The St George Illawarra Dragons will reportedly be the second club to miss out on Magic Round, with the Red V being handed the bye for the 2024 installment.
That comes after the Newcastle Knights were handed the bye in 2023 and missed the annual rugby league party in the Queensland capital.
The bye for the Knights in 2023 couldn't have come at a better time though, with the Hunter-based club going on a run of unprecedented success soon after to parachute their way into the finals, where they were eventually eliminated in Week 2.
According to a News Corp report, the Knights will return to magic round in 2024 though, taking on the Gold Coast Titans in one of the eight games to be played across the weekend.
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The Dragons, who have had little to no success over the magic round journey and fell short to the Wests Tigers in 2023 just weeks before Anthony Griffin was terminated from his coaching role, will take their spot.
It comes after the Dragons had the bye in Round 1 this year.
The same report suggests that, alongside the Knights and Titans, other games to happen during Magic Round will be:
The Warriors and Panthers clashed in a controversial Magic Round fixture last year. It's anticipated that the Queensland teams will be split across the three days of action, with the Manly Sea Eagles and Brisbane Broncos fixture again to be played on the Friday evening.
The Eels and Melbourne, who have played previously during Magic Round, could headline the Saturday evening as it has done previously, while the Dolphins, Cowboys and Titans will be split across the Saturday and Sunday.
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In other news for the Dragons, who are expected to open their season away from home against the Titans, they are expected to take on the Cronulla Sharks - in what will be Shane Flanagan's first trip back to the Shire - in Round 9.
Other key clashes confirmed will see the Sydney Roosters host the Penrith Panthers in Round 4, the Canterbury Bulldogs travel to the foot of the mountains to play the Panthers in Round 10, and the Roosters and Rabbitohs to again clash in the final round of the season.
It's believed the grand final rematch between Penrith and Brisbane will be in Round 3, and that Jack Wighton will have to wait until Round 21 to return to Canberra with his new teammates at the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
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While the full schedule for the pre-season challenge has already been confirmed, it's anticipated the NRL will release the full season draw on Monday next week.