The 2018 NRL season was entertaining, heartbreaking, historical and controversial. As the year comes to an end, foxsports.com.au looks back at the moments that shocked and thrilled us in this two-part series.

Today we count down the biggest events of the season from 50-26.

50. Talk the game up

Fed up with negative headlines in the NRL, CEO Todd Greenberg started a social media campaign entitled “talk the game up”, taking aim at the “crisis merchants” who cover the game from week to week. It was April, and by this stage the Matt Lodge controversy was in full swing, as was the refereeing crack down that was frustrating fans and commentators alike. The hashtag went viral online with people on either side of the debate sharing things they love about rugby league — both sincerely and sarcastically.

Round 20

Every Test, ODI & T20I live, ad-break free during play and in 4K. Only on Foxtel. SIGN UP NOW!

49. Fifita blows up

It was one of the more bizarre moments of the NRL season when Sharks prop Andrew Fifita appeared to blow up at the coaching box after scoring a try in Round 23. The Cronulla star pointed his finger and yelled aggressively towards the box after spending half of the game on the bench, although he later said it was directed at assistant Jim Dymock, and not head coach Shane Flanagan.

Andrew Fifita blows up at the Sharks coaching box after being benched earlier in the game. Source: Getty Images

48. Barba’s back

It had been rumoured for months but Ben Barba finally signed with the Cowboys, bringing him back to the NRL after two years in the Super League. The 30-year-old Dally M Medal winner comes back with a point to prove after he copped a 12-game suspension for testing positive for cocaine following the 2016 grand final. It was his second positive test under the NRL’s illicit drugs testing program. Barba became only the second player to have won a Dally M Medal and the Man of Steel award when he claimed Super League’s top honour playing for St Helens in 2018.

47. Benji and Wests Tigers reunite

After the controversial way he left the club, Benji Marshall made an emotional return to the club he won the 2005 NRL premiership with, alongside his former teammate Robbie Farah. What a moment.

After time apart, Farah and Marshall reunited at the Wests Tigers in 2018. Source: AAP

46. Cecchin walks away

NRL referee Matt Cecchin sent shockwaves through rugby league when he revealed to Fairfax he had been sent death threats and had to be escorted from the airport by Australian Federal Police after a controversial — but correct — decision against Tonga at the end of the 2017 World Cup. He stated the ongoing criticism and overwhelming hostility against referees as his reason for walking away from the game at the end of the 2018 season.

NRL referee Matt Cecchin has decided to put the whistle down — walking away from the game at the conclusion of the 2018 season. Source: Getty Images

45. The curious case of Moses Suli

He made his debut with the Wests Tigers in 2017, stunning fans with his ability for a teenager. He was touted as ‘the next big thing’. However, he was sacked from the club in early January this season for a lack of commitment to training, sometimes not showing up at all and sleeping in his car while his teammates were clogging it out. He was quickly picked up by the Bulldogs, but amazingly, he lasted only four weeks before he was sacked by them, reportedly after copping two warnings in his first two weeks at the club. Shortly afterwards he was signed by Manly, where he made his debut in Round 9, playing 15 games for the club in 2018.

44. Dog gone

Months before he was quoted as saying he wanted to be a Bulldog for life, but all of a sudden something changed. Believed to be a result of family issues, David Klemmer walked out on the final two years of his contract with the Bulldogs to sign a whopping five-year deal with the Knights, turning the Newcastle team into serious title contenders. The ink was barely dry on his contract when a mural of Klemmer’s face at Belmore was painted over with symbolic white paint. As a replacement, the Dogs snared Roosters premiership prop Dylan Napa.

David Klemmer left the Bulldogs and signed a five-year deal with the Knights. Source: News Corp Australia

43. Shaun Johnson

He’s the face of the Warriors in New Zealand, so it shocked the rugby league world when it was reported the club was in no rush to re-sign the former Golden Boot winner. On tour with the New Zealand Test team at the time, the star halfback was reportedly blindsided by the news as speculation swirled at home about his future. He returned to speak with the club and requested a release from his $1 million contract, putting one of the best halfbacks on the market just weeks into the pre-season. The Sharks, with a hoard of cash earmarked for the exiting Valentine Holmes, swooped.

