1. Cody Walker (Rabbitohs)
The switch from five-eighth to fullback proved a masterstroke for one of South Sydney's best this season with Walker's potency creating two opportunities for Alex Johnston to cross and all sorts of problems for the Tigers defence with 11 tackle breaks.
2. Anthony Don (Titans)
Fresh from his representative debut with Country Origin Don continued his stellar recent form with two try assists, a try of his own and a key play in the final moments to close out a stunning win for the Titans. Don's bat-back to Konrad Hurrell put his side in front with a minute to play and then he switched from the right side to the left in order to climb high and claim Cameron Smith's short kick-off.
3. Latrell Mitchell (Roosters)
After a month out of the top squad, Mitchell came back a more complete player, coach Trent Robinson was not as excited by his displays in attack as he was by his positioning and communication in defence along with kick-chase pressure that kept the Parramatta back three on the back foot. Six tackle breaks and three offloads made him a handful all game.
4. Konrad Hurrell (Titans)
A second double in as many games for the Tongan torpedo whose finishing is proving to be as spectacular as his ferocious charges from deep in his side's territory. Hurrell defied the naked eye to plant a Nathan Peats grubber just inside the in-goal five minutes into the second half and then powered over in dramatic circumstances to seal Gold Coast's victory.
5. Blake Ferguson (Roosters)
Showed what a week in Kangaroos camp can do for confidence, brushing aside a slow start to 2017 by doubling his try-scoring tally for the year with a hat-trick against the Eels. Although he didn't have to travel far for his four-pointers he did contribute 179 running metres along with nine tackle breaks.
6. Michael Morgan (Cowboys)
With the returns of both Lachlan Coote and Jake Granville, bounced back from some recent criticism to play like the Michael Morgan we have come to expect, scoring a wonderful solo try, providing a pin-point kick for Kyle Feldt to score and three further grubber kicks that also led to tries for a much-needed Cowboys win.
7. Kodi Nikorima (Broncos)
Broncos coach Wayne Bennett said it was hard for the halves to assert themselves in the first half but the match was turned on its head by two plays from Nikorima in the second half. With his team down 14-0 Nikorima put Korbin Sims through a hole in the lead-up to Anthony Milford's try and then showed the quick mind expected of a No.7 when he picked up a loose ball from a Jorge Taufua error to race 30m and score the try that put his side in front for the first time.
8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (Roosters)
Took his disappointment at missing out on Kiwi selection on the Parramatta forward pack, rumbling into them with a typically aggressive performance that yielded 199 metres from 17 carries along with 29 bone-rattling tackles.
9. Nathan Peats (Titans)
With Cameron Smith orchestrating some magic of his own for the Storm Peats showed there are plenty of tricks to his bow with three try assists in the Titans' 38-36 win. He put Ryan James over after regathering an Ash Taylor grubber, put Leivaha Pulu over from close range and then snaked a grubber into the Storm's in-goal for Hurrell's first try. Made a team-high 27 tackles in an 80-minute effort.
10. Paul Vaughan (Dragons)
Props get plenty of plaudits for the metres they make but when you can couple 188 of them from 19 carries with a try and a try assist it is a performance of the highest order. Vaughan and his Dragons may have finished on the wrong side of the ledger but it was an encouraging display full of effort.
11. Isaah Yeo (Panthers)
Provided the only bright spot for the Panthers in a dismal first half and then sparked his side into life with a perfectly-run line off Matt Moylan to land the first blow in Penrith's incredible second half comeback. Continued to terrorise the Warriors' right-edge defence, his offload sending Waqa Blake on a 60-metre run to the try-line.
12. Sione Mata'utia (Knights)
The inspirational Knights skipper was at it again on Sunday only this time it also finished with two competition points. Ran a brilliant line to score a first-half try, was rewarded for pushing through on a kick with a second and then delivered a superb pass to brother Peter in the lead-up to the Brock Lamb match-winner two minutes from full-time.
13. Sam Burgess (Rabbitohs)
He and brother Tom may have had their handling issues but there was no denying the overall quality of the South Sydney skipper, barging his way over for an early try and accumulating an astonishing 27 carries from 69 minutes that amounted to 226 metres and seven tackle busts. He also made 35 tackles and missed just one.
14. Tyrone Peachey (Panthers)
Had to sit and watch as his teammates were humiliated by the Warriors in the first half and then when he was introduced in the 45th minute the entire complexion of the game changed. His energy was infectious and helped inspire the Panthers to one of the more dramatic comebacks in the game's history, Peachey sealing it with a try in the corner in the dying minutes.
15. Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys)
Sometimes your best players simply need to do the tough stuff well in order to lay the foundation for a win and Taumalolo did that perfectly for the Cowboys against the Bulldogs, powering through the middle for 136 valuable metres.
16. Angus Crichton (Rabbitohs)
His performance doesn't stand out only for what it produced on the night but what it promises to deliver in the future. A young player tipped for big things Crichton beat the incumbent NSW fullback with ease to score his second try of the season, ran for 143m and made 34 tackles in an extremely classy display.
17. Daniel Saifiti (Knights)
Overcame the worrying sight of his twin brother Jacob being stretchered from the field with a possible neck injury to deliver a powerhouse performance against the big Raiders pack, amassing 185m from 21 carries to go with two offloads and three tackle breaks in 60 minutes.
This article first appeared on NRL.COM
