NRL confirms four 2018 double-headers

Next year's opening 10 rounds of the NRL season will include four double-headers in four cities.

Todd Greenberg

NRL boss Todd Greenberg has announced a series of double headers for the competition in 2018. (AAP)

The NRL will stage four double-headers in the first 10 rounds of next season in four cities across Australia and New Zealand.

Eleven clubs will take part in the eight matches as the league looks to address a 1.9 per cent drop in regular-season crowd numbers in 2017 from the previous year.

It has reaffirmed a previous announcement of the new Perth Stadium's involvement in the opening round in the first football games to be held at the 60,000-capacity venue.

South Sydney will host the Warriors before Canterbury and premiers Melbourne clash in the first Saturday matches of the season in Perth on March 10.

In round three, the Rabbitohs and Manly meet at Sydney's ANZ Stadium ahead of Parramatta and Cronulla's match at the venue on March 24.

The Wests Tigers play the Storm and the Warriors host North Queensland at Mt Smart Stadium in round five on April 7.

Round 10 will see Melbourne face the Gold Coast and Manly battle Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.

More than 44,000 attended when the same sides matched up in the corresponding fixture this year in Brisbane on May 13.

"This is also a direct result of us having more control over the premiership schedule in 2018," NRL boss Todd Greenberg said in a statement on Monday.

"We have had significant success with double headers at Suncorp Stadium in recent seasons and this is a natural progression.

"It will create more blockbuster events for our fans in 2018."

The Perth fixtures will come after a World Cup double-header at the Perth Rectangular Stadium next month, as well as the NRL's decision to bring State of Origin to the West Australian capital in 2019.


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Source: AAP



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