Sure, it’s a guaranteed two points for Benji Marshall and the men from Concord.
But opening round byes are a bit like missing out on an invitation to the biggest party in town—twiddling your thumbs while everyone else rips in.
In the first head-scratching outcome of the NRL’s much publicised 2026 ‘AI’ draw, the Wests Tigers and their fans will be watching Round 1 from their lounge rooms once again, having landed the opening round bye for the second time in just three years.
Released on Wednesday morning, the 2026 opening round fixture list means that in the four NRL seasons since the Dolphins became the NRL’s 17th side in 2023, the Wests Tigers will have had half the bye rounds.
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The only other two clubs to miss out have been the Gold Coast Titans in 2025 and St George Illawarra Dragons in 2023.
While the NRL entry of the Perth Bears will remove the need for a bye in 2027, the issue is likely to again raise its head when the PNG Chiefs become the 19th NRL team in 2028.
The NRL is yet to reveal which club will miss out on 2026 Magic Round in Brisbane.
Manly missed out last season, while the Dragons and Knights had Magic Round byes in 2024 and 2023 respectively.
Tigers getting the bye in round 1 twice in three years is bullshit.
— RugbyLeagueGuru (@RL_Guru) November 11, 2025
Really average form there from the NRL, if I was the Tigers I’d be filthy on that. Surely it’s the one thing you make sure of with the round 1 draw that it’s not a team that has copped it recently.