Round one matches confirmed including Daly Cherry-Evans Sydney Roosters debut
Jonah Pezet will attract star attention next week when he makes his debut for Parramatta at AAMI Park on Thursday night against his former employers the Melbourne Storm.
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Pezet played off the bench for the Storm in the grand final defeat against Brisbane, but opted for a 12-month deal with the Eels before heading further north to the Broncos in 2027.
On Friday night, Cherry-Evans will make his Roosters debut against the Warriors in Auckland before Brisbane launch their title defense against Penrith at Suncorp Stadium, where the Panthers’ four-year reign was ended by Reece Walsh and co in the 2025 preliminary final.
Josh Hannay begins his coaching career on the Gold Coast playing against Cronulla; He spent the last few years working as Craig Fitzgibbon’s assistant, then played against former Canberra team-mates Jamal Fogarty, Cherry-Evans’ halfback replacement at Manly.
In the final match of the tour, South Sydney will face the Dolphins in Brisbane.
Wests Tigers bid farewell.
2026 State of Origin fixtures have also been confirmed; Laurie Daley’s NSW will start game one in Sydney followed by game two in Melbourne.
The Blues have a 5-1 record against the Maroons at the Melbourne Cricket Ground; this includes the hammer blow in 2024, when the Blues led 34-0 at halftime.
