Stick around for updates on all the day's big news right here, plus a recap of what you might have missed overnight.
7.10pm AEDT: That's all we have tonight on the daily blog. Stay tuned to NRL.com for all the latest news and views from the greatest game of all and enjoy the opening game of the 2018 NRL Telstra Premiership season!
6.21pm AEDT: With tonight's game between the St George Illawarra Dragons and Brisbane Broncos around the corner, take a look at NRL.com's preview.
5.35pm AEDT: Tomorrow night marks a special occasion for Johnathan Thurston as the North Queensland Cowboys half celebrates his 300th NRL game, just the 30th player to reach the mark.
5.10pm AEDT: Here is your chance to win the ultimate Melbourne sporting experience. Just fill out some details, answer a question in 25 words or less and get yourself in the race to win!
4.35pm AEDT: If you have any uncertainty surrounding your tips for the opening round of the NRL Telstra Premiership, the experts have had their say on the winners for this week.
For those yet to join NRL tipping, there is still time to do so. If you miss the chance to join tonight, you can still join whenever you want.
3.41pm AEDT: Raiders fans - and league fans in general - will be hoping rising star Nick Cotric can at least match some of the memorable moments he provided in 2018.
Young gun Cotric primed for 2018
2.45pm AEDT: Moses Suli has left a couple of clubs in quick succession but the former Wests Tigers and Bulldogs player is set to join Manly with Sea Eagles coach Trent Barrett urging Suli to make the most of the lifeline.
2.30pm AEDT: Viliame Kikau has played his way into the Penrith Panthers starting side for this weekend's clash with Parramatta, but before that he said he was shocked he was called on to lead the Fiji Bati in their pre-game hymn during the 2017 World Cup.
2.10pm AEDT: New Cowboys prop Jordan McLean and this week's North Queensland fullback Ben Hampton are reforming a combination they started way back in their schoolboy days in Mareeba, west of Cairns, and their time in the Melbourne Storm under 20s. Read the full story here
1.23pm AEDT: Scott Hazlewood in Canberra reports ... Jarrod Croker is backing Blake Austin to respond well to his demotion to the bench.
"Blake's put the team first and he's excited for his new role. We've spoken about putting the team first and Blake's taken that straight away and it's a team-first attitude by Blake and he's been great.
1pm AEDT: Warriors captain and superstar fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has spoken about how close he came to joining New Zealand rugby union before signing a new deal with the club earlier this year.
How close RTS came to rugby
12.45pm AEDT: From our man in Newcastle Peter Jolly...
12.30pm AEDT: All eyes will be on Dragons recruit Ben Hunt tonight, and in his first column of the year for Big League magazine he discusses "one of the most hectic periods of my life". Big League editor Pamela Whaley also writes this week about why it's hard to know what to expect from the 2018 season.
12pm AEDT: Steve Renouf says Ipswich and Perth should get the nod when NRL expansion next gets underway, in today's NRL.com column.
11.50am AEDT: From NRL.com's Tanisha Stanton... Wests Tiger Benji Marshall appears set for at least some minutes in Saturday's clash against Sydney Roosters, according to his fellow teammates, after recovering from a calf injury.
11.15am AEDT: The game's on the line. There's a conversion from the sideline to win it. Which goal-kicker do you want kicking for your life?
We've ranked every goal-kicker from 2017 by their success rate from out wide. See the list here
11am AEDT: A host of NRL stars have got behind the latest Junior League campaign, sharing personalised videos and shouting out their junior footy teams. Josh Dugan's journey has taken him from the South Tuggeranong Knights to the Sharks and he's encouraging youngsters to #comeplayjuniorleague this season. Register here: playnrl.com/juniorleague
10.20am AEDT: Referees boss Bernard Sutton has discussed this year's play-the-ball crackdown, new sin bin protocols and more ahead of the start of the 2018 season.
Which NRL laws have changed?
9.55am AEDT: The Parramatta Eels have kept the good news coming after re-signing Nathan Brown earlier in the week, today announcing that prop Daniel Alvaro has signed a one-year extension that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2019 season.
9.45am AEDT: If you're starting up a new Fantasy team today you can give yourself a crash course in all the key players for 2018 on NRL.com's Fantasy news page, and the latest NRL Fantasy podcast is live here.
9.25am AEDT: Jarrod Wallace went from Broncos bench player to Titans starter to Origin player last season, and he's backed new Gold Coast signing (and popular NRL Fantasy buy) Jai Arrow to follow a similar path. Full story here
9.05am AEDT: NRL.com's Michael Chammas sat down with Wests Tigers halves Luke Brooks and Josh Reynolds this week to analyse footage of their best and worst in the NRL so far. It's a quality insight for Tigers fans and footy fans in general. Watch it below.
Breaking down the Tigers halves
8.50am AEDT: In women's rugby league a 40-strong elite women's representative squad has been named to take part in training camps plus receive access to top-level coaching, medical and high-performance staff, including big names Kezie Apps, Maddie Studdon and Ruan Sims.
8.30am AEDT: NRL.com's Katie Brown had a chat with Broncos skipper Darius Boyd about his evolution into one of the game's most respected players. Watch the interview below.
The inspiring transformation of Darius Boyd
8am AEDT: Sam Thaiday has backed Anthony Milford to emulate the greats after watching him put in the work to match his undoubted talent in the past couple of years. "He's coming earlier, leaving later. They are traits I have seen in some of the best players who have played our game." Full story here
7.30am AEDT: Today's the day to sign up for NRL Fantasy if you haven't already, with cash prizes up for grab every week of the season as well as VIP trips and club champion prizes for the year's best teams. Here's NRL.com's resident Fantasy guru Lone Scout's last-minute tips for picking your starting squad.
7.15am AEDT: The late mail is in for the opening round of the Telstra Premiership season, with Sam Thaiday set to start at hooker for the Brisbane Broncos tonight. Check out NRL.com's video preview for the season opener between the Dragons and Broncos below and our written preview here.
7am AEDT: There were two NRL.com Podcasts published last night. The first is Jamie Soward's take on how long it will take Ben Hunt to turn the Dragons into a premiership force. Then, for a different take on the opening weekend of the season, listen to former Broncos, Maroons and Australian centre Steve Renouf discuss a few key points heading into week one.
7am AEDT: Heading into Saturday night's historic double header in Perth, Rabbitohs coach Anthony Seibold has told of when he knows Greg Inglis will be right for a return to the No.1 jersey.
