Strange days indeed in rugby league when what happened to Melbourne Storm last weekend and how they plan to respond hardly rates a mention alongside the juggernaut that is the news cycle surrounding the drama at Wests Tigers.
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Melbourne, the hot premiership favourites, led 16-2 against the Dolphins, a mid-table team, and then proceeded to concede 40 straight points before scoring a late try in a 42-22 loss.
It was the most un-Storm-like performance I can recall from the team under Craig Bellamy's coaching and he's been in charge there since 2003.
Ostracised one week and forced to play in the NSW Cup rather than the NRL for his decision to leave the club when his contract runs out at the end of 2026 and now brought straight back in for Sunday's game against Cronulla at Leichhardt Oval.
If you thought the Easter Monday clash between the Galvin-less Tigers and Parramatta shaped as a fascinating watch leading in, then what about the game against the Sharks?
Galvin, back among teammates some of whom it had been reported didn't want him in the side for the game against the Eels.
Lachlan Galvin will return to the furnace this week. Picture Getty Images
Whatever the case, it takes fascination to a new level. There are some big games in this weekend's round, but nothing shapes as more intriguing than to see how it all works out for the Tigers in what is a huge game for them.
In four weeks their win-loss record has gone from 2-1 to 3-4 and they've dropped out of the top eight. They've got potential, but they need to stabilise, fast, and the game against Cronulla now becomes easily their most important of the season so far.
The Tigers as a massive talking point among the media and public has seen the ups and downs of other teams occur under hardly any spotlight.
Canberra, the team that features an exciting mix of promising young players with a hard core of experience, has won three games in a row and moved to third on the competition table ahead of their game against the Dolphins at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.
The Raiders haven't looked back since scoring that last-minute wonder try to beat Cronulla in round five. They bounced off that result brilliantly and are giving their fans a tremendous ride.
St George Illawarra had their struggles in the early rounds, but a win over the Storm appears to have jet-propelled them into the competition as a growing force and after three wins from their last four games they're also in the top eight, in seventh place.
The bookmakers still have them as slight outsiders for their traditional Anzac Day clash with Sydney Roosters on Friday, but Dragons fans will be marching to that match with justified belief in their team's ability to come away as winners.
Not so good for Newcastle. The Knights are dead-set barren in attack and have scored at an average of just 10 points per game in their six matches.
It's an NRL low by a mile and Knights fans must be struggling to picture a way their team can beat the Warriors in Christchurch, also on Anzac Day. The Warriors are another of those teams enjoying good times at present.
SOUTH Sydney have an abominable record against the Storm in Melbourne and now they have to deal with the incredible bounce-back ability of their opponents at Melbourne in the last of the three Anzac Day fixtures.
I recently wrote how you had to go back to rounds two and three in 2023 to find the last time Melbourne lost two games in a row.
If the Rabbitohs are to have any chance at all of creating a huge upset they need to get a lot more out of superstar Latrell Mitchell, whom coach Wayne Bennett has moved back to the player's favourite position at fullback for this match.
Michell had a poor game in his team's 32-0 loss to Canterbury on Good Friday. The Rabbitohs are still in the top eight, barely, but will find it hard to stay there. The competition-leading Bulldogs showed them what a genuine top team is all about.
Improvement from Penrith in their win over Sydney Roosters last weekend when they finally arrested a losing streak that had stretched to five games, but there's still a way to go for them. The Roosters are not a force this season.
Manly have had their issues, but they do get superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic back for the game against Penrith at CommBank Stadium on Saturday and the Panthers will be wary of the potential for the Sea Eagles to lift under those circumstances.
