The draw for this year's NRL season has been unveiled, with 27 rounds of blockbuster action set to kick off in Las Vegas on the first weekend of March.
Reigning premiers Penrith will become the hunted heading into the campaign, the likes of the Tigers and Dragons will be looking to move up the table, while the misfiring Rabbitohs and Cowboys will hope to bounce back.
With an odd number of teams in the competition once again, there will be at least one bye every round, while the mid-season State of Origin period will throw some eventual spanners into the works.
MORE: NRL Draw - Full 27-round fixtures and schedule for every club
The Sporting News grades every NRL club's schedule for the 2024 season below.
Brisbane Broncos: B+
Byes: Round 13, Round 16, Round 24
Games vs T8 teams: 10
Purple patch: The post-Origin period looks like a good one for the Broncos, who take on two sides from last year's bottom-four in the Dragons (Round 19) and Bulldogs (Round 21). The side will also remain in Queensland for all but one of their matches in between Round 19 and their final bye, with their only away trip coming against the Knights during that stretch of games.
Danger period: Brisbane face a tough assignment in the opening five rounds of the season and it could set the tone for their campaign. After a clash with the Roosters over in Las Vegas, they will take on the Rabbitohs at home before a grand final rematch with Penrith on the road. Kevin Walters' side will return home in Round 4 to face local rivals North Queensland, before their tough stretch comes to a close in Round 5 with an away trip to Melbourne.
Canberra Raiders: C+
Byes: Round 10, Round 14, Round 19
Games vs T8 teams: 11
Purple patch: At the beginning of the Origin period and with minimal players expected to play for NSW or Queensland, it appears to be an opportunity for the Raiders to cash in. The side will take on Canterbury during Magic Round, before away games against the Tigers and Dolphins present as very winnable.
Danger period: A tough stretch on either side of Canberra's final bye could dictate where the club finishes next season, with an away trip to Melbourne and home games against the Knights, Warriors and Rabbitohs.
Canterbury Bulldogs: D
Byes: Round 8, Round 15, Round 19
Games vs T8 teams: 13
Purple patch: While it remains to be seen whether the Bulldogs will still be in the hunt at this stage, their run-home is perhaps their most favourable portion of the season from a draw perspective. With a game against the Raiders at their spiritual home of Belmore Oval in Round 22 - followed by fixtures against the Dragons, Dolphins, Sea Eagles and Cowboys - there's plenty to like about the way Canterbury will finish off their season.
Danger period: The lead-up to Canterbury's first bye of the year appears to be exceptionally tough on paper, despite a lot of those matches coming in Sydney. The side will take on the Rabbitohs and Roosters in back-to-back weeks, before heading on the road to take on the Storm a week later and facing the Knights in Round 7.
Cronulla Sharks: A+
Byes: Round 5, Round 16, Round 20
Games vs T8 teams: 9
Purple patch: Cronulla will enjoy the most favourable draw of the entire competition, playing the bottom-three teams from last season on two occasions each and less top-eight sides than any other club, with their best period coming in the lead-up to their final bye in Round 20. Over a five-week stretch, the side will take on the Dolphins, Titans and Tigers at home, as well having an 'away' game against the Bulldogs.
Danger period: Prior to their potential purple patch, the Sharks will see themselves forced to take on some competition heavyweights in five-straight rounds, starting with a road trip to face the Storm and ending with an away match against the Broncos. The side will also facing the Roosters, Eels and Panthers during that period.
Dolphins: C+
Byes: Round 3, Round 14, Round 18
Games vs T8 teams: 12
Purple patch: The fins could be up early in the 2024 campaign, with some favourable match-ups in the opening five rounds split by an early bye for the club. After two-straight home games against the Cowboys and Dragons, the side will then get a week off before remaining in Queensland for one more round to take on the Titans. To cap off their good start to the year, the Dolphins will travel down south to play the Tigers in Round 5.
Danger period: The final six weeks of the year could be a challenge for the Dolphins, with the side scheduled to take a home game across to Perth to play the Roosters, before returning home to face the Warriors a week later. An away fixture against the Storm, as well as matches against the Broncos and Knights, will cap off a horror run-home.