Shaun Johnson was released by the Warriors and later signed a three-year deal with the Sharks. Source: Getty Images

42. Walker charged

Manly’s star centre was charged with domestic violence offences after an alleged incident with his fiancee Alexandra Ivkovic in Dee Why. Paramedics were called to the scene, where the victim sustained cuts to her hands, feet and shoulders. Walker, 26, fronted court a week later to plead not guilty, and was supported by Ivkovic who intends to withdraw her original statement to police. Police intend to pursue the charges with up to three witnesses of the alleged incident. Walker was stood down from training in the meantime and his future with the Sea Eagles remains in doubt.

41. Ugly night in Melbourne

It was hardly a title fight, but it was by far the biggest biff of the season. Melbourne centre Curtis Scott became the first player to be sent off since 2015 when he rounded up his Sea Eagles counterpart Dylan Walker in Round 11 and left him with a busted eye. Walker was also sin-binned, as was Manly hooker Api Koroisau in the most spiteful game of the season. Both Walker and Koroisau were allowed to return to the field one minute and 41 seconds early due to a time-keeping issue, further dragging the game into controversy

Curtis Scott lands a punch on Dylan Walker during a heated match. Source: Supplied

40. Panthers’ miracle

This game was one of the highlights of the season for so many reasons. In Cameron Ciraldo’s first game in charge after the club sacked head coach Anthony Griffin, the Panthers rallied from almost certain defeat to win — for the third week in a row. Down 16-6 after a miserable 74 minutes, the Panthers scored two quick tries in the final six, with Nathan Clearly kicking the winning field goal. It was an incredible moment for the 20-year-old, who was surrounded by speculation all week leading into the game over his father’s intentions to sign with the club.

39. Red flags

One of the biggest refereeing controversies of the season was when touch judge Ricky MacFarlane incorrectly raised his flag in the lead up to a Sione Katoa try against the Raiders in Round 19. Canberra players stopped defending and Katoa shot through to score, with the Bunker confirming the try. It was a blow for the Raiders who were fighting to keep their season alive.

Touch judge incorrectly raises his flag during the Sharks v Raiders match — a controversy which left the Raiders without the win. Source: Supplied

38. Changing of the guard

Without Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk, the Kangaroos were always going to go through a huge transition period. Only eight members of the 2017 World Cup winning squad remained — the Kangaroos were as vulnerable as they had been in a long time. Led by new captain Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and new coach Michael Maguire, the Kiwis shocked the Kangaroos late to score a 26-24 win — inflicting Mal Meninga’s first loss as Australia coach and signalling the end of an era. The Kiwis had not beaten the Kangaroos since the Anzac Test in 2015.

37. Matt Lodge returns

One of the most controversial signings in recent NRL history, Matt Lodge taking to the field for the Broncos in Round 1 caused outrage and debate across the game. He was booed every time he touched the ball in their season opener against the Dragons.

36 Wighton whacked by NRL

After being charged for a violent and drunken rampage in Canberra’s CBD in February, the Raiders suspended their fullback for six games. After witnessing CCTV footage of the incident, the NRL came over the top of the club and slapped the 25-year-old with a 10-game ban, ruling him out for the remainder of the season, as well as a $30,000 fine. Wighton was later convicted of two charges of assault occasioning bodily harm, three counts of common assault and one charge of public urination and was given a two-month suspended jail sentence.

35. Napa doesn’t learn his lesson

The tackling technique of Dylan Napa was called into question several times in 2018, but most notably after knocking out Queensland teammate and Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough in an ugly hit in Round 24. He was sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes and was suspended for three weeks — ruling him out of the rest of the season to return only if the Roosters made the grand final. The hit on McCullough came after Napa broke the jaw of Broncos prop Korbin Sims in Round 11 using the same tackling style.

