We started the weekend with an almighty thumping, as the Roosters dismissed the Cowboys. We saw the Bulldogs end the Storm's season, the Broncos capitulate to the Knights and the Sharks impress once again against the Rabbitohs.
Here's whose stocks are up and down after Round 22.
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: The season is almost over? I thought without any distractions of murmurs of a finals run, the shackles might be off and we might see this playing group play a few good games before the likes of Haas, Reynolds, and others leave. How wrong I was. At least the Xavier Willison cut shouldn't be too serious as long as he avoids infection.
Stocks down: This is shaping up as the worst title defence in history - another awful loss, only six points scored and their star player got sin binned for pulling someone's hair. What an absolute disaster.
- Matt Bungard
Canberra Raiders
Stocks up: Matt Timoko's early try gave Canberra the perfect start, and they at least kept competing after halftime rather than allowing the scoreline to become truly ugly.
Stocks down: Once Penrith found their rhythm, the Raiders simply couldn't stay with them. They conceded five first half tries, struggled to contain the Panthers' shape on both edges and were effectively out of the contest by the break. Canberra have produced some excellent football this year, but this was a fairly blunt reminder of the gap that remains between being a dangerous side and matching the competition's benchmark.
- Isaac Issa
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
Stocks up: Viliame Kikau has returned from injury to some of his best form. The big edge forward troubled young Storm half Hayden Watson with his direct running and elusive footwork. It is amazing how much more potent the Bulldogs are with Kikau and Jacob Preston threatening wide of the ruck. Stephen Crichton may or may not be a five-eighth, but he is a good enough player to pull on any jersey and win a game.
Stocks down: Coach Cameron Ciraldo's persistence with Jaemon Salmon finally paid off, with the enigmatic lock scoring two first half tries for the Bulldogs. Fans hoping for a more consistent player in the pack will be disappointed as Salmon will never be dropped after that. Similarly, despite again looking largely dysfunctional, the Lachlan Galvin, Stephen Crichton halves combination is here to stay as well.
- Darren Arthur
Cronulla Sharks
Stocks up: Choosing to begin the game with Addin Fonua-Blake and Tom Hazelton both on the bench was a masterstroke, with Souths scoring first but not doing enough with a few good chances before both teams made some interchanges and the game completely swung. The last 50 or so minutes was pretty smooth sailing for a Cronulla team that are just going about their business very calmly at the minute.
Stocks down: A slow start and a couple of close calls that could have been really important on another day, but by and large that's probably their biggest remaining test of the regular season passed with flying colours. It's top four or bust now.
-- Matt Bungard
Dolphins
Stocks up: Isaiya Katoa's return immediately gave the Dolphins a more settled feel, and their left edge repeatedly proved too slick for the Dragons. Selwyn Cobbo scored twice, including a long range effort that showcased everything dangerous about him, while Kodi Nikorima and Herbie Farnworth kept creating space around him. They were far from perfect, but a 28-22 win kept their top-four push firmly on track.
Stocks down: Their ball control invited far more stress than necessary. The Dolphins completed poorly in the first half, allowed the Dragons to stay within touching distance and were still defending a possible golden-point finish in the final minute. They got away with it, but this was much closer than a finals contender would have wanted against the bottom side.
- Isaac Issa
Gold Coast Titans
Stocks up: It was an awful result but even in games like this you can see how frustrated Josh Hannay is at anyone who isn't doing enough - the hooking of Arama Hau was evidence of that, where even in a season that's lost and with an argument to be made for just leaving one of your young players out there to figure it out, he saw fit to send a message that those defensive efforts weren't good enough.
Stocks down: Things looked to have been turning a corner for the past few weeks but this was a brutal crash back down to earth. The dream of finishing outside the bottom four is still well and truly alive.
- Matt Bungard
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
BYE
Melbourne Storm
Stocks up: Despite missing the 3/4 of their all star spine, the Storm were fired up for a big night against the Bulldogs. Their forwards matched the Bulldogs up the middle, while fullback Sualauvi Faalogo was at his electrifying best. You don't lose that much talent and win the tough encounters.
Stocks down: The long term future looks promising for the Storm, with a lot of young players performing well against the Bulldogs, but 2026 will still go down as a big disappointment. Craig Bellamy's team have rarely missed the finals during his tenure and although key injuries definitely played a part, there were some sub-par performances along the way.
- Darren Arthur
Newcastle Knights
Stocks up: Gutsy performance after last week's horrible injury double blow, but maybe we were a bit quick to write them off for the rest of this year. Yes, Dylan Lucas and Dylan Brown are massive losses, but some of their great footy at the start of this year came when they were undermanned as well - and this was a real return to form. Great win.
Stocks down: After this great result they'll really be looking back at that trio of losses before this with extra regrets now. We know how important finishing in the top four is in terms of winning the competition, and they could well be there right now if a couple of those had gone in their favour.
