapse when the Tigers tried to drag the game into an arm wrestle.
Stocks down: The bigger picture still hasn't magically changed. Beating a weakened Tigers side is a start, but the challenge now is proving this wasn't just a one-week lift.
-- Isaac Issa
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Stocks up: The Panthers tested Dayne Jennings early and often, and while Jenkins did end up with a hat trick, one of those absolutely shouldn't have stood, and Jennings scored one of his own and had another taken away by the actions of a teammate. It's been a long, long time since Souths fans have had an exciting young local junior to believe in, but this guy looks the goods.
Stocks down: You can point to that baffling Jenkins bunker decision as the moment that decided the match, and the Bunnies are perfectly entitled to feel aggrieved about that. However, Cody Walker aiming a kick at Jack Cogger as his own team were scoring on the other side of the field will be hard to beat as the most selfish and baffling play I've ever seen, much less this season. For the 36-year-old captain of the team to do something like that in that moment in such a big game is absolutely ridiculous -- and to make it worse, he'll now miss this week's game as well.
-- Matt Bungard
Sydney Roosters
BYE
Wests Tigers
Stocks up: There were moments where the Tigers looked capable of making this a proper contest, and Alex Twal's return at least gave them some extra stability through the middle.
Stocks down: But this was a damaging loss. Without Jarome Luai, they lacked direction, Api Koroisau went down with a pec injury, and a 24-10 defeat to the Dragons is the kind of result that dents their finals push. The Tigers have shown this year they're not the old Tigers, but nights like this still feel like a reminder that their margin for error is pretty thin.
-- Isaac Issa