Each week of the National Rugby League, we’ll crunch the numbers and see how your team has fared over the past decade in each round. This week, we take a look at round 1 historical team and player data.
Data collated from NRL.com and covers the competitions from 2014 to 2024. Additional analysis from Shannon Meyer (thegurgler.com).
Teams Number Crunch
Round 1 Total Points
2014 349
2015 305
2016 329
2017 332
2018 337
2019 259
2020 243
2021 323
2022 274
2023 282
Average: 303.3
Round 1 Average Margin
2014 12.63
2015 14.13
2016 13.63
2017 11.5
2018 9.13
2019 14.38
2020 10.63
2021 17.88
2022 9.5
2023 8.75
Average: 12.21
Round 1 Teams Kept Scoreless
Titans (0-21 Vs Raiders, 2019)
Warriors (0-20 Vs Knights, 2020)
Cowboys (0-24 Vs Panthers, 2021)
Round 1 Biggest Wins
Embed from Getty Images42 Roosters (46-4 Vs Sea Eagles, Sydney Cricket Ground, 13/3/21)
34 Warriors (40-6 Vs Bulldogs, Mount Smart Stadium, 16/3/19)
32 Rabbitohs (42-10 Vs Roosters, Allianz Stadium, 6/3/16)
32 Dragons (42-10 Vs Panthers, Jubilee Oval, 4/3/17)
30 Rabbitohs (36-6 Vs Broncos, Suncorp Stadium, 5/3/15)
30 Eels (42-12 Vs Sea Eagles, Pirtek Stadium, 6/3/15)
Round 1 Highest Aggregate Matches
68 Dragons Vs Tigers (44-24, ANZ Stadium, 9/3/14)
60 Tigers Vs Warriors (34-26, Campbelltown Sports Stadium, 5/3/16)
60 Eels Vs Titans (32-28, CommBank Stadium, 13/3/22)
Round 1 Club Records
Melbourne Storm W 10 L 0 (For: 209, Against: 128). Win Percentage 100%
Dolphins W 1 L 0 (For: 28, Against: 18). Win Percentage 100%
Parramatta Eels W 7 L 3 (For: 212, Against: 155). Win Percentage 70%
South Sydney Rabbitohs W 6 L 4 (For: 241, Against: 179). Win Percentage 60%
Canberra Raiders W 6 L 4 (For: 237, Against: 176). Win Percentage 60%
Penrith Panthers W 6 L 4 (For: 206, Against: 165). Win Percentage 60%
Newcastle Knights W 6 L 4 (For: 183, Against: 168). Win Percentage 60%
Wests Tigers W 6 L 4 (For: 203, Against: 212). Win Percentage 60%
North Queensland Cowboys W 6 L 4 (For: 160, Against: 182). Win Percentage 60%
Brisbane Broncos W 6 L 4 (For: 159, Against: 187). Win Percentage 60%
New Zealand Warriors W 5 L 5 (For: 209, Against: 208). Win Percentage 50%
St George-Illawarra Dragons W 4 L 5 (For: 212, Against: 172). Win Percentage 44.4%
Gold Coast Titans W 4 L 6 (For: 176, Against: 209). Win Percentage 40%
Sydney Roosters W 3 L 7 (For: 186, Against: 200). Win Percentage 30%
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs W 2 L 8 (For: 118, Against: 211). Win Percentage 20%
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks W 1 L 9 (For: 173, Against: 213). Win Percentage 10%
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles W 1 L 9 (For: 121, Against: 250). Win Percentage 10%
2024 Round 1 Fixtures Head-to-Head
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Vs South Sydney Rabbitohs (Allegiant Stadium, Sunday, 3 March 2024)
Last time out: Rabbitohs 13 Sea Eagles 12 (25/3/23, Accor Stadium)
Head-to-Head: Played 15, Sea Eagles 5 (251 points), Rabbitohs 10 (339 points)
At Venue: first meeting at venue
Biggest Win: 40 Rabbitohs 56-16 (22/8/2020, Accor Stadium)
Most Tries: 14 Alex Johnston
Most Points: 112 Adam Reynolds (4 T, 47 G, 2 1pt FG)
- Manly average the lowest points scored for round 1 since 1998 at 14.6. They also average the most points against at 24.6 for the opening round.
