Manly secures its top eight spot with a crucial win over North Queensland, after Cronulla and Melbourne enjoyed big wins over Parramatta and the Warriors respectively.

Catch up on all of Saturday's action.

Manly fights back to edge undermanned Cowboys

Manly stayed above the Cowboys thanks to the narrow win. ( AAP: Michael Chambers )

North Queensland has sensationally been forced to play the final 12 minutes of Saturday's 22-20 NRL defeat to Manly with just 12 men after running out of interchanges.

When prop Jordan McLean was forced off the field in the 68th minute with a hamstring injury, Cowboys coach Paul Green was hamstrung himself after using up his allocated eight substitutions.

It didn't help that Cowboys centre Mitch Dunn was taken from the field on a medicab after falling awkwardly fielding a 66th-minute bomb.

Both teams had two players backing up from Wednesday's State of Origin match in Brisbane, with North Queensland's Michael Morgan and Josh McGuire taking the field along with Manly's Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic.

The Sea Eagles' gritty victory snapped North Queensland's three-match winning streak and gave them a 7-6 record.

It capped a superb week for Manly and Queensland skipper Cherry-Evans, who celebrated victory in his first NRL match since round seven after returning from an ankle injury in Queensland's Origin victory.

Manly star full-back Tom Trbojevic, making his return from a nine-week hamstring injury, looked rusty and his timing was off at times but he still played a crucial role in the victory.

He set up the opening try for second-rower Curtis Sironen with a crisp pass in the 23rd minute but dropped a John Asiata bomb that ultimately resulted in Cowboys interchange Francis Molo bagging his first NRL try just before half-time, as the hosts went to the break leading 20-12.

The drama-packed second half was full of controversy, with Manly lock Jack Gosiewski sent to the sin-bin for a professional foul five minutes after Jorge Taufua put the Sea Eagles within striking distance.

Yet the Cowboys couldn't take advantage against a 12-man Manly outfit, despite a disallowed 55th-minute Reuben Cotter try.

Seven minutes later, Manly's young five-eighth Cade Cust scored off a Cherry-Evans grubber which Morgan couldn't handle, clinching the result.

Sharks continue top four push with win over Eels

Cronulla proved too good for the Eels at Shark Park. ( AAP: Craig Golding )

Cronulla's NRL premiership campaign is in full swing after recording a comprehensive 42-22 home win over Parramatta.

Teen sensation Bronson Xerri bagged a brace on Saturday to make it five tries in two games, while co-captain Wade Graham went unscathed in his return from an ACL injury.

Young half-back Kyle Flanagan also scored a try and kicked seven from eight attempts for an individual 18-point haul.

After some early-season adversity with cap breaches and injuries, the Sharks produced one of their best displays of the year to lead 38-6 after an hour.

Maika Sivo, Josh Hoffman and Michael Jennings added some respectability to the scoreline before Aaron Gray iced the Sharks' victory late.

Cronulla remain in sixth spot but are now equal on 16 points with fourth-placed Canberra and Newcastle ahead of next week's clash with the Raiders.

Star playmaker Shaun Johnson is expected back for the encounter, while veteran prop Aaron Woods is due not long after that.

The Eels were condemned the moment skipper Clint Gutherson wobbled off concussed after a collision with Josh Dugan in the fourth minute.

Xerri split them apart not long after, and the signs were ominous when Andrew Fifita trampled over Mitch Moses in the 25th minute.

A Sivo try stemmed the tide, but the backbreaker came seconds before halftime when Dugan crashed over despite a knock-on in the build-up.

Any hopes of a comeback were put to bed when Xerri put Sosaia Feki away and then Chad Townsend backed up to score.

Flanagan pounced on a loose offload to cross for the fifth try, but Xerri provided the real highlight when he burned Hoffman for the sixth.

Xerri finished the night with 10 tackle breaks and 145 metres.

Fifita laid the foundation with 130 metres, six tackle breaks and four offloads — in addition to his try — in a barnstorming opening 32-minute stint.

But he was supported by a bench trio of Jack Williams, Braden Hamlin-Uele and Graham, all of whom cracked the 100-metre barrier.

The Eels have now lost four of their past five and are in danger of dropping out of the NRL top eight by the end of the round.

Storm ease to victory over struggling Warriors

The Storm made light work of the Warriors on the road. ( AAP: David Rowland )

A breakout performance from Melbourne full-back Jahrome Hughes has helped orchestrate a 32-10 win over the Warriors that ensures the Storm top the standings at the midway point of the NRL season.

Not at their best until the second half, Melbourne was irrepressible in fighting back from 10-2 down late in the first half in Auckland on Saturday to register a fourth straight win.

It was the Storm's eighth successive defeat of the Warriors, who slump to a 4-8 record and are gazing at a sizeable task to play finals football.

Kiwi-born Hughes was the chief executioner, bagging the first double of his NRL career with crucial tries either side of half-time.

The 24-year-old did so after switching to half-back, where he played the last 50 minutes after Brodie Croft was forced off with a head knock.

His energy, the craft of Cameron Smith and the toil of a pack led by Dale Finucane allowed Melbourne to take control of a match dogged by blustery winds and a high penalty count.

Despite fielding Josh Addo-Carr, Will Chambers, Cameron Munster and Felise Kaufusi three days after their State of Origin duty, they owned the second half, scoring 24 unanswered points.

Kodi Nikorima was a central figure in all three first-half tries as the Warriors ground out a 10-8 lead.

Nikorima's speed created space for impressive left winger Ken Maumalo to bag his ninth try of the term. The diminutive five-eighth then crossed courtesy of a Blake Green grubber.

However, Nikorima was the villain when Hughes stepped inside him after a neat Smith blindside switch.

Hughes strolled over for his second in contentious fashion, with the Bunker ignoring Warriors claims of obstruction from Finucane on Issac Luke.

Melbourne's late dominance resulted in tries to Suliasi Vunivalu, Jesse Bromwich and Marion Seve.

The Bromwich try was meritorious given Melbourne had been reduced to 12 players following the sin-binning of Christian Welsh for persistent team offending.

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