Is the cream finally starting to rise to the top with impressive wins from the Panthers, Broncos, Warriors and Sharks? Who said the Panthers and Broncos would struggle without their star players and what about them Tigers?
Read on as we take a look back over the weekend at some of the biggest hits and misses.
HIT
Crowd roars as Tigers go back-to-back with thrilling win
There are plenty of Wests Tigers fans living near or willing to travel to the heart of Parramatta for a clash with the Eels, particularly following such a convincing victory over the Sharks a week earlier. So it was no surprise that when Tigers' centre Justin Olam crossed for the first try of the match, the stands shook with an almighty roar of support.
It might not have been as loud as the "Parra..., Parra..., Parra..." chants that followed, but it certainly helped build a competitive atmosphere for the Eels' home match on a perfect Easter Monday.
When teen Tigers five-eighth Lachlan Galvin dummied, stepped and cut through the Eels defence on halfway to send Jahream Bula on his way to a try with 11 minutes left in the game, the roof was nearly lifted off.
The conversion put the Tigers ahead 16-14, a lead that was soon erased through a penalty goal from almost in front taken by Eels captain Clint Gutherson. The Tigers then took what looked to be a victorious 17-16 lead through an Aidan Sezer field goal with only a minute remaining.
But the drama was not over, Parramatta's short kick-off won them a penalty after the ball found a Tigers player in an offside position. Gutherson lined up the winning penalty, not from a difficult angle, but from further out than a kicker would take a similarly angled conversion. Gutherson clearly put everything into the kick, which resulted in a predictable tug to the left. It sailed by the posts three quarters of the way up, so distance was really never a problem.
The crowd roared again and roughly over of a quarter of the supporters there went home very happy.
MISS
Awful bunker call in Roosters loss to Panthers
With the Roosters down 12-0, 23 minutes into their clash with the Panthers, Joseph Manu took on the line and crashed over a couple of metres in from the corner. It was an effort well worthy of a try as Manu carried several Panthers defenders with him in his struggle to cross the chalk.
After a couple of replays the bunker decided that the try needed a closer look. It seemed that Jared Warea-Hargreaves, in running a decoy to the right of the posts, had done exactly what he was supposed to do, going completely through the defensive line. As he reached the try line, Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards, who was running across in cover, ran directly into him before crashing to the ground.
Edwards was at least 15 metres away from Manu when the collision occurred and looked extremely unlikely to make it across in time to help his defenders. He also chose to run into Warea-Hargreaves rather than swerve around him. Still, the try was disallowed and a penalty was awarded to the Panthers. No common sense was involved in the decision and it knocked the wind out of the Roosters efforts to get back into the game before halftime.
In typically unhelpful fashion, NRL head of football Graham Annesley said the bunker got the decision wrong and the try should have been awarded to the Roosters.
"In the circumstances, the bunker does have discretion to consider whether a defender could have prevented the try," Annesley said after the game.
"In my opinion, the try would have been scored regardless and the on-field decision should not have been overturned."
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Teams rise to victories without missing stars
Two of the NRL's biggest stars, Nathan Cleary and Reece Walsh were expected to leave almost irreparable holes in their teams on the weekend, but both clubs rose to impressive victories without them.
The Panthers were up against the Roosters, regarded by most as genuine premiership threats, and they had little to no trouble dismissing their claims at Allianz Stadium.
The Broncos were expected to struggle against the high-flying Cowboys without Walsh and front-row star Payne Haas, but the return of halfback Adam Reynolds was all they needed to take care of the visitors. Reynolds' kicking game in the heavy Brisbane rain was masterful, causing the Cowboys back three all kinds of difficulties with its precision and variety.
It is a credit to the coaching staff of both clubs that they have the systems in place to enable back-up players to step into these key roles without a hitch. The NRL season is long and arduous and no club can afford to have irreplaceable players.
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Praise for the Bulldogs' efforts, but do they really deserve it?
