The big winners of Round 13 were...
The third-placed New Zealand Warriors, who alongside Canberra Raiders joined league leaders Canterbury Bulldogs on 20 points albeit with one more game played than the Doggies and one fewer than the Raiders.
They've shown some serious grit and determination in some difficult fights, grinding out more wins (five) by a margin of one converted try or less than any other side this year, including winning four of their five games as the outsiders in 2025.
Perhaps most pertinently, as far as their Premiership credentials are concerned, Andrew Webster's side have already picked up five wins on Australian soil (including against the Cowboys during Magic Round), which is now more than they managed throughout the entirety of 2024.
The loss of co-captain Mitch Barnett to a knee injury will be no doubt felt along the way, though front rower Bunty Afoa has been getting enough minutes to hopefully slot in seamlessly as his replacement.
Another big test will come by next week when they start as 5.5 point underdogs against Cronulla, four months to the day after the two teams played out a 12-12 pre-season draw at Shark Park.
Ricky Stuart's Raiders haven't had it easy either throughout the season but keep grinding out those difficult victories.
Mark Nawaqanitawase and James Tedesco put them behind twice before half-time before they sparked an outstanding second-half comeback to extend their record when conceding the opening try to an incredible five wins from six.
They're now second only to the Melbourne Storm for points per game this season with an average of 27.69 and have won the admiration of Fox League pundit Greg Alexander, who at the weekend described them as "more dangerous than any attacking team".
The big losers of Round 13 were...
Trent Robinson's Sydney Roosters, who keep blowing early leads against the best teams of the competition.
They weren't expected to be right up there with the premiership contenders, starting the season as fifth-favourites (25/1) behind the Storm, Broncos, Panthers and Sharks, but their finishes have not been befitting of the way they've been able to explode out of the blocks.
In fact, the Roosters have scored the opening try more times than any other side this year (11) and, after they were overcome by the Raiders last weekend, have just four wins to show for it amongst those 11 games.
They've blown leads against the likes of Canberra, Canterbury, Brisbane and New Zealand, all teams they need to be competing with for a full 80 minutes if they are to have any chance of making the finals let alone being a club to be afraid of.
Is Madge the man for the Broncos?
Nought and four with 54 points scored and a hefty 128 points conceded. That's the terribly dire numbers that the Brisbane Broncos produced in May, and after the heartbreak of blowing a 12-0 lead at home to the Dragons, they went to Brookvale as favourites only to get blown out of the water.
Head coach Michael Maguire continues to blame errors and ill discipline for their problems but hasn't been able to get on top of his concerns, and now they're out of the eight.
If they can't get the job against SEQ rivals and current last placed strugglers Gold Coast Titans, speculation about whether Maguire is the right fit for a team that were one of the premiership favourites back in March will run rampant.
Try of the Week
The Raiders have been playing the most stylish and viewable attacking rugby of the competition in recent weeks and this run from Kaeo Weekes got us immensely excited!