Brisbane will have an early chance to avenge the most heartbreaking of grand final losses when they meet Penrith in round three of the 2024 NRL season.
AAP has learned the Panthers will host the Broncos at BlueBet Stadium in late March, with the fixture likely to be one of two clashes between last season's undisputed front-runners.
Inspired by Nathan Cleary, the Panthers chased down Brisbane's 16-point lead in the final 20 minutes to clinch a 26-24 win in one of the modern era's most thrilling grand finals last month.
The grand final rematch appears all but certain to sell out; the Panthers averaged nearly 20,000 fans for each home game last season.
It will also give Penrith an early opportunity to assert their credentials for a fourth consecutive premiership, a feat last achieved when St George won 11 in a row between 1956 and 1966.
Penrith and Brisbane will both field slightly different sides in the rematch.
Triple premiership players Stephen Crichton and Spencer Leniu have since moved on from the Panthers, as has utility Jack Cogger.
For Brisbane, centre Herbie Farnworth and Tom Flegler are now on the roster at the Dolphins, while Keenan Palasia is at fellow intrastate rivals Gold Coast.
Clubs learned of their home fixtures for next season on Friday, with the draw to be released publicly on Monday.
A player from each club will convene at the NRL's Moore Park headquarters as part of the fixture announcement.
For the majority of clubs, it will be the first time players have been made available to media since pre-season training began.
The draw is expected to confirm St George Illawarra as the team to miss out on Magic Round, Melbourne and Penrith to meet a round-one blockbuster and Wests Tigers to have the bye first-up.
