NRL 2024: what you need to know

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The NRL draw is on track for release on Monday 13 November - as news comes in, we'll keep you updated here on any information that crosses our path regarding what the 2024 NRL season is set to feature.

Other things to know about 2024:

2024 NRL Player Movement, signings

2024 NRL Jerseys

2024 NRL Member Tracker

Mon 13 Nov 2024

THE DRAW IS OUT. CLICK THIS LINK for all NRL and NRLW fixtures for 2024!

Today at 11am AEDT (10am AEST, 1pm NZDT) the NRL and NRLW season draws will be unveiled. CLICK THIS LINK to access the draw once it's released.

News Corp did reveal a small piece of NRLW news associated - Parramatta are set to take two home games to Eric Tweedale Stadium in Granville, hoping to inspire a similar vibe to the Swans' use of Henson Park during the recent AFLW season. MORE HERE.

Sat 11 Nov 2024

Official release confirmed

The NRL has confirmed the draw for both the NRL and NRLW 2024 seasons will be released at 11am AEDT Monday.

ANZAC Day schedule revealed

The Warriors will host an ANZAC Day clash for the first time in nearly a decade, with the Auckland club to welcome the TItans to Go Media Stadium in the opening game of Round 8, followed by the Dragons v Roosters annual match at Allianz Stadium later in the afternoon, while the evening will close with the Storm hosting South Sydney at AAMI Park.

More fixtures were also revealed:

• Round 25: Wests Tigers v Manly at Campbelltown
• Wests Tigers will play Parramatta twice in 2024; they'll also have home games against South Sydney (R24, Campbelltown for the first time) and St George Illawarra (R6, Leichhardt for the second time in 21 seasons)
• The Tigers last three home games will be against the Rabbitohs in R24, then Manly R25 and Parramatta R27.
• They're taking a home game to Tamworth again - against Newcastle.
• Penrith v South Sydney will take place in Round 9
• South Sydney v Brisbane at Accor in Round 15 (Friday night)
• Dolphins v St George Illawarra at Kogarah, Round 19
• St George Illawarra v Canberra in Round 27

Full report HERE.

Fri 10 Nov 2024

More leaks: News Corp

The Dragons v Sharks return clash (after Round 9 at Pointsbet) will be in Round 25 at Wollongong; Gold Coast will travel to Brookvale in Round 20 with Des Hasler meeting his former club Manly. HERE.

First five for every club - Nine papers

• Canterbury: Parramatta (A), Cronulla (A, Belmore), Gold Coast (H), South Sydney (A, Good Fri), Sydney (H)
• Wests Tigers: Bye, Canberra (A), Cronulla (H), Parramatta (A, Easter Mon), Dolphins (A)
• Cronulla: Warriors (A), Canterbury (H, Belmore), Wests Tigers (A), Canberra (H), Bye
• Parramatta: Canterbury (H), Penrith (A), Manly (H), Wests Tigers (H, Easter Mon), Canberra (A)
• Penrith: Melbourne (A), Parramatta (H), Brisbane (H), Sydney (A), Manly (A)
• South Sydney: Manly (A, Vegas), Brisbane (A), Sydney (A), Canterbury (H, Good Fri), Warriors (H)
• Sydney: Brisbane (H, Vegas), Manly (A), South Sydney (H), Penrith (H), Canterbury (A)
• St George Illawarra: Gold Coast (A), Dolphins (A), North Qld (H), Manly (H), Newcastle (A)
• Manly: South Sydney (H, Vegas), Sydney (H), Parramatta (A), St Geo Illa (A), Penrith (H)
• Newcastle: Canberra (H), North Qld (A), Melbourne (H), Warriors (A), St Geo Illa (H)
• Canberra: Newcastle (A), Wests Tigers (H), Warriors (A), Cronulla (A), Parramatta (H)
• Brisbane: Sydney (A, Vegas), South Sydney (H), Penrith (A), North Qld (H), Melbourne (A)
• Gold Coast: St Geo Illa (H), Bye, Canterbury (A), Dolphins (H), North Qld (A)
• North Qld: Dolphins (A), Newcastle (H), St Geo Illa (A), Brisbane (A), Gold Coast (H)
• Dolphins: North Qld (H), St Geo Illa (H), Bye, Gold Coast (A), Wests Tigers (H)
• Warriors: Cronulla (H), Melbourne (A), Canberra (H), Newcastle (H), South Sydney (A)
• Melbourne: Penrith (H), Warriors (H), Newcastle (A), Bye, Brisbane (H)

Full report HERE.

