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.
Gold Coast Titans
Round 2, vs The Dolphins, at Suncorp Stadium, Sunday, March 15, 6:15pm
Round 5, vs Brisbane Broncos, at Cbus Super Stadium, Saturday, April 4, 7:30pm
Round 9, vs Canberra Raiders, at CBus Super Stadium, Saturday, May 2, 3pm
Round 23, vs North Queensland Cowboys, at Cbus Super Stadium, Thursday, August 6, 7:50pm
Round 26, vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, at CBus Super Stadium, Saturday, August 29, 3pm
The Titans get a number of key derby games out of the way early in their season, with games against the Dolphins Round 2 and Broncos in Round 5 being key chances to start a process of transofmration under new coach Josh Hannay.
A Round 9 clash with the Raiders is a real chance to prove themselves, before they face the Cowboys in Round 23 at home in another key clash.
The Titans play four of their last five at home, and none of those could be more important than the Round 26 clash against the Rabbitohs if they are anywhere near being in contention for a top eight berth.
