The Wests Tigers and Dolphins have completed their pre-seasons with wins on Friday evening, while the Penrith Panthers and New Zealand Warriors will head into the season proper on the back of losses.
The four sides all showed plenty during the double-header at Leichhardt, but there will be plenty of questions and talking points to be answered over the fortnight leading into their respective Round 1 encounters.
The Tigers have an even longer wait with the Round 1 bye.
Here are all the talking points from Friday evening's action at Leichhardt.
5. Benji made the right call with Adam Doueihi at halfback
The Tigers having two wins from two in the pre-season may not mean all that much, but it also means plenty for a team who have been at the wrong end of the NRL ladder for as long as they have.
Beating the Panthers, pre-season or not, is also a great way to build into a season that won't start until Round 2 for the Tigers.
Benji Marshall has taken a huge gamble by inserting Adam Doueihi as his first-choice number seven for the year, but it looked to be paying dividends on Friday.
The Tigers were well controlled, well managed, had a strong kicking game, and made a lot of the right decisions throughout the game.
Latu Fainu is clearly a big part of the club's future, and his pre-season injury makes the call an easy one, but regardless, Doueihi's form, if he can stay fit, looks as if it will be of enormous benefit to the Concord-based outfit.
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Nathan will miss out on the Dally M medal as soon as he is banned, but I think he shouldn’t be as Reece Walsh headbutted and only got a fine against the Raiders.