Leaks coming thick and fast now: News Corp

Round 11's Magic Round is set to be held without the Dragons next year, with the Daily Telegraph reporting they'll miss the annual Brisbane event. The likely fixtures for the three-day extravaganza at Suncorp Stadium are:

• Parramatta v Melbourne
• Manly v Brisbane
• Canberra v Canterbury
• Wests Tigers v Dolphins
• North Queensland v South Sydney
• Cronulla v Sydney
• Warriors v Penrith
• Gold Coast v Newcastle

Magic Round falling in Round 11 means the dates will fall May 17-19 next year.

Other leaked fixtures include:

• Round 4: Sydney v Penrith (Allianz)
• Round 6: Newcastle v Sydney (McDonald Jones)
• Round 9: Sharks v Dragons (Pointsbet)
• Round 10: Penrith v Canterbury (Bluebet)
• Round 12: Canterbury v St George Illawarra (venue TBC, Thu 23 May - likely the start of Indigenous Round)
• Round 21: Canberra v South Sydney (GIO Stadium)
• Round 27: South Sydney v Sydney (venue TBC)

Full report HERE.

NRL confirm pre-season challenge fixtures and All Stars venue

Read more here. Also confirmed is that Townsville's Queensland Country Bank Stadium will host the annual All Stars fixture on February 16. More on that here.

Wests Tigers confirm pre-season challenge matches

The Tigers will play on Sunday 18 February 2pm - v Warriors (Christchurch) and then head to Mudgee on Saturday 24 February, 8:05pm v Dragons. MORE HERE.

Warriors home game deal

The Warriors confirmed today they'll play one home game in Christchurch for each of the next three seasons - the first two (2024 and 2025) at Apollo Projects Stadium (Rugby League Park), then in 2026 at the newly constructed Te Kaha Stadium.

The club will also host the Wests Tigers in a pre-season match in Christchurch in February. MORE HERE.

Women's Origin & NRLW arrangements

AAP's Scott Bailey reports that the NRL is set to confirm a full three-game Origin series for Women in 2024, following an unpopular two-game series in 2023. The NRLW premiership however will remain at 10 teams, with further expansion unlikely til at least 2025.

In the same report, it's also reported that the NSW Women's Premiership will take place in unison with the NRLW at the back end of the season, effectively allowing the season to act as reserve grade competition in that state. The QRL's BMD Premiership will remain in the first half of the year.

Additionally, the NSWRL's girls U17 Lisa Fiaola Cup will become a full season to mirror the boys Harold Matthews Cup - it had previously not been a premiership season. MORE HERE.

Thu 9 Nov 2024

NEW ARTICLE, 9pm: GF re-match confirmed, R1 slots not to be swapped

News Corp report raises a conflict with earlier reporting from Nine papers, suggesting the Panthers v Broncos Grand Final re-match will happen in Round 3 at Bluebet Stadium - this means the Vegas teams will only have corresponding matches with similar opponents for Round 2, not Round 3.

The report with Brent Read and Michael Carayannis suggests the Knights-Raiders and Eels-Bulldogs matches will likely remain in the first rumoured slots due to availability issues with McDonald Jones Stadium (Freestyle Motocross) that weekend. MORE HERE.

UPDATE, 5pm: It's all up in the air now.

The SMH reports now that its breaking of the likely Round 1 fixture has thrown the planned schedule into chaos. Chammas' story says that Channel Nine is reportedly unhappy with the Knights-Raiders match as the Thursday night game, and that it could be swapped with Parramatta v Canterbury. This is further complicated by Commbank Stadium being used for an A-League soccer match on the Friday night, which could present turf issues if an NRL game is played a day prior rather than a day later. The NRL has reportedly cancelled meetings with clubs this afternoon and postponed draw communications originally planned tonight til at least tomorrow.

Original report at 12pm
The draw is set for release on Monday November 13, according to a Nine papers report by Michael Chammas.

