The 2018 NRL season is set to start with a bang as the Wests Tigers host the Sydney Roosters at ANZ Stadium – the first of 33 games at the Stadium including 26 Sydney v Sydney club contests.
The Round 1 blockbuster will mark the first time ex-Wests Tigers fullback James Tedesco lines up against his former club.
It also marks the return of Wests Tigers club legend Benji Marshall.
Marshall, forever remembered for his try assist during the 2005 Grand Final has not represented the Wests Tigers for almost five years. The Wests Tigers will also be debuting a new-look halves combination, with Marshall paired up with new recruit Josh Reynolds in his first NRL game for the team.
The meeting of new Rooster Tedesco and old Tiger Marshall will take place 4:40pm Saturday 10 March.
In a win for fans in 2018, ANZ Stadium will host 11 day-time matches in a focus to give families the best possible opportunity to enjoy the footy.
The Parramatta Eels will play 11 home games at the Stadium, the South Sydney Rabbitohs nine, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs nine and Wests Tigers four. All four clubs will play multiple Sydney v Sydney games at Sydney Olympic Park and offer reciprocal entry rights to club Members when two ANZ Stadium home sides go head-to-head.
Must-see NRL fixtures played at ANZ Stadium include the first regular season double header played at Sydney Olympic Park since 2008. Round 3 brings the Rabbitohs hosting the Sea Eagles at 5:30pm followed by the Eels playing the Sharks at 7:30pm on Saturday 24 March.
There is also the Easter Footy Fest, an intense period where five games will be played over 10 days in conjunction with the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Highlights of the footy fest include traditional rivals the Rabbitohs and the Bulldogs on Good Friday, and the Wests Tigers against the Eels on Easter Monday.
Then there is the annual Queen’s Birthday classic as the Bulldogs host the Dragons of 11 June.
ANZ Stadium will host a historic first stand-alone State of Origin match on Sunday 24 June – a blockbuster that will be one of the most anticipated sporting events in the Southern Hemisph
