NRL

The Bulldogs however were not able to match it with the Eels in front of another sold out crowd at CommBank Stadium, with their new recruits, including captain Stephen Crichton and halfback Drew Hutchinson, still needing some time together to gel.

Despite being scoreless at half-time to trail 14-0, the Bulldogs fought their way back to a 12-point deficit with 10 minutes to play to show some fight before succumbing to the 26-8 loss. 

It's the kind of thing new coaches say to show they mean business. It makes for good copy during the long summer as we scratch around for any rugby league news that's fit to print.

But for Marshall it wasn't just words. He's really doing it, starting with 18-year old Lachlan Galvin being named at five-eighth for the Tigers in their season opener against Canberra this weekend.

With Reece Walsh outpointing Latrell Mitchell in the battle of the superstar fullbacks, the Broncos stormed home in the second half after the Rabbitohs had equalled the scores at 12-12 in the 45th minute.

Walsh and rookie winger Deine Mariner scored two tries apiece, while left centre Selwyn Cobbo, in just his second match since moving from the wing, was too hard to handle for the Souths defence.

However, the win was dampened by an injury to Reynolds, who started the match with his right knee heavily strapped and was forced from the field in the 70th minute.

Leniu told one of the biggest attended judiciary hearings in recent years on Monday night that he had wanted to fly to Brisbane last week to meet with Mam "face to face, man to man", but the playmaker rejected his approach.

In front of a boisterous crowd of 40,746 – in the second act of the NRL's historic double-header – the Roosters claimed their first Round 1 win since 2021 on the back of some huge plays from their star centre, who only arrived in the US days before kick-off due to the birth of his first child in Australia. 

After picking off Ezra Mam's wayward pass to score the opening try, Manu set another up early in the second half with an incredible flick pass and by full-time had 10 tackle breaks and 158 metres to his name. 

The match will be telecasted live on Digicel’s TV Wan Sports channel at 1:30pm and 3:30pm (AEDT) respectively on Sunday, 3^rd March.

With the Sea Eagles taking on the Rabbitohs, and the Roosters going head-to-head with the Broncos will be history in the making.

NRL has made the historic decision to launch its 2024 season in Las Vegas with two matches to be played in the famous US city.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo expressed excitement about taking the Australian rugby league to a new frontier.

Prolific Bulldogs wing Josh Addo-Carr struck twice inside the opening 20 minutes, before local fan favourite Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow added another just before the half-time break in Townsville, to set the Indigenous up for back-to-back NRL Harvey Norman All-Stars victory for the first time since the concept changed to include the Māori in 2019. 

A fourth try from Titans flyer Alofiana Khan-Pereira inside the final 10 minutes put the icing on the cake, in front of a crowd of 15,369 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. 

Cobbo will get his first start at centre this year in Sunday's trial with North Queensland after coach Kevin Walters switched him from the wing to cover the position held by former Broncos star Herbie Farnworth.

Four-time premiership winner Renouf is regarded as the Broncos' greatest ever centre, a position from where he scored most of his club-record 142 tries.

"Selwyn can be a great success at centre so long as he owns the position," Renouf said.

Zev John, Bobby Tenza, Samuel Yegip and Khaiya Ross grew up playing rugby league on "cow paddocks" in their tiny villages back home in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

They are now preparing to grace footy fields across Australia, with hopes of one day representing their proud country on the international stage and also professionally in the National Rugby League (NRL).

The match up scheduled for Saturday would certainly  generate a lot of interest from the PNG community in and around the great state of Queensland

There will be no love lost when Capras trio Zev John, Bob Tenza and Khaia Ross Junior face off with fellow PNG Dolphins  Jeremiah Simbiken, Judah Rimbu and Steven Numambo.

Bulky Western Highlander and Hela Wigmen product Ross Junior is set to make an impression playing at the QRL level when he debuts for Capras alongside fellow Papua New Guineans John and Tenza who have been at the Capras system for the past two seasons.