NRL round 1, 2026: Leaving Las Vegas for the real season
The National Rugby League’s 2026 season kicked off in some style in Las Vegas last weekend, but now the NRL action is back where it belongs in the united states of Australia.
Newcastle caused a minor boilover in the opening match beating the North Queensland Cowboys, demonstrating in stark terms that pre-season form counts for little once the real stuff begins.
The round resumes with the clash between the somewhat new-look Melbourne and Parramatta in Melbourne on Thursday night, while there will also be great interest in the NZ Warriors v Roosters clash on Friday when Daly Cherry-Evans, at the ripe old age of 37, makes his debut for the Roosters after a wonderful career with Manly.
There are a few other mouth-watering clashes in the remainder of round 1, but we will look most closely at what we see as the match of the round: defending champions Brisbane v Penrith, the once mighty team which won the four previous NRL titles.
The Broncos produced an incredible finals series in 2025, which included one of the all-time miracle escapes against Canberra, to claim the title, but quite a few pundits, including this one, think they will struggle to back it up and go all the way in 2026.
Brisbane and Penrith sit at the top of the NRL title betting markets for 2026 but we think it’s far more open than most other recent seasons and there is value to be found. Invariably a team will come from outside the eight and throw themselves into the mix.
Our early thoughts are the value lies with Canterbury, Canberra and Cronulla. But we will dig further into their prospects after the first round of the NRL is complete.
Read on for our Broncos v Panthers tips and winner prediction for their round-one NRL clash.
Brisbane v Penrith match information
- Kick-off: 7pm local time, Friday (8pm Friday, March 6, AEDT)
- Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Head to head odds: Brisbane $1.70, Penrith $2.15
- Line betting: Brisbane (-2.5 points) $1.90, Penrith (+2.5 points) $1.90
- Match total: 41.5 points: over $1.90, under $1.90
2026 NRL premiership betting
$5 Brisbane Broncos
$6 Penrith Panthers
$7 Melbourne Storm, Sydney Roosters
$13 Canterbury Bulldogs
$15 Canberra Raiders
$19 Cronulla Sharks
$21 South Sydney Rabbitohs, Redcliffe Dolphins, Parramatta Eels
$23 New Zealand Warriors
$34 North Queensland Cowboys, Manly Sea Eagles, Newcastle Knights
$41 Wests Tigers
$51 Gold Coast Titans, St George Illawarra Dragons
Broncos v Panthers betting tips
The NRL season is under way and both these teams are expected to feature in finals action at least in 2026. Bookmakers have made the Broncos firm favourites to start their title defence with a win at home, even despite their recent 30-24 defeat against Hull KR in the World Club Championship in England.
The Panthers will acutely feel the absence of powerful second-rower Liam Martin (calf), but it should not be forgotten they have won nine of their past 11 matches against the Broncos, including six wins at Suncorp Stadium, a ground which holds few fears for them. They will also be desperate to avenge a gut-wrenching 16-14 loss in the preliminary final last season.
It’s hard to line up how the Broncos will come out in the early in the season but you know that if electric fullback
Reece Walsh is fit, their attack will have plenty of spark. Walsh is arguably challenging Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary for the title of world’s best league player. The latter had success in challenging a dangerous contact charge at the judiciary to be available for this game and that gives the visitors a chance but the home ground edge may be just enough for the confident Broncos to get over the line..
- Our tip: Broncos by 6 points.
- Suggested bet: Broncos -2.5 points/match total under 41.5 points at around $3.40 with Australian betting sites.
NRL round 1, 2026
- Thursday, March 5: Melbourne Storm vs Parramatta Eels, AAMI Park, Melbourne | 8pm AEDT
- Friday, March 6: New Zealand Warriors v Sydney Roosters, Go Media Stadium, Auckland | 6pm AEDT (8pm local); Brisbane Broncos v Penrith Panthers, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 8pm AEDT (7pm local)
- Saturday, March 7: Cronulla Sharks v Gold Coast Titans, Ocean Protect Stadium, Sydney | 5.30pm AEDT; Manly Sea Eagles v Canberra Raiders 4 Pines Park, Sydney | 7.35pm AEDT
- Sunday, March 8: Dolphins v South Sydney Rabbitohs, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 4.05pm AEDT (3.05pm local)
* Wests Tigers have the bye for Round 1