- Manly have won 8 of 9 clashes versus South Sydney on a Sunday.
- Manly have also won nine of their last ten Sunday games versus Sydney opposition.
Sydney Roosters Vs Brisbane Broncos (Allegiant Stadium, Sunday, 3 March 2024)
Last time out: Broncos 32 Roosters 10 (27/7/23, The Gabba)
Head-to-Head: Played 18, Roosters 10 (430 points), Broncos 8 (349 points)
At Venue: first meeting at venue
Biggest Win: 59 Roosters 59-0 (4/6/2020, Suncorp Stadium)
Most Tries: 12 Corey Oates
Most Points: 48 Corey Oates (12 T)
- Brisbane’s win rate of 79% against Sydney clubs in 2023 was the best for the season.
- Brisbane lost both of their Sunday games in 2023.
Newcastle Knights Vs Canberra Raiders (McDonald Jones Stadium, Thursday, 7 March 2024)
Last time out: Knights 30 Raiders 28 (10/9/23, McDonald Jones Stadium)
Head-to-Head: Played 17, Knights 8 (425 points), Raiders 8 (408 points), 1 draw
At Venue: Raiders 3, Knights 2
Biggest Win: 22 Knights 28-6 (29/7/23, GIO Stadium), Raiders 44-22 (6/6/15, McDonald Jones Stadium)
Most Tries: 9 Jarrod Croker
Most Points: 138 Jarrod Croker (9 T, 51 G)
- Newcastle have won their last six round 1 games at home.
- Newcastle are on a run of six straight home wins heading into their round 1 clash with Canberra.
New Zealand Warriors Vs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (Mount Smart Stadium, Friday, 8 March 2024)
Last time out: Warriors 44 Sharks 12 (16/7/23, Go Media Stadium)
Head-to-Head: Played 17, Warriors 6 (292 points), Sharks 11 (419 points)
At Venue: Sharks 3, Warriors 2
Biggest Win: 36 Sharks 46-10 (19/7/20, Industree Group Stadium)
Most Tries: 8 Ronaldo Mulitalo
Most Points: 87 Shaun Johnson (3T, 37G, 1FG)
- Cronulla have won their last five on a Friday.
- Warriors are 1 from 5 versus Cronulla on a Friday.
Melbourne Storm Vs Penrith Panthers (AAMI Park, Friday, 8 March 2024)
Last time out: Panthers 38 Storm 4 (22/9/23, Accor Stadium)
Head-to-Head: Played 18, Storm 10 (355 points), Panthers 8 (276 points)
At Venue: Storm 4, Panthers 1
Biggest Win: 42 Storm 52-10 (17/7/15, AAMI Park)
Most Tries: 9 Brian To’o
Most Points: 88 Cameron Smith (1 T, 42 G)
- Penrith last won a round 1 away from home in 2006. They have played the last six round 1 clashes at home for 4 wins and 2 losses.
- Melbourne have only lost one of their eight games at AAMI Park versus Penrith.
Parramatta Eels Vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (CommBank Stadium, Saturday, 9 March 2024)
Last time out: Eels 34 Bulldogs 12 (12/6/23, Accor Stadium)
Head-to-Head: Played 20, Eels 14 (399 points), Bulldogs 6 (274 points)
At Venue: Eels 4, Bulldogs 1
Biggest Win: 36 Eels 42-6 (20/8/22, CommBank Stadium)
Most Tries: 11 Clint Gutherson
Most Points: 107 Mitch Moses (4 T, 45 G, 1 1pt FG)
- Parramatta have won six in a row on a Friday versus the Bulldogs who last beat the Eels on a Friday in 2005.
