THERE are headlines galore from the last four days of the NRL.

And I know we have a little bit of controversy to deal with but how good was the highlights package of tries?

Here’s my verdict on round 11.

Panthers v Tigers

Round 20

A little confused about this one. I think Penrith was good, but how do you then account for a tryless second half?

Strangely, from the time Trent Merrin was sin-binned for the Panthers in the first half, the Tigers dropped out of the contest.

Eels v Warriors

For the second time this year the Warriors show character to bounce straight back from a big defeat.

That is a great sign for the club that dropped their bundle in the final two months of last season.

All I can say about the Eels is that they showed some fight in the second half.

Broncos v Roosters

The game of the year for mine and one that featured some classic tries.

What a crazy season the Broncos are having. The only consistent thing has been their inconsistency.

Massive improvement from last week’s loss to Manly. The Roosters remain with a big question mark over them.

Titans v Knights

A thoroughly entertaining game that produced plenty of points.

Not sure Nathan Brown enjoyed it too much though. You can highlight the fact the Knights are missing their ‘general’ in Mitchell Pearce, but this is a side that has now conceded 29 points or more in three consecutive losses.

A spirited finish by the Titans.

Cowboys v Rabbitohs

The contrast is in black and white here. Just as winning becomes a habit (the Rabbitohs), so too can losing (the Cowboys).

North Queensland will take positives out of the match, but they are now at the desperate stage in their 2018 campaign.

Storm v Sea Eagles

No one could have possibly forecast the drama that unfolded in the second half of this one after an uneventful opening 40 minutes.

It was mayhem.

However, if you can leave the controversy to one side it is fair to say that Manly is back on track and Melbourne has some problems.

The premiers were terrible, an assessment shared by their coach.

Dragons v Raiders

A great Sunday afternoon of rugby league in Mudgee.

Well done to both teams for the show they put on. I think the result is a true reflection of the difference between the sides.

The Dragons are a very good side playing with confidence, while the Raiders are a bit off the pace, but still a threat.

Sharks v Bulldogs

The Sharks have become very effective competition points accumulators, without playing at their best.

The effort of the Bulldogs players probably deserved more, but they just lack a ‘class’ factor to get them home in close matches.

LIKES

James Roberts try: Absolutely brilliant stuff by the Broncos speedster. As a matter of fact, Roberts clash all night with Latrell Mitchell was one for the ages.

The NRL Bunker: Yes you are reading this right! Have a look at the Manly tries to Matthew Wright and Akuila Uate against Melbourne. There are millimetres between try or no try. To the naked eye, you probably disallow both.

Damien Cook: What a season this bloke is having. Scored a crucial try for the Rabbitohs and later won plenty of admirers for his classy show of sportsmanship consoling opponent Jake Granville after full-time.

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak: I thought Dallin had arguably the best game of his career on Thursday night against the Tigers. Made me think how good the back three is likely to be for New Zealand in the Denver test against England. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck at 1, Jordan Rapana 2 and Watene-Zelezniak 5. And that’s making the assumption David Fusitua’s allegiance remains with Tonga.

Cameron Smith: I tweeted last Tuesday when news came through of Cameron’s retirement from representative football that he hadn’t just had a career in the Australian and Queensland jerseys, but rather a hall of fame museum of great moments. Well done sir. A living legend of our sport.

DISLIKES

The time keeping fiasco: I am still in disbelief at this one. Other controversies in our game are often subjective where mistakes can be made. However there can be no grey area with timekeeping. It has to be 100 per cent correct, 100 per cent of the time. It is part of the fabric of the sport. And if we have a system where the clubs are responsible in this area, then that is gross mismanagement for a professional, billion dollar sport.

The sin bin walk off: I had a Fox League viewer make a decent suggestion in regards the ridiculous amount of time sin-binned players are taking to leave the field. If they can’t jog off in 10 seconds, then add the time they take to get off to their time in the sinbin. Trent Merrin’s walk off was a farce. Same goes for Jarrod Wallace stopping for a chat with Ryan James. Maybe the NRL needs to invest in a crane to remove the players!

Curtis Scott: Young bloke has put a target on himself after losing the plot against Manly. He will serve time on the sideline as a result. He is a great talent and plays it tough, but he can’t hide from the fact that he let down his team.

Beau Scott’s knee injury: Dreadful blow for Scott, one of the toughest players in the game of the modern era. At 34, it could spell the end of his career. No one deserves to go out on those terms.

Cameron Smith’s retirement from rep footy: Yep, he gets a mention in both the LIKES and DISLIKES. Hard to imagine the origin series getting underway in just over two weeks without the 42 game Maroons skipper.

We have another big episode of THE FAN coming up at 7.30 on Tuesday night on Fox League.

Among my guests will be Cowboys coach Paul Green who runs us through what game day for a coach is like. The Rugby League Antiques Roadshow also makes its return and Manly’s Joel Thompson takes on the Mad Minute.

Twitter: @AndrewVossy