Why Penrith are the biggest losers with the 2026 NRL draw

Nathan Cleary will need to be at his magical best if Penrith are to overcome a gruelling 2026 schedule.

The NRL released its draw for next season on Friday, and it is not good news for the Panthers and their supporters.

Last year’s preliminary finalists face a gruelling first six weeks with games against premiers the Broncos in Brisbane, followed by Cronulla, the Roosters, Parramatta, Melbourne and the Bulldogs.

The Panthers then travel to Darwin in round seven for a clash with the Dolphins.

They face the Broncos, Storm, Roosters, Bulldogs, Raiders and Warriors – all finalists last season – twice.

Another hurdle for Penrith is that they will be on the road for most of the year. They will play home games in Bathurst and Mudgee in addition to two trips to Brisbane and one each to the Gold Coast, North Queensland, Melbourne and Auckland.

Cleary was inspirational for the Panthers last season, dragging them off the bottom of the ladder midway through the year to reach a preliminary final, where they narrowly lost to the eventual premiers. Should Cleary remain fit, expect the western Sydney club to push deep into September again.

If there is one consolation, the Panthers will be spared playing at their makeshift home ground CommBank Stadium at 6pm on a Friday, a timeslot that failed to draw fans and was a financial disaster for the club last season.

Panthers chief executive Matt Cameron conceded the draw was never “perfect”, saying: “Clearly there is a little more travel than we have had in previous seasons, but I’m sure the NRL will work with us around some exemptions against the football department expenditure cap.

“The pleasing thing is the team will get the opportunity to play some big games against big opponents on big stages.

“The reality is we have to be able to beat everybody if we think we are good enough to be there on the last day of the season.”

For the first time the NRL used AI to finalise the draw. Clubs will celebrate the fact there will be only one – or none in some cases – instances where they will have a five-day turnaround.

South Sydney’s only quick back-up will come against bitter rivals the Sydney Roosters in round two. But the Bunnies will host the Roosters in the final round at Allianz Stadium.

The Roosters and star recruit Daly Cherry-Evans appear on free-to-air television just three times in the opening 13 rounds, including DCE’s return to Manly in round four, but do have the benefit of playing their final five games in Sydney.

The Dragons play at home or in Sydney in the final seven rounds, while Cronulla, who travelled to all parts of the country and Las Vegas at the start of last season, have a relatively soft draw on paper, including playing the Titans and Dragons twice.

Wests Tigers have 15 day kick-offs, including Sunday afternoon games against the Roosters and Panthers in the final three rounds.

Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson was unimpressed at the start of the week when his club was given the bye in round one – for the second time in three years – but said on Friday “we’re happy with AI now”.

“I like the fact there’s a lack of travel,” he said. “We go to Auckland early and we go to Melbourne [in round 10], and we go to North Queensland late, but that’s it. We couldn’t be happier.

“Daytime football suits any club that wants to throw the ball around, so of course it suits us. Every footballer wants to play in the light and on firm tracks. It’s a good draw for us and for the style we play.”

Gold Coast will only have two games on Channel Nine, while the Warriors have three. Canberra, and their entertaining brand of football, will appear on the free-to-air broadcaster nine times.

The round one fixtures, the pre-season challenge, as well as the All Stars game, which returns to New Zealand next year, were confirmed during the week.