Parramatta have all but ended Manly's top eight hopes while Melbourne's win over the Titans has been soured by a potentially serious shoulder injury to halfback Jahrome Hughes.
Check out all the news, scores and stats below.
Parramatta Eels 36 def Sea Eagles 20
Manly's finals hopes are all but over after Clint Gutherson helped launch Parramatta back into the NRL's top-four race with a 36-20 win at Brookvale.
Gutherson starred with a hand in each of the Eels three first-half tries, before the Manly junior ran 50 metres for Parramatta's go-ahead try after the break.
Jake Arthur also set up two second-half tries, after enduring a tough opening half in defence as Manly cut the Eels' left-edge to shreds through Jason Saab.
Team stats
The big margin came despite Manly leading 20-14 with 25 minutes to play, before Arthur stepped up and Parramatta ran in the last four tries.
It leaves the fight for the NRL's top-eight realistically down to nine teams, with Manly now needing a miracle to stay in the hunt.
With four rounds to play after this weekend, the Sea Eagles sit four points behind the eighth-placed South Sydney with a far inferior for-and-against record.
Parramatta are level on wins with fourth-placed Cronulla, eying off a second chance in the finals if they keep their winning ways.
The Eels' starting forwards in Junior Paulo and Reagan Campbell-Gillard were again dominant, while Shaun Lane threw offloads in the lead-up to two tries.
The match wasn't without controversy, with the Sea Eagles denied a penalty try early in the second half that would have put them 12 points up.
Chasing a loose ball to score, Morgan Harper was ruled to have shielded Will Penisini off the ball before claiming he had been held back on the way to the line.
But still, Manly only had themselves to blame after their late capitulation.
Parramatta started the better through two early tries to Maika Sivo, the first from a Gutherson cut-out ball and the next a grubberkick from the fullback.
Then after two weeks of drama, the Sea Eagles leapt back to life.
All three of their tries came through last week's boycotting players, with Tolu Koula, Christian Tuipolotu and Saab crossing and the latter breaking the line four times.
And at 20-14 ahead, Manly's season appeared to be reignited.
But two weeks after copping his own jeers from the Parramatta faithful, it was Arthur who stood up for the Eels.
He first laid on a sweet looping ball for Waqa Blake to pull off a superb flying finish.
And after Gutherson put the Eels ahead, it was Arthur who put the game beyond doubt with a grubberkick for Will Penisni with 11 minutes to play.
Dylan Brown also scored from inside his own end late in the match, giving Parramatta a much-needed for-and-against boost with their highest ever scoring total at Brookvale.
AAP
Melbourne Storm 32 def Gold Coast Titans 14
Melbourne's ugly NRL win over Gold Coast has come at a cost with star halfback Jahrome Hughes the latest to join their bulging casualty ward.
The Storm scrapped their way to 32-14 over the last-placed Titans at AAMI Park on Friday night thanks to a hat-trick of tries to Cameron Munster, who started at fullback for the first time since round one in 2018.
But their defensive woes continued with a horror 45 missed tackles while they also racked up 13 errors.
A better side would have made them pay dearly but Gold Coast lacked the finishing polish to take control of the game.
It was feared Hughes temporarily dislocated his shoulder in contact late in the first half and with no strength in the joint he was replaced in the second stanza by Tyran Wishart.
Team stats
Gold Coast also lost Aaron Booth 13 minutes into the game with the hooker departing for scans on his knee before fulltime.
Melbourne had all the early running, with tries by returning winger Xavier Coates, Munster and Kenny Bromwich setting up a 16-0 lead.
Wests Tigers recruit David Nofoaluma almost opened the try-scoring six minutes in but the ball was dislodged by Titans winger Jojo Fifita.
Just when it looked like the Storm would romp away, Gold Coast fired up with Beau Fermor and then Herman Ese'ese both finding holes to cross three minutes apart.
The Titans further closed the 22-10 halftime deficit with Brian Kelly running on to a neat grubberkick by AJ Brimson.
But Munster magic in the 64th minute gave the home side some breathing room after Cooper Johns, who impressed as his replacement at five-eighth, was brought down just short of the tryline.
Dummy-half Harry Grant then fired a long ball to Munster who glided through the defence for his third of the night.
Young Tonumaipea, playing his first NRL game since 2020 after a Mormon mission and then a stint in rugby, capped the night with a try in the final minute.
While there were some positives for embattled coach Justin Holbrook, the result kept Gold Coast winless away from home for the season and extended their losing streak to 10.
AAP