Expected Round 1

Saturday 2 March (US time, Sunday AEDT)
South Sydney v Manly - Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
Brisbane v Sydney - Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas

Thursday 7 March
Newcastle v Canberra - McDonald Jones Stadium

Friday 8 March
Warriors v Cronulla - Go Media Stadium
Melbourne v Penrith - AAMI Park

Saturday 9 March
Parramatta v Canterbury - Commbank Stadium
Gold Coast v St George Illawarra - Cbus Super Stadium

Sunday 10 March
Dolphins v North Queensland - Suncorp Stadium

Bye: Wests Tigers

The four Vegas clubs will play each other in Rounds 2 and 3 as well, with Rabbitohs-Broncos and Sea Eagles-Roosters slated for Round 2, and Rabbitohs-Roosters and Broncos-Sea Eagles for Round 3.

Pre-season fixtures could be released as soon as Friday 10 November. On Feb 11, the Rabbitohs and Manly are expected to meet in Gosford, with the Charity Shield between Souths and the Dragons at Kogarah a week later, which will also have Eels-Raiders as a curtain-raiser. Canterbury v Melbourne is expected to open the pre-season challenge at Belmore in early February. All Stars is slated for Friday 16 February.

UPDATE: The SMH has published the full pre-season challenge match-ups...

Expected pre-season matches

February 11: Rabbitohs v Sea Eagles on Central Coast
February 16: Indigenous All Stars v Maori All Stars

Pre-season week one (February 15-18)

Dogs v Storm at Belmore
Sharks v Knights at Central Coast Stadium
Manly v Roosters at Central Coast Stadium
Warriors v Tigers at TBC
Broncos v Cowboys at Mackay
Dragons v Rabbitohs at Kogarah
Eels v Raiders at Kogarah
Dolphins v Titans at Sunshine Coast

Pre-season week two (February February 22-25)

Sharks v Bulldogs at Cronulla
Roosters v Rabbitohs at Cronulla
Dragons v Tigers in Mudgee
Manly v Broncos in Manly
Titans v Eels in Ipswich
Storm v Knights in Fiji
Raiders v Cowboys in Queanbeyan

MORE HERE.

Wed 8 Nov 2023

News Corp are reporting the dates and venues for the other two Origin games as Sydney (Accor Stadium) - 5 June; and Brisbane (Suncorp Stadium) - 17 July. MORE HERE.

Mon 6 Nov 2023

State of Origin II will be played at the MCG in Melbourne on Wednesday 26 June, with early ticket sales commencing from today. MORE HERE.

Thu 26 Oct 2023

Nine papers are reporting the NRL's ANZAC Day schedule could change - with the Warriors lobbying for an ANZAC Round home game for the first time since 2015. The article also confirmed the NRL was "still working through the process of putting together next year's draw", which is "due to be announced in November". MORE HERE.

Meanwhile, Foxtel have seemingly confirmed the order of the opening matches in Vegas: "In 2024, the NRL will kick off with the opening round being staged in Las Vegas, and Fox League will be the only place to watch both games including the exclusive season opener between the Sea Eagles and Rabbitohs, live." MORE HERE.

Tue 24 Oct 2023

With the Storm signing a sponsorship deal with Fiji Airways from 2024 today, Nine papers were reporting today Melbourne had expressed interest in hosting a pre-season game in Fiji - potentially at the Silktails' home ground of Lautoka Park in Churchill. If they get it over the line for 2024, the Newcastle Knights have been touted as a potential opponent. MORE HERE.

Meanwhile, News Corp ran a report over the last few days on when each club is first returning to training:

• November 1: North Queensland, Canberra
• November 6: Parramatta, St George Illa, Dolphins, Gold Coast, Wests Tigers
• November 9: Manly
• November 10: Canterbury
• November 13: South Sydney
• November 15: Warriors
• November 17: Cronulla
• November 20: Melbourne
• November 22: Penrith
• November 23: Sydney, Brisbane
• November 24: Newcastle

Tue 17 Oct 2023

South Sydney have announced two key affiliations in the last few days, with the key news being that they've plucked the Townsville Blackhawks from under the nose of the North Queensland Cowboys as an additional feeder club. The two-year deal will mean the Rabbitohs' surplus NRL players will be distributed between their own NSW Cup side and the Townsville QLD Cup side, as well as helping the Rabbitohs attract more diverse talent from the northern Queensland region in addition to their own backyard. MORE HERE.

