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.
New Zealand Warriors
Round 2, vs Canberra Raiders, at Go Media Stadium , Friday, March 13, 6pm
Round 6, vs Melbourne Storm, at AAMI Park, Saturday, April 11, 7:30pm
Round 13, vs Penrith Panthers, at CommBank Stadium, Sunday, May 31, 6:15pm
Round 17, vs The Dolphins, at Suncorp Stadium, Saturday, June 27, 3pm
Round 21, vs Canterbury Bulldogs, at Accor Stadium, Saturday, July 25, 5:30pm
The Warriors start their season with back-to-back home games against top eight contenders in the Roosters and Raiders.
One of those is included in the five to watch, because there simply so many big matches for the Auckland-based outfit this year.
Melbourne and Penrith on the road headline the start of their campaign, while an Origin period clash against the Dolphins (which falls in the full round), could be an excellent clash.
They have some big games at the back-end of the year too with road trips to see the Bulldogs and Broncos, as well as a home game against Penrith - we will take the encounter with Canterbury.
