Five months have passed since the Melbourne Storm lifted their third legitimate premiership title at ANZ Stadium last October, and now 15 other clubs will be out to ensure they don’t repeat as premiers in 2018.

The Storm, Sydney Roosters and North Queensland Cowboys are among the bookies’ favourites to salute on grand final Day this year, all for varying reasons.

Craig Bellamy’s men remain the team to beat after they thrashed Leeds by 38-4 in the World Club Challenge, as they began their bid to become the first team since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992-93 to go back-to-back in a unified competition.

If there are two teams that can catch them, they are the Roosters, who have been installed as premiership favourites after landing the prized signatures of James Tedesco and Cooper Cronk, and the Cowboys, who many believe can go all the way after nearly doing so without both their co-captains in Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott last October.

All is now set for what should be another exciting NRL season. Here is your full preview to Round 1.

Dragons versus Broncos
The season kicks off this Thursday night with new Dragons halfback Ben Hunt set to face a baptism of fire when he is unleashed against the club he represented 189 times between 2009 and 2017.

The 27-year-old arrives at Kogarah Oval with a heavy price tag, with which comes high expectations as the Dragons attempt to not only break back into September for the second time since 2011, but also overcome a near-decade long curse against the Broncos, having defeated them just twice since 2009.

Prior to that, the Dragons strung together eight straight wins against the Broncos between late 2005 and early 2009, including three times in 2006, the year the northerners captured their most recent premiership title.

Also set to debut for the Red V is former Bulldogs captain James Graham, who will provide more grunt in the side’s forward pack, which already contains Origin-ready players in Jack de Belin and Paul Vaughan.

The Dragons’ acquisition of those two players, as well as the strong form they showed in the first half of last season, has led to elevated expectations for a club which has suffered since they won the premiership in 2010.

Their first-up clash against the Broncos will be their only meeting in 2018, but one thing in their favour will be the fact that they have won their past two clashes against Wayne Bennett’s men at Kogarah Oval; in fact, the Broncos have not saluted at the suburban ground in nearly two decades.

As for the Broncos’ chances in 2018, despite having reached at least the second week of the finals in each of the past three years, not much is expected from the glamour club.

They did well to reach the penultimate weekend last year, only to be wiped out by the eventual premiers, the Melbourne Storm, having also lost to the Sydney Roosters in their qualifying final two weeks prior.

How they finished the 2017 season could have been totally different had captain Darius Boyd not suffered a hamstring injury in their final round win over the Cowboys in Townsville last September.

His troublesome hamstring flared up again during the pre-season but it is not expected to affect his chances of taking his place in the Broncos’ side this Thursday night.

I think 2018 will be a crucial year for the Broncos; on top of losing Ben Hunt during the off-season, this year will be Sam Thaiday’s farewell season, which will leave Boyd as their only survivor from the 2006 premiership team at the end of this season.

At home, despite their recent poor record against the Broncos, I think the Dragons will take the points in front of their fans at Kogarah Oval.

Prediction: Dragons by eight points.

Knights versus Sea Eagles
After three straight wooden spoons, Newcastle Knights fans will be hoping that this year, and in particular their opening round match against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, marks the start of a new era for the club.

Arguably the club’s biggest off-season in history saw them welcome ex-Roosters trio Mitchell Pearce, Aidan Guerra and Connor Watson, as well as Kalyn Ponga, Chris Heighington and Jacob Lillyman to the Steel City.

Pearce’s arrival will come as a massive boost to the Knights, given the number seven guernsey has proven to be somewhat of a poisoned chalice since Andrew Johns retired early in the 2007 season.

The New South Wales halfback has also been named co-captain of the side, alongside one-time Blues player Jamie Buhrer.

But while he, along with Guerra and Heighington bring some premiership experience to the club, it will not guarantee that the club will make the finals for the first time since 2013 if they cannot prove their worth.

On the other side of the spectrum, the Sea Eagles enter this season amid reports of salary cap breaches, which has prevented the club from signing a replacement for Blake Green at five-eighth, after he defected to the New Zealand Warriors during the off-season.

The events of the off-season could put the club on the back foot going forward; despite reaching the finals last year, and losing its elimination final to the Penrith Panthers, it’s fair to say that not much is expected of Trent Barrett’s side in 2018.

Prediction: Knights by 14 points.

Cowboys versus Sharks
The second Friday night match will see the game’s greatest player, Johnathan Thurston, notch his milestone 300th NRL match when his beloved Cowboys welcome the Sharks to Townsville.

A shoulder injury suffered in the second State of Origin match last year ended his season prematurely, leaving him to watch on as his side came from eighth place to reach the grand final, which it ultimately lost to the Storm.

