With the finals rapidly approaching the time has come to put up or go home for some teams and it appears as though the Broncos have chosen the latter. The Tigers meltdown continued, the Bulldogs had another win, the Storm stumbled and Fozball faltered once again.
Here's whose stocks are up and down after Round 21.
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: Another super game for Xavier Willison - I praised him last week and will continue to do so. The Broncos will get Mitch Barnett to replace Payne Haas, but nobody can replace Haas as a like-for-like and the continued evolution of Willison as one of the leaders of this forward pack is going to be so important in 2027 and beyond.
Stocks down: I found the chatter around the Broncos 'keeping their season alive' last week incredibly tiresome; they were multiple wins behind teams like Canberra and Canterbury who also had to win to 'keep their season alive' and even if they had beaten the Cowboys here, they'd be level on wins with the Tigers. It was over weeks and weeks ago, but even the most ardent Broncos support will concede that now.
- Matt Bungard
Canberra Raiders
Stocks up: Suddenly, the season from hell isn't looking so bad. Ethan Sanders has been excellent three games in a row, Daine Laurie had one of the best performances off the bench in NRL history, and a game that previous iterations of the Raiders may have made hard work of was seen off in a relaxed fashion.
Stocks down: Not a lot to be upset about, is there? They may have left their run to the finals just a bit too late, but given how dire things seemed a month ago, Raiders fans will be delighted. Plus, getting some payback on the Tigers fans after the mocking Viking Clap earlier this year must have felt good.
- Matt Bungard
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
Stocks up: Canterbury have rediscovered exactly what made them so difficult to play earlier in the year. Stephen Crichton returned at five-eighth and scored, Lachlan Galvin continued to settle into the partnership, and the Bulldogs defended with real bite in an 18-6 win. Connor Tracey's try-saving tackle summed up the effort, while completing 90 percent of their sets gave the Warriors very little room to breathe.
Stocks down: The attack still isn't blowing teams off the park, and Jacob Preston was placed on report, but the Bulldogs won't care too much while this defensive identity keeps producing results.
- Isaac Issa
Cronulla Sharks
Stocks up: The Sharks are playing some really good football, much more consistently, and at the right time of the season. At Brookvale they were led brilliantly by Nicho Hynes, who barely put a foot wrong all afternoon in a display that reminded everyone why there was so much hype surrounding him. If he can maintain that form, the Sharks are going to be very hard to beat.
Stocks down: Very little went wrong on a beautiful afternoon on the northern beaches for the Sharks. With rival teams stumbling around them, the Sharks' odds are understandably shortening in the premiership markets.
-- Darren Arthur
Dolphins
BYE
Gold Coast Titans
Stocks up: This felt like genuine progress rather than another false dawn. Gold Coast went behind early in a game loaded with emotion for the Dragons, but instead of folding, they responded immediately and then tore apart St George Illawarra's right edge. Jayden Campbell was outstanding, producing three try assists in a devastating first half burst before scoring himself, while his combination with Zane Harrison continues to look more natural each week. Back-to-back wins and a move out of the bottom four suddenly give the Titans something real to build around.
Stocks down: The only knock is that they still let the Dragons hang around briefly before halftime, but unlike earlier in the season, they didn't flinch once the second half arrived.
- Isaac Issa
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Stocks up: It was a disappointing afternoon for Sea Eagles fans, but they continue to pack 4 Pines Park to support their beloved team. Manly may be down, but they are certainly not out of the finals hunt just yet. They do however have a tough run home.
Stocks down: Injuries appear to have cut Fozball down in its prime. Joey Walsh, who has enormous potential, showed signs during this game that maybe he is not quite ready yet for the big show. It wasn't all his fault of course, there were plenty of other Sea Eagles who underperformed in front of another big home crowd.
-- Darren Arthur
Melbourne Storm
Stocks up: Sua Faalogo had been relatively quiet in the last few weeks but exploded into life once again, capping off a great night with a superb solo try. It wasn't quite as impressive as his individual effort when these two teams met on ANZAC Day, but it was still a highlight.
Stocks down: The Storm had been hanging in there with the other teams who are sitting just outside the eight, but it's all over now. Losing this game and Harry Grant caps off a torrid season, and they're just playing for pride in the final month of the season.
- Matt Bungard
Newcastle Knights
Stocks up: Newcastle showed a heap of fight in a game that kept kicking them while they were down. They were already without Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai, then lost Dylan Lucas to a horrific ankle injury and Dylan Brown to an ACL injury, yet still found a way to drag the Roosters into a 22-all finish late.
Stocks down: The cruelty is that they got nothing for it. Daly Cherry-Evans' field goal sealed a 23-22 loss, making it three straight defeats, and the injury toll now threatens to do more damage than the result itself. For a side fighting to stay in the eight, losing two of its most important players at this stage of the year is a brutal blow.
