By Adrian Proszenko and Dan Walsh
Josh Addo-Carr’s first game for Parramatta is likely to be against former club Canterbury in round three after the NRL front-loaded the opening rounds of the season with grudge matches.
Addo-Carr still has three games to serve on his four-match suspension for testing positive to cocaine at a police roadside test. However, the NRL’s decision to play the All Stars match at the start of the year – consideration was given to shifting it to after the grand final – could result in “The Foxx” starting the regular season earlier than expected.
“He can definitely make an application for that, we don’t have anything in front of us at the moment,” NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said. “There are a few considerations we would work through prior to answering that question. But it is theoretically possible and there is a precedent for that.”
Should Addo-Carr be available to make his Eels debut against the club that sacked him, it will only add to a series of grudge matches and revenge missions in the opening five rounds of the season.
St George Illawarra recruit Damien Cook won’t have to wait long to take on South Sydney, their clash scheduled for round two. Then there’s the Panthers-Storm grand final replay in round three and round five could well be rebranded “Spite Round”.
Foundation club rivals Roosters and Rabbitohs play at Accor Stadium on the Friday night while, the next day, new Dragons signing Clint Gutherson will face his old club Parramatta at Parramatta in a game that also marks Zac Lomax’s first encounter against the Red V.
The five blockbuster 2025 games you don’t want to miss
Round 3 - Eels v Bulldogs at CommBank Stadium
Josh Addo-Carr will make his Parramatta debut against the club that sacked him, if the NRL allows him to serve one game of his suspension in the All Stars match.
Round 5 - Eels v Dragons at CommBank
Dragons signing Clint Gutherson will return to Parramatta in a game that also marks Zac Lomax’s first encounter against the Red V.
Round 5 - Broncos v Tigers at Suncorp
Brisbane coach Michael Maguire takes on a Wests Tigers outfit that sacked him and left him in NRL purgatory.
Round 14 - Tigers v Panthers at CommBank
Tigers signing Jarome Luai takes on Penrith for the first time in a Sunday blockbuster.
Round 18 - Roosters v Tigers at Allianz
Despite having a breakout season, the Roosters moved on Terrell May, who has a point to prove at the Tigers.
The late Saturday game also marks the first time Brisbane coach Michael Maguire takes on a Wests Tigers outfit that sacked him.
“That’s the beauty of our game, it is so tribal,” Abdo said.
“There are lots of great storylines that the fans love. The ability to front-load the start of the season with some exciting blockbusters, traditional rivalries and new ones due to player movements etc, it’s all part of the fun and excitement of the first couple of weeks.”
The immediate focus will be on the NRL’s ruling of Addo-Carr, which could also have implications for South Sydney’s Latrell Mitchell. Like Addo-Carr, Mitchell is expected to be picked for the All Stars side, where he could potentially serve his one-match ban for bringing the game into disrepute.
Speaking to this masthead earlier this month, Addo-Carr said it would be a “weird” feeling when he first came up against the blue and whites.
“When that time comes, I’ve got good mates still at the club,” Addo-Carr said at the time.
“It will be weird, it is what it is. It was the same thing when I versed my mates down at the Storm.”
Another highlight will be when Tigers signing Jarome Luai takes on Penrith for the first time in round 14 at CommBank Stadium in a Sunday blockbuster, followed by the traditional King’s Birthday weekend match between the Bulldogs and Parramatta at Accor Stadium on Monday.
The NRLW draw was also announced on Thursday, with a significant increase in men’s and women’s double-headers. The move will result in almost half of the women’s matches being played at the same time as NRL games.
“The female players want to play on weekends in front of their home crowds,” Abdo said.
“The opportunity for the clubs to celebrate having both teams at the same stadium was one consideration.
“The other consideration is that a lot of the female players have jobs or are studying, they aren’t full-time professionals. So playing games on a Thursday or a Friday or even very early on a Saturday has an impact on them. We’ve taken that into account.”
Another feature of the draw is the lowest number of five-day turnarounds ever delivered, down to 21 after having 26 last year and 30 the season before.
The NRL will again hold a pre-season challenge: a three-week tournament featuring 17 matches between February 7 and February 23, including three double-header matchdays.
Regional centres Mudgee and the Central Coast (NSW), Toowoomba and Cairns (Queensland) and Cranbourne (Victoria) will get an early glimpse at the NRL stars in action as teams put the finishing touches on their premiership preparations.
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.