But perhaps Southern’s 7-5 win against Taieri topped them all.
The leading three teams all lost in the quasi-quarterfinal round to flip the tournament upside down.
The fourth, fifth and sixth-placed teams came through the pack and Taieri survived to fight another week courtesy of being the highest-ranked loser.
Southern, sixth after the round-robin, went into the game as a firm underdog.
But coach Luke Herden was unwavering in his confidence. He had seen promising signs from his team leading into the match and was one of the few not surprised by the outcome.
"We prepared well that week and we changed a few things in how we prepared," he said.
"And through that we came up with a plan that everybody stuck to and we got the result. It was a really good boost for morale and an example of what we can do when everyone prepares well.
"We have thought all year we’ve had a great group of players but we just needed to get the formula right."
Herden brushed off suggestions Southern might have played its final against Taieri.
The Magpies had plenty left in the tank for the semifinal against University at Logan Park tomorrow, he said.
"We haven’t played our final yet, not at all. The boys are in a great space.
"We’ve always said if we can make the top six we know we’ll be one of the teams to beat."
However, Herden accepted his side had not been as consistent as he would have hoped.
"Defensively, we’ve been pretty good through the middle of the field. We haven’t leaked too many through there and it has been a hard wall to get through.
"We’ve been proud of our defence and our backline is pretty exciting but we just haven’t had opportunities, or we haven’t taken those opportunities, to use that."
The Magpies will look to captain and lock Jermayne Maika to have an impact. He has been outstanding this season and was rewarded with an Otago trial.
Tighthead prop Kurt Whittaker-Prendeville has been impressive since returning from injury, while Riku Kitahara has had great utility value in the backline.
He did a good job at first five-eighth last weekend, while Paul Tupai has helped fill the void in the midfield left when Highlander Tei Walden departed.
University was impressive in its 28-21 win against Kaikorai last weekend and has been strengthened by the return of Otago squad members Taylor Haugh, Sean Withy and Henry Bell.
Herden said University had a devastating loose forward trio and limiting their impact on the game would be a crucial factor.