- Parramatta have won nine of their ten Saturday games at CommBank Stadium versus all opposition.
Gold Coast Titans Vs St George-Illawarra Dragons (CBUS Super Stadium, Saturday, 9 March 2024)
Last time out: Titans 20 Dragons 18 (9/4/23, CBUS Super Stadium)
Head-to-Head: Played 17, Titans 7 (324 points), Dragons 10 (432 points)
At Venue: Titans 4, Dragons 3
Biggest Win: 46 Titans 54-8 (25/3/18, Clive Berghofer Stadium)
Most Tries: 6 Anthony Don, Ben Hunt
Most Points: 108 Gareth Widdop (3 T, 47 G, 2 1pt FG)
- Gold Coast have won just 1 of 6 versus Dragons at home on a Saturday.
- Gold Coast have won just two of 16 games at home on a Saturday versus Sydney opposition.
Dolphins Vs North Queensland Cowboys (Suncorp Stadium, Sunday, 10 March 2024)
Last time out: Cowboys 34 Dolphins 10 (25/8/23, Suncorp Stadium)
Head-to-Head: Played 2, Dolphins 1 (42 points), Cowboys 1 (56 points)
At Venue: Cowboys 1, Dolphins 0
Biggest Win: 24 Cowboys 34-10 (25/8/23, Suncorp Stadium)
Most Tries (first match 2023): 5 Jamayne Isaako
Most Points (first match 2023): 30 Jamayne Isaako (5 T, 5 G)
- Dolphins were 2 from 3 for home games on a Sunday last season.
- Cowboys have won four of their last five at Suncorp versus various opponents including the Dolphins.
Players Number Crunch
Most Total Points In Round 1
Embed from Getty Images71 Adam Reynolds (1 T, 33 G, 1 FG)
60 Gareth Widdop (2 T, 26 G)
58 Mitchell Moses (1 T, 27 G)
Most Total Tries In Round 1
8 James Tedesco
7 Jack Wighton
6 Greg Inglis, Semi Radradra, Solomone Kata
Most Points In A Game
minimum 20 points
22 Gareth Widdop (2 T, 7 G), Dragons vs Panthers (Jubilee Oval, 4/3/17)
Most Tries In A Game
minimum 3 tries
3 Daly Cherry-Evans, Sea Eagles vs Bulldogs (4/3/23); Sean Russell, Eels vs Titans (13/3/22); Mikaele Ravalawa, Dragons vs Warriors (12/3/22); Brett Morris, Roosters vs Sea Eagles (13/3/21); James Tedesco, Roosters vs Sea Eagles (13/3/21); Davis Fusitu’a, Warriors vs Knights (5/3/17); Joel Thompson, Dragons vs Panthers (4/3/17); Latrell Mitchell, Roosters vs Titans (4/3/17); Bryson Goodwin, Rabbitohs Vs Tigers (3/3/17); Semi Radradra, Eels vs Sea Eagles (6/3/15); Semi Radradra, Eels vs Warriors (9/3/14); Vai Toutai, Eels vs Warriors (9/3/14); Greg Inglis, Rabbitohs vs Roosters (6/3/14).
First Try Scorers
3 Jack Wighton
2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Dane Gagai, Edrick Lee, Jordan Kahu, Justin O’Neill, Ken Maumalo, Mikaele Ravalawa, Semi Radradra
Last Try Scorers
2 Corey Oates, Corey Thompson, Daniel Tupou, Gavin Cooper, Latrell Mitchell
2024 Club Season Previews
Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Dolphins, Gold Coast Titans, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Melbourne Storm, Newcastle Knights, New Zealand Warriors, North Queensland Cowboys, Parramatta Eels, Penrith Panthers, South Sydney Rabbitohs, St George-Illawarra Dragons, Sydney Roosters, Wests Tigers
Related: 2024 NRL Writer Predictions