-- Matt Bungard
New Zealand Warriors
Stocks up: A massive bounce back after last week, putting this one well and truly out of sight before half time. Perhaps their most scintillating game of attacking football all year, and that great start enabled them to enjoy a very cruisy second half as well. The biggest game of their season awaits next Friday.
Stocks down: Nothing wrong with their game, which was close to perfect, but in the race for the top four - and more crucially, the top two - having the Roosters win and give their for and against a nice 70-point boost was not ideal for the Wahs.
- Matt Bungard
North Queensland Cowboys
Stocks up: After the first half from hell, the Cowboys came out with more resolve against the Roosters who rested James Tedesco after the first 40 minute onslaught. Twenty minutes after oranges the Cowboys were leading the second half 6-4. Twenty minutes of good footy is a positive, right?
Stocks down: Alarming signs early in Townsville with the Roosters opening the Cowboys up right through the middle for the first try after two minutes. It was an absolute nightmare from there on. Scott Drinkwater had a horror night with Roosters players coming at him from all angles. Dragons fans will be hoping to get more from him defensively on Anzac Day next year.
- Darren Arthur
Parramatta Eels
Stocks up: It was scrappy, chaotic and occasionally hard to watch, but Parramatta found the one play they needed. Mitchell Moses' late pass created the opening for Isaiah Iongi to score the match winner, while Jordan Samrani and Tallyn Da Silva had earlier helped build a 12-0 halftime advantage. Winning despite spending most of the second half under pressure showed genuine resilience.
Stocks down: The Eels made 19 errors, completed at just 67 percent and nearly threw away a game they had controlled. This was less a polished performance than an escape, and Jason Ryles will know they won't often survive that much self-inflicted pain.
- Isaac Issa
Penrith Panthers
Stocks up: Penrith responded to Canberra's early try by putting on one of those stretches where the result suddenly feels inevitable. Liam Martin and Tom Jenkins both crossed twice in a dominant opening half, Nathan Cleary kept pulling the Raiders' defence apart, and the Panthers went to the sheds leading 30-6 before closing out a 42-18 win. Jenkins' extraordinary scoring run continued, but the bigger picture is that Penrith again looked completely comfortable dismantling a quality opponent.
Stocks down: They did ease off enough after halftime for Canberra to restore some respectability, and Ivan Cleary will probably dislike conceding three tries more than anyone else cares. Still, this was decided long before then.
- Isaac Issa
St George Illawarra Dragons
Stocks up: Clint Gutherson and Valentine Holmes gave the Dragons plenty, Tyrell Sloan continued his scoring run and Ryan Couchman grabbed his first NRL try to keep the game alive until the final moments. For long periods, they played with enough energy and intent to genuinely trouble a top-four contender.
Stocks down: The frustrating theme remains unchanged: they competed without winning. Poor errors ended promising attacking sets, Toby Couchman was lost to a failed HIA and their last chance at forcing golden point disappeared with an offside ruling. Another respectable performance still became their 17th loss of the season, which sums up 2026 rather painfully.
- Isaac Issa
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Stocks up: Despite losing three of their last five games, they are still clinging to a spot in the Top 8 - for now.
Stocks down: Despite how well Cronulla played when those first changes came on, they really did open the door for this understrength Souths team early on - and 6-0 lead was simply not enough for the chances they had. There were some very sloppy errors, some questionable decision making and bad discipline that have become very closely associated with this team in games that they've lost this year.
-- Matt Bungard
Sydney Roosters
Stocks up: The Roosters wanted a fast start and captain James Tedesco made sure they got one. In the opening minutes he put Victor Radley though a gap just inside the Cowboys' half before backing up Reece Robson to score the first try. He set up the second with another bust up the middle, before grubbering through the line for the Roosters' third. It was the start of a long painful night for the Cowboys which would have been even uglier had Tedesco not taken the second half off to rest his ankle. Sam Walker was brilliant in Tedesco's absence.
Stocks down: They did take both feet off the pedals after the break, which was understandable, with Tedesco wrapped in cotton wool and enjoying an early mark. With 20 minutes remaining they switched back on and continued the embarrassment.
- Darren Arthur
Wests Tigers
Stocks up: After everything surrounding Adam Doueihi during the week, his response was about as emphatic as it could have been. He helped drag the Tigers back from 12-0 down, scored a brilliant individual try and then kicked the late field goal that looked to have completed the comeback. Fonua Pole's charging try also gave them the energy they had been missing.
Stocks down: Somehow, they still lost. Isaiah Iongi crossed just minutes after Doueihi put them ahead, extending the Tigers' losing streak to seven games. Fifteen errors and several wasted opportunities meant the comeback ultimately counted for nothing, and that probably makes this one hurt even more than a comfortable defeat would have.
- Isaac Issa