The Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers have just one more flight to make in the 2026 NRL season, and it could prove the difference on the run home.
Clubs are always looking for an edge when it comes to on-field performance, and minimising or optimising travel is just one logistical nightmare every club has to face throughout the course of the season.
With the game getting faster, fatigue being a bigger issue than ever before, and the competition experiencing bigger margins than ever before, there is an argument to say that playing at home and not having to jump on a plane regularly is one of the great benefits.
Incredibly, the Tigers don't have to visit the airport again until Round 26, while the Parramatta Eels are travel-free until Round 25 for games against the North Queensland Cowboys and Dolphins, respectively.
Both clubs had the easiest travel schedules at the start of the year, but have already done most of their flying away from Sydney.
At the other end of the table, it's the New Zealand Warriors who unsurprisingly have the toughest run home with another nine flights in their campaign, with eight of those being across the Tasman and one domestic. That leaves them with almost 60 hours left in the air this year from a starting total of 94.
The North Queensland Cowboys, who have a game in Christchurch as part of their run-in, also have an exceedingly tough schedule with a tick over 40 hours left in the air.
Flight time left per club in 2026
The Warriors and Cowboys are followed by the Melbourne Storm and Dolphins, with those two clubs being the only other outfits that have more than 20 hours in the air left for the year, with a Storm trip in Round 23 to Perth for a game against the Sea Eagles blowing that total out.
Unsurprisingly, the Sea Eagles are then the worst of the Sydney clubs. Despite only leaving Sydney by air travel another three times, their flight to Perth costs them almost ten hours in the sky.
The Penrith Panthers, who have four tarmac exits left for the year, are also facing a tick over 18 hours in the air, and as a result will travel more than the Brisbane Broncos.
The Cronulla Sharks, Gold Coast Titans, Sydney Roosters, Newcastle Knights and Canberra Raiders are all also facing more than ten hours in the air.
The Raiders are an exceptional case, given they will spend a lot of time on the road to Sydney, but, of their remaining 14 games, they play 8 at home, including their next 3 in a row, and it's only a trip to Townsville to play the Cowboys in the final round which ensures they will spend more time in the air than the Eels and Tigers.
The St George Illawarra Dragons, South Sydney Rabbitohs and Canterbury Bulldogs are the other clubs with easy travel schedules, with the Bulldogs facing one trip north and one south, the Rabbitohs facing a trek to Townsville this weekend, and the Dragons having to head to New Zealand in Round 20.
So, what does that all mean?
Despite having the easiest schedule, the Eels seemingly are an unlikely shot for the finals at this stage, while the Tigers will need plenty to go their way with what is currently an enormous injury toll.
The Bulldogs will be hoping their easy travel schedule allows them to springboard away from the bottom, and the Dragons likewise to start winning some games.
South Sydney have had an excellent start to the year and are primed for a run deep into the finals, while the Raiders will need to make the most of their home games ahead.
The Roosters, Sharks, Broncos, Panthers and Sea Eagles all sit between 10 and 20 hours travel time, and could use plenty of games locally to make a run to the top, while the Titans will need plenty to go their way.
At the other end, the Dolphins have struggled throughout the year but may now have turned a corner ahead of playing three of their next four games away from home and finishing the season with three trips in six weeks, while the Storm have a run of three straight at home between Round 13 and Round 16, but finish the year with back-to-back road trips.
The Cowboys and Warriors are used to travelling, have already done plenty of it this year, and are currently in the top eight, but whether fatigue might get them remains to be seen.
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