-- Isaac Issa
New Zealand Warriors
Stocks up: Mitch Barnett's chip-and-chase try gave them something, and they had a couple of moments where Dallin Watene-Zelezniak threatened to drag them back into it.
Stocks down: Beyond that, this was a really flat attacking performance. Six points was their lowest total of the season, they managed just one line break, and the loss pushed them four points behind Penrith in the minor premiership race. Taine Tuaupiki's foot injury only made the night worse, while the lack of spark will inevitably bring more calls for Luke Metcalf to return.
- Isaac Issa
North Queensland Cowboys
Stocks up: Another extremely physical showing from this forward pack - we saw what they were capable of in that win over the Panthers a few weeks' ago and it was a repeat performance here. The Cowboys always aim up against the Broncos and this was no exception. A pretty great night when you can end the season of your biggest rivals, and take a massive step towards your own finals security.
Stocks down: Tom Dearden missed the game - and while the combination of Jaxon Purdue and Jake Clifford looked sharp, they'll look even better when all three are on the field together (let's keep Clifford in the team please, Todd Payten).
- Matt Bungard
Parramatta Eels
Stocks up: The Eels continue to be a prickly opponent for every team they face. They came out against the Panthers full of fire and hard running. Mitch Moses and Ronald Volkman pulled out all the trick shots to build the early lead. The Eels never stopped fighting, but were overwhelmed in the second half.
Stocks down: Despite a very good start and another gutsy effort, the Eels just didn't have what it takes to hold out the Panthers for the full 80 minutes. Defensive lapses and key errors are lethal against the top sides, no matter how hard you are trying.
- Darren Arthur
Penrith Panthers
Stocks up: With the weight of possession swinging their way after the break, the Panthers started to take advantage of their class players. Nathan Cleary stepped up and tries to Liam Henry, Liam Martin and the unstoppable Thomas Jenkins, saw them home
Stocks down: This is not the Panthers side we've seen for most of the season, making basic errors like failing to kick a penalty into touch, falling off simple tackles and completely messing up a play-the-ball. It's why they had lost three from four going into this game and why they fell behind 12-0 and struggled to get back into the game.
- Darren Arthur
St George Illawarra Dragons
Stocks up: Tyrell Sloan's early try gave the home crowd something to celebrate on Clint Gutherson's 250th game, and Kyle Flanagan's try before halftime briefly kept them in touch.
Stocks down: But the afternoon quickly became another reminder of how far they've fallen. Their right edge was repeatedly carved open, Campbell controlled the game almost at will, and a 38-18 defeat all but confirmed the club's first wooden spoon. With 16 losses from 18 games, this has moved well beyond a rough season and into historic low point territory.
- Isaac Issa
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Stocks up: Ashton Ward continues to put together a very impressive first full season in the NRL, and it was their young halfback who set up the game-winning try with a cut-out pass, not the veteran and creative fulcrum of the team, Cody Walker. The seven jersey has been passed between a few people since Adam Reynolds' departure at the end of 2021 and nobody has ever really stood out while wearing it, until now.
Stocks down: One of their worst defensive showings of the season - conceding seven linebreaks and 50 or so missed tackles to a Storm team that didn't have Cam Munster, multiple outside backs, their best forward, and lost Harry Grant during the match. The Rabbitohs are running on fumes with the players they have out at the moment, and this performance without the ball would have cost them the game against most teams.
-- Matt Bungard
Sydney Roosters
Stocks up: This was another sign of a team that knows how to survive the ugly ones. James Tedesco scored a hat trick, the Roosters stayed patient after trailing at halftime, and Cherry-Evans stepped up with the match-winning field goal when the game looked headed for golden point. That's now five straight wins, and they keep finding different ways to get the job done.
Stocks down: They were far from perfect. Newcastle had more ball, more territory and created plenty of chances, while the Roosters completed below 80 percent for a fourth straight game. Against healthier opposition, they may not get away with being that loose. .
- Isaac Issa
Wests Tigers
Stocks up: What on earth do you want me to say? The positives are that the season is almost over and there's no possibility of them getting the wooden spoon. There was a little bit of fight in the first half, but that's about it. One of their best players looks like he'll never play for them again. In terms of power rankings, they'd be massive outsiders against any other NRL team right now.
Stocks down: Rock bottom. The Adam Doueihi saga is the latest in a long, long line of embarrassing off-field bust ups that have plagued this team, risks undermining any positive cultural changes that coach Benji Marshall has helped instill in the past couple of years, and has reaffirmed them as the laughing stock of the league. Someone who was one of their top players through that golden period at the start of the year now looks like he'll never play for them again, and given the situation that's led us to this point, nor should he.
- Matt Bungard