Gold Coast Titans: C+
Byes: Round 2, Round 13, Round 17
Games vs T8 teams: 12
Purple patch: A nice start for incoming coach Des Hasler in his first year at the helm, with the Titans not slated to play a top-eight team until Round 6. The side will host the Dragons and Dolphins early in the year, while an away game against the Bulldogs and Cowboys will also be aided by an early bye in Round 2.
Danger period: Gold Coast will face a difficult run into the finals should they find themselves in contention, forced to travel against the Dragons, Knights and Panthers, as well as hosting premiership heavyweights in the Broncos, Sharks and Roosters in quick succession.
Manly Sea Eagles: C+
Byes: Round 13, Round 17, Round 22
Games vs T8 teams: 12
Purple patch: The run-home should be a reasonable time for the Sea Eagles, with home games against the Warriors and Sharks. The side will also take on bottom-four clubs in Wests Tigers and Canterbury, as well as an away trip against the Raiders.
Danger period: Manly will be forced to wait until Round 13 for their first bye and they have some horror fixtures on either side, taking on the Broncos and Storm at home before a road trip out west to face reigning premiers Penrith.
Melbourne Storm: C-
Byes: Round 4, Round 13, Round 19
Games vs T8 teams: 12
Purple patch: The lead-up to Melbourne's second bye in Round 13 could be a good opportunity for the club to chalk up some wins, hosting the Rabbitohs, Sharks and Eels, while their away trips against Manly and Gold Coast are more than winnable.
Danger period: There isn't much to like about the Storm's draw next year, with the side slated to play the other top-four teams on two occasions, while only facing the bottom-four teams once each. The run into the finals is particularly scary for the club, with away trips against the Rabbitohs, Panthers, Cowboys and Broncos split by just one home game against the Dolphins.
Newcastle Knights: B
Byes: Round 12, Round 16, Round 21
Games vs T8 teams: 11
Purple patch: Newcastle will be overjoyed by their final five rounds of the season after a bye and a trip to Penrith in back-to-back weeks. The side will cap off their regular season with three home games against the Tigers, Titans and Dolphins, while only travelling a couple of hours to square off against the Rabbitohs and Sharks.
Danger period: The first six weeks of the season will be a good test of where Newcastle sit in 2024, with tough road trips against the Cowboys and Warriors split by home fixtures against the Raiders, Storm, Dragons and Roosters.
New Zealand Warriors: B+
Byes: Round 13, Round 19, Round 27
Games vs T8 teams: 11
Purple patch: After a stellar 2023 season that saw the Warriors capture the hearts and minds of NRL fans, their draw is more favourable than some of their counterparts next year. Their best stretch will come towards the end of the regular season when they host the Tigers, Eels and Bulldogs, while their away trips during the run-home come against Dolphins, Sea Eagles and Sharks before a Round 27 bye.
Danger period: After a mixed start to the year, the Warriors are faced with a tough month of footy leading up to their first bye, travelling in back-to-back weeks to meet the Knights and Roosters, as well as facing the reigning premiers Penrith and the Dolphins at home.
North Queensland Cowboys: B+
Byes: Round 16, Round 19, Round 25
Games vs T8 teams: 12
Purple patch: The period after the Cowboys' first bye - which, in fairness, doesn't come until Round 16 - will see the side play three home games in a row against the Sea Eagles, Bulldogs and Sharks, as well as earning themselves a bye and an away trip to face last year's wooden spooners, Wests Tigers.
Danger period: After a reasonable first few weeks, North Queensland will be tasked with taking on some strong opposition on the road in the form of Brisbane, Parramatta and Cronulla, while also hosting the Titans and reigning champions Penrith in a tough five-week stretch.
Parramatta Eels: C+
Byes: Round 9, Round 16, Round 20
Games vs T8 teams: 12
Purple patch: Parramatta will enjoy a nice start to the season, with five home games in the opening seven rounds, including clashes at CommBank Stadium against the Bulldogs, Tigers, Sea Eagles, Dolphins and Cowboys. Their away trips during that opening stretch pits the Eels against rivals Penrith, as well as the Raiders.
