Miraculous tries, big hits, and clutch plays... The last four weeks served up some remarkable rugby league. Here are Home Timber and Hardware's Hard Plays of the Month for May.
Unstoppable Johnson
There were ridiculous scenes at Remondis Stadium when the Sharks and Warriors clashed back in Round 9. First, halfback Shaun Johnson set up Solomone Kata to put the visitors in front with less than 10 minutes remaining. Then Andrew Fifita hit back for the home side, bouncing off six defenders on his way to the line in the 76th minute. But the game was far from over, with Johnson dancing his way through the Sharks defence with less than 90 seconds on the clock to hand the New Zealand outfit the two points.
A Friend indeed
Roosters hooker Jake Friend is known for his tireless efforts in defence, but his ability in attack shouldn't be overlooked either. A pin-point pass for winger Daniel Tupou in the Tricolours' 24-10 win over the Bulldogs highlighted this, with the club co-captain a welcome inclusion for the side since returning from injury in Round 6.
Dragons take flight
Much was made of the Dragons' inability to score points during the earlier rounds of the season. While they were grinding out results with impeccable defence, the points weren't flowing in attack, but that all changed against the Raiders, with rookie centre Euan Aitken capping off an exciting team try during the big win.
Sealing the win
With scores locked at 10-all in the opening game of the 2015 Holden State of Origin series, the Maroons worked their way up the field into field goal territory and turned to Cooper Cronk to seal the result. It was a memorable night for the Queensland halfback, who also scored the opening try of the contest.
Hit of the season
There's plenty of power in the Raiders and Broncos sides, but perhaps the hardest hitter of all is Josh Papalii. The Raiders enforcer lined up Brisbane prop Josh McGuire, and delivered one of the biggest bone-rattling tackles of the season so far. Perhaps it was merely coincidence, or Papalii might have been out to remind Queensland selectors he can more than match it with a current Origin player.
You just can't believe it
From the same game, the Broncos produced a try-of-the-season contender after the half-time siren, with five passes and a kick all resulting in a try to Lachlan Maranta, after the Brisbane side travelled 95 metres. You simply have to see it to believe it.
