League

NRL, Thursday/ Friday 10pm.

With the Nines, pre- season trials and All Stars games out of the way, the NRL is ready to explode once more. Against most predictions, the Sharks held on to beat minor premiers Melbourne in a cliff- hanger to claim their first title, leaving only the Eels and Warriors ( twice beaten finalists) and the Titans and Raiders as the only clubs of the current 16 not to have tasted success in the NRL era. Around since 1998 after the competition had its roots in 1908 as the NSWRL, there have been plenty of highs and, off the field, too many lows in a sport which still attracts unrivalled support, especially in New South Wales and Queensland. The season opener is on Thursday night, when the Sharks host the Broncos. Brisbane, with three titles, remain the most successful but haven’t won since 2006 and some are now questioning whether coach Wayne Bennett has lost his mojo. On Friday, in an all- Sydney affair, the Bunnies are at ANZ Stadium to host the Wests Tigers. The Tigers are up against it and must turn around a poor 2016 defensive record if they are to make the eight for the first time in six years.