Sydney Roosters forward Dylan Napa knocks out Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough in Round 24. Source: Supplied

34. Rivals and lovers

Karina Brown and her partner Vanessa Foliaki play for different states, but their kiss after the women’s State of Origin clash at North Sydney Oval perfectly portrayed the values of competition and loyalty on an emotional night for the game. The picture went viral and rightly so.

Karina Brown and Vanessa Foliaki following the Women’s State of Origin clash. Source: Supplied

33. Ponga’s incredible season

Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga creates history by becoming the youngest player ever to win the RLPA Player’s Champion award, voted by his peers.

It capped off an incredible season for the 20-year-old, who was a standout for the Knights, earned his State of Origin debut and finished second in the Dally M Medal count despite playing just 20 NRL games.

32 Manly’s salary cap

It was the season from hell for Manly. The NRL handed down a $750,000 fine against the club and a $660,000 penalty applied to its salary cap (to be split across 2018 and 2019) in late March for 11 salary cap breaches that went against the NRL’s third party agreement rules. COO Neil Bare and former CEO Joe Kelly were also suspended until January 1 2019 as a result of the NRL’s investigation.

31 Bulldogs’ salary cap woes

Heavily back-ended contracts plus subsidising the wages of former players to be at rival clubs completely broke the Bulldogs’ bank in 2018, forcing them to offload Moses Mbye to the Wests Tigers and new recruit Aaron Woods, after only 14 games for the club, to alleviate the pressure. They were also unable to re-sign Brett and Josh Morris and Greg Eastwood as a result.

30 Reynolds’ three field-goals

The 2018 finals series was something special, but this moment was one of the best of the season.

Rabbitohs halfback Adam Reynolds stole a win for South Sydney with three field goals to down the Dragons with a 13-12 win at ANZ Stadium. It booked them through to the preliminary finals.

The game was drawn with less than three minutes on the clock when Reynolds kicked the first field goal. The Rabbitohs gave away a penalty and the Dragons kicked to lead 12-11, before another field goal from Reynolds levelled the scores. With 20 seconds left on the clock he kicked his third of the game to give the Rabbitohs the emphatic win.

Rabbitohs halfback Adam Reynolds kicked three field goals against the Dagons at ANZ during the finals series. Source: Getty Images

29. Slater bows out

The decision was pending through the year, but Melbourne’s champion fullback finally announced 2018 would be his final season in August.

“I thought it could possibly be my last, and I was treating it like that,” he said.

“It wasn’t until halfway through the year, I was starting to lean towards this year. I just wanted to give it a little more time to make the right decision.”

In his final year, Slater claimed the Wally Lewis Medal for his two-game performance for Queensland and played the grand final with Melbourne, finishing with 319 games, all for Storm, 31 games for Queensland, 30 Tests for Australia and second on the all-time tryscorers list with 190.

28. Munster’s miserable game

Melbourne five-eighth Cameron Munster had the night to forget at the most inconvenient time. The decider was an unhappy one for the rising star, sin-binned for a professional foul and again later for kicking out at Roosters centre Joseph Manu — earning his place in grand final infamy. He’s the first player to be sin-binned twice in an NRL grand final and the first since Terry Lamb in 1995 to cop the double shame. He also had a try disallowed through obstruction.

27. Dragons defy odds

The 2018 season was full of upsets, but there was none bigger than the Dragons 30-point win over the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in the elimination-final. Knocking the heavily-fancied Broncos out of the finals in week one, Tariq Sims ran in three first-half tries, one through his brother and soon-to-be teammate Korbin, in a powerful performance. The Dragons had won only three of their last nine games heading into the final and hadn’t beaten a top eight team since May. It was their first win at Suncorp in 11 starts and their first finals win since 2010 — when they won the premiership.

Dragons defeat the Broncos 48-18 during the elimination-final at Suncorp Stadium. Source: AAP

26. Honourable Sharks

In more drama for the Shire club, new Sharks CEO Barry Russell self-reported suspicious payments made to players dating back to 2015, kick-starting an NRL investigation that has since reportedly uncovered evidence that Shane Flanagan breached his suspension in 2014 — it’s since led to Flanagan being deregistered by the NRL and contemplating his future in the sport, and the club being hit with a $800,000 fine.