Things may have remained unchanged at the top of the NRL ladder, but the resurgence of an old foe may have a few of the sides peering nervously over their shoulder in the run into the finals.

Brisbane, Parramatta and Manly all registered easy wins over the weekend to consolidate their positions in the top three, while Cronulla stayed hot on their heels with a 16-10 victory over the Sydney Roosters on Friday night.

The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Sharks and saw them hold onto fifth spot behind North Queensland who had the bye this week.

But the return to winning form of the Bulldogs saw the defending premiers climb to 10th, and they are now lurking only one point outside the top eight.

Having been ravaged by injury this season, the Bulldogs were boosted by the return of Test prop Mark O'Meley in a 28-10 win over Canberra, only their second win in the last seven rounds.

O'Meley, in his first game since the Anzac Test against New Zealand on April 22, put in a powerhouse display, and together with fellow front rowers Roy Asotasi and Charlie Tonga, gave the premiers plenty of go-forward.

With fellow representative stars Willie Mason, Willie Tonga, Sonny Bill Williams and Reni Maitua all due back from injury in the coming weeks, the Bulldogs loom as a massive danger if they can sneak into the playoffs.

"We're obviously aiming to make the eight, and I think that puts us maybe a point out," Bulldogs coach Steve Folkes said after the win.

"I'm really not looking that far ahead (though). It's day by day and make sure we're attending to all the housekeeping issues.

"We weren't great today but there were some real positive signs and we need to be positive and play with a bit of confidence."

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