The Penrith Panthers have become the latest club to lock in their 2022 pre-season fixtures, with the reigning premiers to prepare for the new campaign with matches against the Cronulla Sharks and Parramatta Eels.
The men from the foot of the mountains will commence proceedings with a match against the Cronulla Sharks at Parramatta's CommBank Stadium.
The Panthers announced the match, to be played at 4pm on Sunday, February 20, will form part of a double-header on the day at the venue, meaning the Eels are likely to play the following match that evening, with the competition avoiding 2pm kick-offs at that time of year due to the likely heat of the end of summer.
The Eels are yet to announce their trials, so it's unknown who they will be playing in that game at this stage.
The Eels will then be back in action the following week against the Panthers with a Saturday twilight fixture kicking off at 5pm on Saturday, February 26 at BlueBet Stadium in Penrith.
The traditional battle of the west fixture will be played on the same day as the Charity Shield between the St George Illawarra Dragons and South Sydney Rabbitohs in Mudgee, with Fox Sports set to broadcast every match of the pre-season this year.
The announcement also means the Sharks have had both of their pre-season fixtures locked in, with Phil Gould previously announcing on his Twitter account that the Sharks would play the Bulldogs in the Shire on Monday, February 28 in what could be the final game of the pre-season fixtures.