The wrap on Cameron Ciraldo at the Panthers was that he built their defensive system and would bring that much-needed expertise to the Bulldogs. Former Bulldogs five-eighth Josh Reynolds has said the system involves covering up holes for each other and a lot of hard work. He suggested it would take some time for the players to adapt to the system.
"Last year it was, it's a brand new system and it's a hard system," Reynolds told Fox League.
"If you don't like to work hard, it's not for you. And this is what happened last year at the Dogs.
"But our defensive resolve over the first three weeks has been unbelievable, especially on our on-line defence.
"We are heading in the right direction."
While it is true that the Bulldogs have shown periods of defensive resolve in games and managed to keep the hapless Titans scoreless, they are still leaking like a sieve at vital times. It is all well and good to say they would have leaked twice as many points last year, but they are still not winning.
They conceded 71 points across the three games they lost, which is an average of almost 24 points a game. When your attack is only producing an average of 10 points in those same games, you are a long way from winning.
And it doesn't get any easier, this week they face the Roosters, before the Storm and Knights. Their defensive resolve will be well and truly tested against those three.
HIT
Deardon's effort deserved a better match result
Tom Dearden's try-saving tackle for the Cowboys against the Broncos will be one of those efforts replayed for years to promote the great game of rugby league. With Selwyn Cobbo scooping up a loose pass well inside his own quarter, it looked like being a certain try to the Broncos' flyer, with nothing but Suncorp Stadium turf ahead of him.
Cobbo had a straight sprint to the line, while Dearden, giving him a 10 metre start, aimed his chase at the corner post almost 100 metres away. And it was just before the corner that he met and cut Cobbo down, rolling his legs into touch to prevent the try. It encapsulated the qualities of never giving up, giving your all for the team, and being rewarded for effort. The exact kind of things you hope your children will take from playing or watching any team sport.
It was a pity Dearden ended up on the losing team, as that chase alone deserved to be rewarded with a victory.
HIT
Tommy Turbo's one moment of brilliance shines in an otherwise shocking performance
We all know Tom Trbojevic is a gifted player, but the pass he slipped for Manly's first try against the Dragons was other worldly. After a quick play-the-ball five metres out from the Dragons line, Trbojevic went for a charge at Ben Hunt defending on the line. Hunt wrapped up the ball as four other Dragons swooped in to stop the Manly fullback. Just as he was being dragged to the ground short of the line, he managed to free an arm and slip the ball to his winger Tolutau Koula who was left with nothing more to do than step across the line and plant it.
Sadly for Trbojevic and Manly fans it was a bright moment in an otherwise gloomy afternoon in Wollongong for the star fullback. According to NRL statistics he made five handling errors and missed a tackle as the Sea Eagles struggled against the determined Dragons in what was a fairly ordinary display of rugby league all round.
MISS
Savage effort symptomatic of diabolical Raiders collapse
Raiders winger Xavier Savage may have scored a try to help the Raiders to a 18-0 lead in the first half of their clash with the Sharks, but it was his lackadaisical work in defence that allowed Cronulla to level the scores at 18 just before half time.
On the last tackle, inside their own territory, the Sharks put in a kick that landed over Savage's shoulder and bounced towards the touchline before straightening. Raiders fullback Jordan Rapana was coming across, but obviously thought Savage had the best play at the ball. Savage seemed to think it was either going harmlessly into touch or that Rapana would get it. Either way, his effort was well short of what was needed under the circumstances.
Sharks winger Sione Katoa came steaming through, gathered the ball and fired a pass infield as Rapana confronted him. The ball bounced up nicely into the arms of Sharks hooker Blayke Brailey, who ran the 15 metres remaining to score the try.
It was all Sharks from that point as they went on to score three tries to one after the break to run away with a convincing 36-22 victory in front of their home fans. The Raiders had blown a 18-0 lead in an effort that had coach Ricky Stuart absolutely fuming.