We love the mighty Canberra Raiders
There's plenty of commentary around the so-called 'favourable draw' for the Canberra Raiders in the 2024 NRL season. The Raiders only play the Panthers, the Broncos and the Storm once next season, with two games against the Warriors.
Of the other teams that finished in the top eight in 2023 - Newcastle, the Sharks and the Roosters - the Raiders will play them twice in 2024.
That's 11 games for the Raiders in the 27-round 2024 season against top eight teams from last year.
Whether the Canberra Raiders have a rails run to the NRL finals or not depends on who you talk to, so if you were to ask Ricky Stuart?
The Raiders coach will tell you the fixture is a calendar of events, not a crystal ball. He'll tell you that in 20 years as an NRL coach, he's never had an easy season.
So let's break down Canberra's 2024 fixture, find the games to watch and pick out the pressure points.
Despite Channel 9's request, the NRL has confirmed that the Knights and Raiders will indeed kick off the 2024 season with a Thursday night game, as originally scheduled.
This decision comes after Nine reportedly voiced concerns about the TV appeal of the initial fixture.
The season will commence with two games in Las Vegas, marking the start of an exciting experiment for the league.
However, the drama surrounding the Thursday night fixture caused some uncertainty, with reports suggesting that the NRL was considering a last-minute switch in response to Channel 9's request.