Alex Johnston has become South Sydney's all-time try-scoring leader in a 26-point win over the Tigers, with plenty of time left in his career to make more history.
The Roosters closed out Saturday's games with a 36-16 win over the Sharks, and the Knights beat the Warriors 24-16 for just their second win since round two.
But Johnston was the star attraction as he took his rightful place at the top of the South Sydney pile in a 44-18 shellacking of Wests Tigers.
Johnston started the game tied with Benny Wearing on 144, and over the course of the night joined Nathan Merritt on 146 before scoring his third in a dominant second half against the Tigers.
Making the moment that much more special was that it came in a home game in Indigenous Round, with the La Perouse junior a fan favourite since making his first-grade debut for the club back in 2014.
Having made history at a club with plenty of it, as one of the game's foundation teams in 1908, Johnston has a chance to make a play at Ken Irvine's overall try-scoring record.
The winger is still only 27 years old and trailing Irvine (171) by just 24 tries.
With 147 from 178 games, at this rate Johnston would only need to play two more seasons to overtake the Irvine, whose name adorns the medal given to the game's top try-scorer every season.
Johnston has sat atop that ladder three times in his career, including his rookie year and the past two seasons, and his efforts on Saturday night gave him every chance of topping the tally for a fourth time.
Things started slowly for last year's grand finalists, with Asu Kepaoa and Ken Maumalo crossing for the Tigers in the first 10 minutes.
Johnston and substitute Siliva Havili hit back, but Maumalo crossed for a second just before half-time to give the 15th-placed Tigers a surprise 18-12 lead at the break.
Johnston scored first in the second half, and it started an avalanche, with six unanswered tries in half an hour to rip the game away from the Tigers.
Roosters finish strong to handle Sharks' challenge
NSW State of Origin captain James Tedesco has hit top form on the eve of this year's series as he helped the Sydney Roosters withstand a fightback from Cronulla in a 36-16 NRL win.
Tedesco led the charge as Cronulla's five-game winning streak at Shark Park came to an end.
Tedesco was at the heart of everything that went right for the Roosters and his performance will hearten Blues coach Brad Fittler, who is already without Tom Trbojevic and Latrell Mitchell.
He finished the match with 205 running metres, seven tackle busts, two try assists and a try of his own.
It helped the Roosters that the Sharks were way below par and, in a worrying sign for coach Craig Fitzgibbon, did not score until the 56th minute, already trailing 24-0.
Daniel Tupou put the Roosters ahead with a double in the opening 20 minutes.
A searing break from halfback Luke Keary was backed up by Tedesco, who popped a flick pass out the back to send back-rower Nat Butcher over in the corner.
Tupou turned provider when he set up Tedesco on the inside, with the fullback calmly finishing to give the Roosters a 20-0 lead at half-time.
Veteran prop Jared Warea-Hargreaves pushed the Roosters further ahead when he crashed over after another incisive Tedesco break and a charge from Angus Crichton.
Wingers Ronaldo Mulitalo and Sione Katoa jagged tries back for the Sharks, and when Cameron McInnes crossed to cut the Roosters' lead to 24-16 with 10 minutes to go, there was hope from the home fans that they could complete the comeback.
Roosters centre Joey Manu put paid to that when he wrapped up victory with a late runaway try before Connor Watson burrowed over to hammer home their advantage.
Knights edge Warriors in scrap
Anthony Milford provided the finishing touches as Newcastle recovered from a 12-point deficit to beat the Warriors 24-16 in a Redcliffe slog.
In just his second game at his new NRL club, former Bronco Milford set up the match-sealing try for the Knights on Saturday, their comeback win making it four straight losses for the Warriors and leaving both sides with 4-8 records.
Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga laid on two tries as he sharpened up for Queensland's State of Origin tilt, although teammate Daniel Saifiti's unlikely push to retain his Blues jersey never got going.
The under-pressure prop was hobbled by a suspected medial ligament injury in his right knee that kept him to just one run for seven metres in the first half.
The Warriors looked unperturbed by another week of disruptions stemming from Matt Lodge's curious exit, crossing twice in the first eight minutes thanks to some soft Knights defence on both edges.
First Adam Pompey stepped through some flimsy tackles before Reece Walsh's darting run allowed Viliami Vailea to slice through for a 10-0 lead.
A penalty made it 12-0 before Newcastle found some rhythm, helped when Walsh's restart hit the dead-ball line on the full.
First, recalled halfback Jake Clifford's grubber on the right edge, after the Knights had probed the left, was perfectly weighted for Tyson Frizell to jump on.
Then some strong defence from halves partner Milford created a Jack Murchie knock-on and another Knights chance, Ponga with quick hands to set up Edrick Lee and level the scores at the break.
Shaun Johnson injected himself, chipping across field for an unmarked Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.
But they surrendered their six-point lead immediately, Chanel Harris-Tavita knocking on from the restart and Ponga again setting up centre Enari Tuala.
Marcelo Montoya was then sin-binned for a high shot on a prone Dominic Young while Warriors teammates Murchie and Jazz Tevaga were both sent for HIAs after some friendly fire in a messy final 20 minutes.
Eventually Newcastle extended a two-point lead, Milford's delicate grubber well-placed for Tuala to add a second and create an eight-point buffer with nine minutes to play.
ABC/AAP