Danger period: While their final two games against the Tigers and Dragons is a nice boost, it might be too little too late for the blue and gold outfit given what comes before the final fortnight. After their final bye, Parramatta will be on the road against the Warriors, Roosters and Broncos, while their home games during this five-week stretch come against highly-rated opposition in Melbourne and Penrith.
Penrith Panthers: A
Byes: Round 6, Round 16, Round 19
Games vs T8 teams: 10
Purple patch: With three-straight titles, any game is a winnable one for the Panthers. With that being said, the lead-in to Penrith's second bye will see them host some poor opponents in Canterbury and St George Illawarra, while also getting to play at home against Manly. In that same six-week period, the reigning champs will travel across the ditch to face the Warriors, while also heading up to Newcastle and down south to battle the Sharks.
Danger period: If we know one thing about the NRL, it's that they love early-season blockbusters and that means Penrith have a tough start to the year, taking on the Storm and Roosters away, while hosting the Broncos and Eels across the opening month.
St George Illawarra Dragons: B+
Byes: Round 11, Round 16, Round 20
Games vs T8 teams: 11
Purple patch: If the Dragons want to send a message in 2024, they have the opportunity to do it early, with home games against the Cowboys and Sea Eagles split by a two-week trip to face the Titans and Dolphins. Their opening six weeks concludes with a match against fellow cellar-dwellers Wests Tigers, while the embattled club will also avoid the extra road trip, earning themselves a weekend off for Magic Round this year and having four of their last five games at either Kogarah or Wollongong.
Danger period: It's going to be a challenging stretch on either side of the Red V's final bye in Round 20, with away trips against the Storm, Broncos and Roosters - as well as a meeting with the Panthers at home - set to test their mettle and could be make-or-break for their likely slim finals hopes.
South Sydney Rabbitohs: C-
Byes: Round 7, Round 13, Round 17
Games vs T8 teams: 13
Purple patch: While they don't have an extended run of favourable games, Souths will be hopeful of making a mark early in the State of Origin period on either side of their byes. The star-studded Bunnies will host the Cowboys, Eels, Broncos and Sea Eagles prior to Round 17, while their away trips come against the Dragons and Titans.
Danger period: With no byes in the final 10 weeks of the season and away trips against the Panthers, Raiders and Sharks - as well as their usual final-round meeting with the Roosters and home games against the Storm and Knights - the side won't want to find themselves in a similar spot to their disastrous 2023 campaign heading into the run-home.
Sydney Roosters: B+
Byes: Round 14, Round 19, Round 23
Games vs T8 teams: 10
Purple patch: Their mid-season stretch in between their first and second byes will be a great opportunity for the Roosters to put together some victories, hosting the bottom-three clubs from last season over three-straight weeks, while their only away trip in that month is against the Eels. Also in the club's favour is some good bye positioning, coming during the Origin period and on the run-home, allowing Trent Robinson to manage his roster.
Danger period: The first month of the year will be the hardest for the Tricolours, who will take on last year's grand finalists Brisbane overseas in Las Vegas, before hosting the Panthers and Rabbitohs in Round 3 and Round 4.
Wests Tigers: B
Byes: Round 1, Round 13, Round 26
Games vs T8 teams: 11
Purple patch: On either side of their second bye round, the Tigers will play four games at home over a seven-week stretch against the Knights, Dolphins, Titans and Raiders, while a tough away trip against the Cowboy is offset by clashes with the Bulldogs and Dragons. Another potential bonus is the fact Benji Marshall's side will have their byes spread out over the course of the season, with one in the opening round, one in the middle and one at the tail-end.
Danger period: While we just listed the potential positive, the hardest part of the year on paper for the Tigers will come immediately after their 'purple patch', with away games against the Roosters, Rabbitohs, Sharks and Warriors compounded by their only home game in a five-week period coming against the Storm.
