With the full NRL draw out for 2026, teams and their fans will have circled dates in their calendars.
Must-win games, key outings, rivalry clashes.
No team is going to win 24 from 24 throughout the course of an NRL season that is wildly tough to predict at the best of times, but clubs will know the key games they must win.
For fans, neutral or supporters, here are the five biggest clashes to watch for each and every NRL side throughout the 2026 season, kicking off in Las Vegas on the first weekend of March and winding itself across Australia and New Zealand over the following six months.
Cronulla Sharks
Round 6, vs Sydney Roosters, at Optus Stadium (Perth), Saturday, April 11, 5:30pm
Round 11, vs Canterbury Bulldogs, at Suncorp Stadium, Friday, May 15, 6pm
Round 23, vs St George Illawarra Dragons, at Jubilee Oval, Sunday, August 9, 4:05pm
Round 24, vs Canberra Raiders, at Sharks Stadium, Saturday, August 15, 3pm
Round 27, vs Melbourne Storm, at Sharks Stadium, Saturday, September 5, 7:30pm
The Sharks are back to having one of the competition's easiest draws throughout 2026, but that doesn't mean there aren't some enormous games on the menu for a team who have consistently been close to taking the next step in recent years.
Their Magic Round game against the Bulldogs will be enormous, while a trip to Perth early in the season could be an early litmus test against the Roosters.
Their late games against the Raiders and Storm also shape as critical, while it's tough to go past their local derby with the Dragons on a Sunday afternoon in August.