While on the Rabbitohs, News Corp reports their annual Charity Shield clash (17 February) against St George Illawarra will likely be played at one of the Dragons' home bases (Kogarah or Wollongong). This is to accommodate Souths' trip to Las Vegas a fortnight later, minimising travel and disruption ahead of their flight out to the US. The report comes just days after Manly withdrew from hosting and NRL game in Mudgee next year - the same venue that has been used for the Charity Shield since 2018. MORE HERE.

Meanwhile, Manly unveiled their new logo along with their 2024 home and away jersey designs. MORE HERE.

Fri 13 Oct 2023

Manly have confirmed their home game split in 2024, with Mudgee off the table for the first time in three seasons. In a website post confirming they will not return to the central west NSW town next season, they announced 10 home games at Brookvale's 4 Pines Park, with the other two home matches to be played in Las Vegas (Round 1 v South Sydney) and Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium (Round 10 v Brisbane). MORE HERE.

Thu 5 Oct 2023

The QRL has confirmed the state women's competition, the BMD Premiership, will expand over three consecutive years, in order to match the 14 Australian-based teams currently participating in the Hostplus Cup by the 2026 season. Sunshine Coast and Western Clydesdales will be first in (2024), expanding the competition to ten teams. In 2025, Northern Pride and Ipswich will join to take the competition to 12, before Redcliffe and Townsville complete the story in 2026. Discussions are also taking place about funding to include PNG Hunters at some point beyond that. MORE HERE.

Wed 27 Sep 2023

Wests Tigers confirm a 5-5 split of home games between Leichhardt and Campbelltown in 2024. One of the remaining two matches will be Brisbane's Magic Round (Suncorp) with the other to be determined. MORE HERE.

The Dragons memberships going on sale confirm a 6-5-1 split for home games - six at WIN Stadium Wollongong, five at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Kogarah and the ANZAC Day at Allianz Stadium. MORE HERE.

Fri 15 Sep 2023

Dolphins confirm an extra game at Suncorp, meaning an 8-3 split between that venue and their spiritual home of Kayo Stadium. The venue for their twelfth home game is to be determined. MORE HERE.

Fri 25 Aug 2023

The NRL has announced the four teams and the details to open the 2024 NRL season in Las Vegas. The Roosters v Broncos and Rabbitohs v Sea Eagles matches will be held at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday 2 March (local, Sunday Australian time). MORE HERE.

Other things we know

Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane will host Magic Round as the last year on the contract for the event as it currently stands.

The MCG in Melbourne will host the 'neutral' Origin match in 2024 after missing out in 2021 due to the COVID-19 shutdowns. It last hosted Origin in 2018.

The NRL Grand Final is not yet confirmed but normally takes place on the Sunday of the NSW Labour Day weekend, which in 2024 will be Sunday 6 October. The venue is still being negotiated after the NRL and NSW Government reached a second one-year agreement for the 2023 event to be staged at Accor Stadium.

There will be a series of changes in state-based feeder clubs heading into the new year.

Brisbane Broncos
QRL: Burleigh Bears (new), Souths Logan Magpies, Wynnum Manly Seagulls

Canberra Raiders
NSWRL: Canberra Raiders

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
NSWRL: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
NSWRL: Newtown Jets, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Dolphins
QRL: Central Queensland Capras, Norths Devils (new), Redcliffe Dolphins

Gold Coast Titans
QRL: Ipswich Jets (new), Tweed Seagulls

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
NSWRL: Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

Melbourne Storm
NSWRL: North Sydney Bears (new), Melbourne Storm
QRL: Brisbane Tigers, Sunshine Coast Falcons

Newcastle Knights
NSWRL: Newcastle Knights

North Queensland Cowboys
QRL: Mackay Cutters, Northern Pride

Parramatta Eels
NSWRL: Parramatta Eels

Penrith Panthers
NSWRL: Penrith Panthers

St George Illawarra Dragons
NSWRL: St George Illawarra Dragons

South Sydney Rabbitohs
NSWRL: South Sydney Rabbitohs
QRL: Townsville Blackhawks (new)

Sydney Roosters
NSWRL: Sydney Roosters

Warriors
NSWRL: Warriors

Wests Tigers
NSWRL: Wests Tigers, Western Suburbs Magpies, Balmain Tigers

Note: several NRL clubs have pathways affiliate agreements with state-based clubs but these are not "feeder" clubs to NRL teams.