The upsets continued over the weekend, starting with the biggest of them all as the Bulldogs toppled the Panthers. The Storm's woes continued, while the Rabbitohs and Sharks really should have won their games in the Perth.
Here's whose stocks are up and down after Round 6.
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: The Broncos managed to somehow keep themselves in this game right until the end, despite missing key players and being dominated through the middle of the park all night. Ezra Mam really lifted to cover for the absence of fellow spine members Adam Reynolds and Reece Walsh. They did very well not to be blown off the park by the Cowboys.
Stocks down: The Broncos were missing Ben Hunt, Adam Reynolds and Reece Walsh, but their forward pack was largely intact. So it was disappointing to see them completely trampled up the middle of the field by the Cowboys. From the very first set of tackles, the Broncos defensive line was passive, letting the Cowboys chew up easy metres. The forwards really missed an opportunity step up and carry the undermanned side.
- Darren Arthur
Canberra Raiders
Stocks up: Kaeo Weekes has his issues on the other side of the ball, but in attack there's few players who are more exhilarating to watch. Canberra's attack has struggled to get going in recent weeks and even in this win, most of their points didn't come from structure -- but when you can score multiple times going the length of the field, I guess that doesn't matter all that much.
Stocks down: Canberra had this game won twice over and nearly blew it -- their defence and kick coverage continues to be terrible, and they won't be able to score several try of the season contenders every week to mask over it, as they did here. Had Souths been a bit calmer in that final set, we'd be sitting here poring over a flabbergasting defeat for the Raiders.
- Matt Bungard
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
Stocks up: The Bulldogs weren't expected to trouble the red-hot Panthers, but they turned up in the frame of mind you'd expect from an Origin team. Every player lifted and played with an intensity both in attack and defence that stunned Penrith. The much criticised middle forwards played like men possessed, led by bench star Sitili Tupouniua. On the edges Viliame Kikau and Jacob Preston troubled the Panthers all night. Maligned halfback Lachlan Galvin answered the critics with his all round effort. They just have to turn up and repeat this effort every week now.
Stocks down: Despite the brilliant result, the Bulldogs made enough errors to lose it. There were 10 errors recorded, 32 missed tackles, six penalties conceded and five set restarts given up. Crucially the errors came at vital times preventing them from wrapping the game up much earlier.
- Darren Arthur
Cronulla Sharks
Stocks up: Another good game from Toby Rudolf, and the forward pack seems to work better with him starting and Tom Hazelton coming off the bench. Cronulla started the game well and dominated the first half an hour before things fell apart, but despite the result, Rudolf has to start for the rest of the way.
Stocks down: The "game of two halves" is one of the great cliches, but I can't think of a game that fits as neatly into that box as this one. Cronulla were excellent in the first half, defending their goal line well for the most part and taking advantage of mistakes from the Roosters. But after the break? It genuinely seemed like the entire 40 minutes took place at the same end of the stadium, with Cronulla unable to get anything going and when they did, immediately turning the ball over and inviting more pressure. They hung on gamely for as long as they could but the mountain of defending they had to do eventually caught up.
- Matt Bungard
Dolphins
BYE
Gold Coast Titans
Stocks up: This was one of the performances of the round, and in their history. The Titans piled on 52 points in a dominant display, with Keano Kini producing a standout game with four try assists, four line breaks and over 200 running metres, as they tore Parramatta apart across the park. They played with speed, confidence and control, and crucially turned pressure into points at every opportunity.
Stocks down: The challenge now is consistency. Performances like this show their ceiling, but backing it up weekly will define their season.
- Isaac Issa
Manly Sea Eagles
Stocks up: This was a professional, controlled performance for Kieran Foran's men. Manly looked dangerous whenever they shifted the ball, with their key players stepping up and capitalising on the Dragons' errors. Stars like Jamal Fogarty and Tom Trbojevic played with balance and composure, doing enough in key moments to control the contest.
Stocks down: There were still periods where they allowed the Dragons back into the game, and tightening those lapses will be important against stronger opposition. If they don't, they may remain a mid-tier team in 2026.
- Isaac Issa
Melbourne Storm
Stocks up: Cooper Clarke is looking like a very solid young forward? That's something? There's really not a lot to be happy about right now.
Stocks down: This is as vulnerable a Storm team as I've ever seen. Yes they've got a couple of injuries but all the big dogs still played in this one and it wasn't close to enough. In past years they could get by with a few classy touches from said stars if the rest of the team wasn't going great, but that's not happening at the minute. This is a team that has flaws in most aspects of the roster, looks low on confidence and bereft of ideas. I've never been the guy to go "this is the year the Storm fall off a cliff!' and I'm not saying that YET, but for genuinely the first time in 20 years there is a fair level of concern that this isn't a finals team.
- Matt Bungard
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Newcastle Knights
Stocks up: There were moments when Newcastle showed attacking spark, putting on four tries and capitalising when given opportunities, particularly against a Tigers edge that wasn't always perfect defensively.
Stocks down: Defensively, they were exposed too easily. Conceding 42 points and eight tries highlights ongoing issues with structure and resilience, especially when momentum swings. Once the Tigers got rolling, the Knights struggled to slow the game down or regain control.
