The 2024 National Rugby League (NRL) season gets underway at the start of March and promises to deliver yet more memorable moments for fans of the sport.
Penrith Panthers head into the campaign as the bookmakers’ favourites to win their fourth successive title, but several other teams have a genuine chance of stopping them.
With that in mind, read on as we look at the dates, fixtures and latest NRL betting, before assessing which team will emerge victorious at the end of the season.
NRL 2024: Dates & Fixtures
The 2024 NRL season starts with two games in Las Vegas on March 2 and culminates with the Grand Final in Sydney on October 6. The first-round fixtures are as follows:
- March 2 – South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Manly Sea Eagles – Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
- March 2 – Brisbane Broncos vs Sydney Roosters – Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
- March 7 – Newcastle Knights vs Canberra Raiders – McDonald Jones Stadium
- March 8 – New Zealand Warriors vs Cronulla Sharks – Go Media Stadium
- March 8 – Melbourne Storm vs Penrith Panthers – AAMI Park
- March 9 – Parramatta Eels vs Canterbury Bulldogs – CommBank Stadium
- March 9 – Gold Coast Titans vs St George Illawarra Dragons – Cbus Super Stadium
- March 10 – Dolphins vs North Queensland Cowboys – Suncorp Stadium
The NRL official website has the complete list of fixtures for the 2024 season.
NRL 2024: Betting
Reigning champions Penrith top the ante-post market ahead of last season’s runners-up Brisbane.
Here are the latest odds courtesy of the best NRL betting sites in Australia:
- Penrith Panthers – 3.75
- Brisbane Broncos – 4.50
- Sydney Roosters – 9.00
- South Sydney Rabbitohs – 9.50
- Melbourne Storm – 10.00
- North Queensland Cowboys – 19.00
- New Zealand Warriors – 21.00
- Cronulla Sharks – 23.00
- Parramatta Eels – 23.00
- Newcastle Knights – 26.00
- Manly Sea Eagles – 26.00
- Canterbury Bulldogs – 41.00
- Dolphins – 41.00
- Gold Coast Titans – 41.00
- Canberra Raiders – 51.00
- Wests Tigers – 101.00
- St George Illawarra Dragons – 101.00
NRL 2024: Preview
The bookies have understandably taken no chances with the Panthers as they strive to claim the NRL title for the fourth consecutive season.
However, while they finished top of the pile with 18 victories during the regular season, it is worth noting they won 21 and 20 games in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
The Broncos had them in trouble during the 2023 Grand Final, but were unable to hold onto a 16-point advantage as Nathan Cleary hauled the Panthers back into the match.
Retaining Jarome Luai for another season should be positive news for Penrith, but it will be intriguing to see if he puts everything on the line ahead of his move to Wests Tigers in 2025.
While Panthers will be in contention again this season, they make limited appeal as a betting proposition given the strength of the opposition.
The Broncos will undoubtedly fancy their chances of going one better this season having improved year-on-year under head coach Kevin Walters.
Captain Adam Reynolds will be crucial to their hopes and has a major point to prove after failing to handle the pressure when the Panthers stepped on the gas in last year’s Grand Final.
Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs should also be competitive, while it would be foolish to underestimate Melbourne Storm’s chances this season.
The return of Ryan Papenhuyzen from a serious ankle injury is massive for Storm and he looked in excellent shape during a pre-season run-out against the Bulldogs.
If the supremely talented full-back can steer clear of further fitness issues, Storm could prevent the Panthers from winning another NRL title.
