Round 17 winners and losers
There were some very interesting movements at the top of the ladder after a full complement of eight matches with the Cowboys delivering 300-gamer Jason Taumalolo a milestone match to remember.
It was the first time in 2026 that the Panthers lost back-to-back games and it saw a whole host of teams close in on them after the Dolphins, Roosters, Knights and Sea Eagles all enjoyed important victories, with there now being a four-way logjam for second place and just two wins separating second from ninth with ten rounds to play.
We can now almost officially write off defending premiers Brisbane Broncos, who will likely need to win at least eight of their final nine games after another frustrating performance in which they could not click despite some admirable individual efforts.
Sydney Roosters were very classy after half-time when they overcame a sloppy start to defeat Brisbane and keep their top-four status, but their big test will come this week when they again say goodbye to their Origin contingent, and this mid-season Origin period is not one that they have negotiated as well as they would have wished.
The numbers that matter
Team of the Week
Here is our Team of the Week courtesy of the best individual player scores from the NRL.com fantasy game.
Keep an eye out later this week as Flashscore's NRL expert Andrew Pelechaty names his Team of the Month for June.
Who scored braces this weekend?
Gold Coast legend Phil Sami was the star of the show this weekend with Round 17's only hat-trick.
Panthers wing Tom Jenkins extended his lead in the Ken Irvine Medal race with a double. Joining him with two tries last weekend were Haumole Olakau'atu (Sea Eagles), Xavier Savage (Raiders), Tyrell Sloan (Dragons), Tallis Duncan (Rabbitohs), Jeremiah Nanai (Cowboys), Billy Smith (Roosters), Dolphins pair Jamayne Isaako and Selwyn Cobbo as well as Bulldogs duo Jethro Rinakama and Josh Curran.
Try of the Week
The naughty boys
Potential suspensions:
Nat Butcher (Roosters) - Dangerous Contact - 1 or 2 matches
Matt Burton (Bulldogs) - Dangerous Contact - $3000 fine or 2 matches
High-range fines:
Trey Mooney (Knights) - Careless High Tackle - $1800 or $2500 fine
Moeaki Fotuaika (Titans) - Careless High Tackle - $1800 or $2500 fine
Sean Russell (Eels) - Dangerous Contact - $1800 or $2500 fine
Sam Walker (Roosters) - Shoulder Charge - $1500 or $2000 fine
Low-range fines:
Ethan Sanders (Raiders) - Careless High Tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine
Moses Leota (Panthers) - Contrary Conduct - $1000 or $1500 fine
Taniela Paseka (Sea Eagles) - Careless High Tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine
Heilum Luki (Cowboys) - Careless High Tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine
Lindsay Collins (Roosters) - Careless High Tackle - $1000 or $1500 fine
Next weekend's fixtures
