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.
Melbourne Storm
Round 1, vs Parramatta Eels, at AAMI Park, Thursday, March 5, 8pm
Round 3, vs Brisbane Broncos, at AAMI Park, Friday, March 20, 8pm
Round 5, vs Penrith Panthers, at CommBank Stadium, Friday, April 3, 8pm
Round 9, vs The Dolphins, at Suncorp Stadium, Friday, May 1, 8pm
Round 22, vs Canterbury Bulldogs, at AAMI Park, Friday, July 31, 8pm
The Storm kick-off their season against the Eels, and despite the beating they handed out last year, it's a match that still makes this list with Jonah Pezet clashing with his old club.
The grand final rematch in Round 3, and rivalry against Penrith in Round 5, are the next obvious games to watch for the Storm, although every team will want to be up against them.
Last year, the Dolphins stunned the Storm at the back-end of the season, and get a chance to do it again in Round 9 this year, while the biggest game at the back-end of the year for Melbourne could well come against Canterbury in a repeat of a 2025 qualifying final in the Victorian capital.