- Isaac Issa
New Zealand Warriors
Stocks up: After a couple of bad losses, this was an emphatic return to form and a well-deserved first win over the Storm in a decade. The attack was crisp, took advantage of mismatches across the park, and most importantly, never at any point looked like they were going to let the Storm back into the contest. What an incredible result when their season was at a bit of a crossroads.
Stocks down: This isn't a problem for right now, but do the Warriors bring Luke Metcalf back into the team when he's fit? Tanah Boyd once again led the team around the park well, and Chanel Harris-Tevita is a great foil for him. They've won all four games when Metcalf hasn't played, and lost the two that he did. It's not as simple as that, of course, but the team does look sharper with Boyd as the main point of attack and someone else playing second fiddle.
- Matt Bungard
North Queensland Cowboys
Stocks up: The Cowboys started the game full of running, their forwards charging into the unusually placid Broncos defence. They managed to maintain the forward dominance right through the game, led by Jason Taumalolo, Coen Hess and Thomas Mikaele off the bench. Scott Drinkwater was key to unlocking the flashy outside backs, as were the halves Jake Clifford and Tom Dearden. It was an exciting victory for the Cowboys, as the positives outweighed the negatives by far, and suggest a more promising season.
Stocks down: The Cowboys really should have won that game comfortably, but were unable to completely capitalise on their forward momentum, bombing several try-scoring opportunities. For 60 minutes they were clearly the better side, but couldn't put the wounded Broncos away. They really need to improve their defence and their work under the high ball.
- Darren Arthur
Parramatta Eels
Stocks up: There were very few positives in a tough outing, though they did manage to find points and show brief patches of attacking intent.
Stocks down: This match was a major concern. Parramatta were blown away 52-10 at home, conceding nine tries in a performance that drew boos from their own fans and left them with the worst defensive record in the competition (226 points conceded in six rounds). More worrying than the scoreline is the trend -- defensive lapses, poor starts and a lack of fight once momentum shifts are becoming consistent issues.
- Isaac Issa
Penrith Panthers
Stocks up: You'd expect nothing less from this champion side, despite being down 16-0 they fought back and were never really out of the game until the last 10 minutes. It was definitely an off night for the Panthers, but the unnecessary pressure on them to go through the whole season undefeated is gone. Now, they can just go back to smashing every team they come up against.
Stocks down: It was a performance the Panthers will soon want to forget. There have been very few occasions in the last six years where the Panthers have been as rattled as they were against the Bulldogs. The swarming, hard-hitting, blue-and-white defence had them making completely uncharacteristic errors. Young five-eighth Blaize Talagi will spend the week on the tackle bags.
- Darren Arthur
St George Illawarra Dragons
Stocks up: There were moments where St George Illawarra showed fight, managing three tries and staying competitive in patches, particularly when they were able to generate momentum.
Stocks down: The same issues persist for the poor old Dragons. In a 28-18 loss, they struggled to sustain pressure and couldn't respond when Manly shifted gears, with defensive lapses and a lack of control again proving costly.
- Isaac Issa
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Stocks up: Despite the intercept that led to Savelio Tamale's try, it was a really strong performance from Latrell Mitchell. Many times, people have accused him of fading in and out of games, particularly when Souths are losing -- I've never said that myself, but even his biggest critics couldn't be upset with his involvement on Saturday, both in attack and with some hard carries out of his own end. An incredibly frustrating loss for a Souths team that had been flying high, but some good signs in attack from all of their key men once again.
Stocks down: The injury to Jye Gray threw the Rabbitohs' structure out of whack with Tallis Duncan moving to the centres, but he played there plenty of times last year -- so there was no excuse for that to throw off Souths' defence in that part of the field so badly. Canberra attacked that edge plenty of times and with great effect, scoring two long-range tries through gaps on that side. On top of that, it was once again the period before halftime where Souths fell to pieces, leaking three tries in the final 12 minutes of the half. It didn't cost them against the Bulldogs or Tigers, but it did here.
- Matt Bungard
Sydney Roosters
Stocks up: It took a while for them to finally bust the door down, but the Roosters didn't get frustrated and overplay their hand too much -- they trusted that if they kept building, points would eventually come in a dominant second half, and they did. Three tries in a 10-minute period after a long stretch of close calls was their reward for sticking to their processes.
Stocks down: One of the biggest issues the Roosters have had through these first few weeks is an inability to put together a complete game of good football, and that was again the case here. When it was 16-0 to the Sharks, most Roosters fans were chalking this game down as one of those games when nothing goes right and already resigning themselves to a loss. It didn't end up that way, but nor will they be able to dig themselves out of double digit holes every week.
- Matt Bungard
Wests Tigers
Stocks up: This is no longer a fluke -- the Tigers are building something. Their 42-22 win over Newcastle made it three straight victories, the first time they've done that in years, and it was built on attacking confidence and sustained pressure, running in eight tries and repeatedly exploiting space on the edges. They're playing fast, direct and with belief, and right now look like one of the competition's form teams.
Stocks down: The only concern is maintaining this level amid roster reshuffles. They have shown their ceiling, but consistency across a full season is the next test. With troops coming back in the coming weeks in the form of Jarome Luai and Taylan May, it may be difficult to maintain the momentum while staying connected.
- Isaac Issa
