The opening round of the 2018 Telstra Premiership had more twists and turns than a 100-person Twister marathon and in amongst the countless talking points we've picked up a trend.

Even in a sport where stunning late comebacks are hardly uncommon, round one produced a tough run for frontrunners with the last five games all finishing with the team that scored first losing.

Add to that Newcastle having to overcome Manly late and just two teams all weekend – the Dragons and Cowboys – scoring first and closing out the win without falling behind.

The two Sunday games were the most dramatic, with both the Eels and Raiders scoring the first three tries of their respective games before being run down.

Both Gold Coast's comeback against Canberra and Wests Tigers' against the Roosters came via tries inside the final two minutes of the game.