Penrith have been handed a brutal path back to the summit of the NRL , with Ivan Cleary’s men emerging with the toughest draw of any team for 2026.

The NRL confirmed their full draw on Friday, with Newcastle, North Queensland, Canterbury and St George Illawarra to start the season in Las Vegas on February 28.

In a major change, no two teams will play each other twice in the space of five weeks , after there were 15 such occurrences in 2025.

No side has more than one five-day turnaround in their schedule, with just 12 littered through the draw, compared to 21 in the past season and 26 in 2024.

But on paper, some teams do have a more difficult path ahead than others.

Penrith are the only club slated to face each of last season’s top-four teams twice, with Cronulla the sole finalist

See Full Page