KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE 2018 NRL DRAW:
* With the NRL now having control of the draw rather than broadcasters, there is a far more even distribution of timeslots.
* Brisbane remain a popular option for marquee Thursday and Friday night games, but they have only 13 fixtures in those timeslots compared to 18 last season.
* The Broncos will open the season on Thursday March 8, against St George Illawarra at UOW Jubilee Oval.
* The grand final rematch is set for round three, with Melbourne hosting North Queensland on a Thursday night.
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* Eleven teams will play at least 10 games on free-to-air TV in 2018, up from five in 2017.
* There are 24 five-day turnarounds, down one from last season, with no team having more than three.
* A focus on Sydney derbies means the likes of St George Illawarra, Sydney Roosters and Canterbury only play outside NSW four times all season.
* The Roosters do not leave Sydney until round 10, while they only leave Sydney once over their closing seven games -- away to Canberra in round 23
* The Cowboys make just four trips to Sydney all season, while they also visit Cains, Darwin, Bathurst, Auckland and Melbourne.
