The numbers that matter
The big winners of Round 26
The South Sydney Rabbitohs may have taken the two points on the field with a barnstorming performance, but they and the Gold Coast Titans both deserves enormous plaudits for the unforgettable day that they put on for former Titan and current Rabbitoh Jai Arrow.
The scenes of a visibly emotional Arrow leading his team out onto the field as run-on captain to a sellout crowd, without a dry eye to be seen, and the sounds of You'll Never Walk Alone, reminded us just how wonderful the rugby league community can be when they come together for a deserving cause.
The Gold Coast's Stand with Jai playing jerseys are being auctioned off this week with all proceeds going to the Arrow family and, at the time of publication, bids were in the range of as little as $275 up to $1,500 for the matchworn playing shirt of cult hero Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and $2,500 for an unworn shirt signed by the entire Titans team.
Despite being substituted off the ground in seconds so that he could record his 99th club appearance, Arrow's on-field impact was more than evident throughout the match: his teammates played like an inspired and energised unit, drawing strength from Arrow's immense courage and fighting to brighten up his "nervewracking" day with an enjoyable victory.
It was almost as if their finals battle took a back seat to bigger things, but the 42-22 result sees them go into a final round showdown with bitter rivals Easts with three wins from four games.
With Newcastle set to earn two points from next week's bye, the Rabbitohs are going to have to win to lock in a home elimination final - and on the basis of Saturday's effort, we can't put it beyond them.
The big losers of Round 26
A rare and uncharacteristic demonstration of violent anger from Cronulla Sharks head coach Craig Fitzgibbon highlighted just where their season could be heading after a terrible day out against an already condemned Parramatta Eels.
On paper, the Sharks should have walked this result in and kept their hopes of a top-four finish alive at home to the Melbourne Storm next weekend.
Two contrasting sin bin periods demonstrated an alarming sign of their drop in form: they couldn't score a single point with a one-man advantage when Junior Paulo was off the field for a hip drop tackle, only for Eels hooker Tallyn Da Silva to burst through their undermanned defences twice when Tom Hazleton suffered the same fate as Paulo.
The penalty, error and missed tackle counts were all heavily in Parramatta's favour throughout the afternoon as the Sharks continue to be their own worst enemy.
They bulldozed their way into the top-four with nine wins from ten games and this was meant to be an easy finish to the home and away season, with five consecutive games against clubs all set to miss the finals.
Instead, Fitzgibbon's side have lost three out of four, and the Storm showed at the weekend that they can't be taken for granted next week either.
Team of the Week
Player of the Week
Cameron Murray was quite clearly driven by the heroics of the friend and teammate he replaced on Saturday, producing an inspirational performance of his own with some phenomenal all-round numbers.
Who scored a brace this week?
Storm winger Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown recorded his first brace with a double against Brisbane, in a match where Tyran Wishart and Ezra Mam also crossed twice.
On Friday evening, Jason Saab and Lehi Hopoate both scored doubles for Manly, as did Liam Martin for the Panthers.
Cameron Murray and Tallis Duncan dotted down twice for their man Jai on a memorable Saturday afternoon before Selwyn Cobbo and Tom Chester also scored two each later that day.
Warriors second-rower Jacob Laban and Newcastle wingers Fletcher Hunt and Greg Marzhew doubled up on Sunday along with Eels hooker Tallyn Da Silva and Sharks star Sione Katoa.
Alex Johnston moved closer to winning the medal that could one day be renamed after him when he took the lead off Penrith winger Tom Jenkins with his 29th try of the season.
Johnston is already the only first-grader to score 30+ tries in a season more than once (2021, 2022) and could do so for a third time.
Try of the Week
The naughty boys
Potential suspensions:
Jacob Saifiti (Knights) - Grade 2 Reckless High Tackle - 4 or 5 matches
Tom Hazleton (Sharks) - Grade 2 Dangerous Contact - 1 or 2 matches
Tom Flegler (Dolphins) - Grade 1 Crusher Tackle - $3000 fine or 2 matches
Morgan Knowles (Dolphins) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (Hip drop tackle) - $3000 fine or 2 matches
High-range fines:
Brandon Smith (Rabbitohs) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1800 or $2500 fine
Kurt Donoghoe (Dolphins) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1800 or $2500 fine
Junior Paulo (Eels) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1800 or $2500 fine
Low-range fines:
Latrell Mitchell (Rabbitohs) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine
Harry Grant (Storm) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine
Moses Leo (Storm) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine
Junior Tupou (Wests Tigers) - Grade 1 Crusher Tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine
Viliame Kikau (Bulldogs) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Aublix Tawha (Broncos) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Connor Muhleisen (Dragons) - Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - $750 or $1000 fine
Next weekend's fixtures
The Bulldogs-Broncos and Dragons-Eels matches are set to be two more opportunities for the NRL to trial their controversial new kick restart rule after it flopped last Thursday night.