To say that the result could’ve been different had Thurston and Matt Scott (who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Round 2 last year) not suffered their respective injuries during the 2017 season would be a massive understatement.

However, the Cowboys were able to exact some revenge on the Storm in the recent testimonial match at Suncorp Stadium, eking out a 16-14 win with the man himself setting up the match-winning try for Kyle Feldt.

The 34-year-old has retired from representative football, perhaps a major indication that he will be giving his all into trying to lead his beloved club to a second premiership before he retires from all rugby league, possibly at the end of this year.

The team set to be on the receiving end are the 2016 premiers, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, which had their premiership defence ended in an extra-time elimination final thriller by the very same opponents they’ll be facing this Friday night.

It’ll be the second time in three years the Sharks have opened their season with a clash against the Cowboys in Townsville, having started their 2016 season with a 20-14 loss to the then-reigning premiers, who had thrashed the Sharks by 39-0 in the previous year’s semi-final, also in Townsville.

While the Sharks have lost premiership players Jack Bird, James Maloney and Gerard Beale to other clubs, they have again recruited strongly, landing the signatures of Josh Dugan and Matt Moylan from the Dragons and Panthers respectively.

For Moylan, the change of scenery could prove a turning point in his career after he struggled with the pressures of captaining a Panthers side many had touted as premiership favourites last year.

He arrives in the Shire as a direct replacement for James Maloney, who has gone the other way, while Dugan arrives after having spent five years up the road at the Dragons.

It is set to be a tough initiation for the Sharks’ new recruits, as the Cowboys will be keen to celebrate Johnathan Thurston’s milestone 300th NRL game in the best possible way – with a win in front of their fans in Townsville.

Prediction: Cowboys by 18 points.

Wests Tigers versus Roosters
The first match on Saturday afternoon sees another grudge match when the Wests Tigers welcome James Tedesco and his Sydney Roosters to ANZ Stadium.

After 90 games and 50 tries for the joint-venture, Tedesco upset many Tigers fans last May when he signed a four-year deal with the Roosters, whose reputation as the glamour club of the NRL was further enhanced with their acquisition of representative halfback Cooper Cronk.

Cronk’s arrival, which came a month or two after he led the Storm to the NRL premiership, pushed incumbent Mitchell Pearce out the door to the point where he eventually moved up the F3, signing with the Newcastle Knights.

Aidan Guerra and Connor Watson also moved up the F3, while Kane Evans left to move to the Parramatta Eels.

The Chooks’ signing of Tedesco and Cronk has not only see them installed as premiership favourites, but it also raised questions as to how they could sign two quality players of their calibre and still remain under the salary cap.

Meanwhile, the Tigers welcome prodigal son Benji Marshall back to the club after his recent flings in rugby union, as well as with the Dragons and Broncos, as well as Josh Reynolds, Russell Packer and Chris McQueen.

Tedesco aside, their only other major loss was that of former captain Aaron Woods, who crossed over to the Bulldogs.

Having gone through three coaches within the first six rounds last year, this season marks the first full one for Tigers coach Ivan Cleary, who took the reins in Round 6 after previous coach Jason Taylor was dismissed in Round 3, with Andrew Webster coaching rounds four and five in the interim.

Again, nothing much is expected from the Tigers in 2018, but there is no doubt all the attention will be on the Roosters to see if they can live up to their tag not only as the NRL’s glamour club, but also premiership favourites.

Prediction: Roosters by 16 points.

Rabbitohs versus Warriors
A new era will dawn on the South Sydney Rabbitohs when they face the New Zealand Warriors in the first match of the historic Perth Stadium double-header on Saturday night.

Another dismal season, in which Greg Inglis suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opening round, saw coach Michael Maguire given his marching orders, replaced by his assistant, Anthony Seibold.

Their 12th-place finish was the continuation of the team’s regression following their premiership win in 2014, which was the culmination of over a decade’s hard work after they were reinstated into the NRL competition in 2002.

Aside from getting Inglis back, the Bunnies have also signed Queensland Origin centre Dane Gagai from the Knights, further strengthening their backline.

Another team not expected to do well in 2018 are the New Zealand Warriors; in fact, many have touted them as potential wooden spooners, the club having failed to live up to the hype in pre-seasons past.

Despite another strong off-season in which they landed the likes of Tohu Harris, Gerard Beale, Adam Blair, Peta Hiku and Blake Green, another long season is likely to loom for Stephen Kearney’s men, with the former Test coach among the favourites to be the first coach dismissed in 2018.

On the flipside, they have lost Kieran Foran to the Bulldogs, while Ryan Hoffman returns to the Melbourne Storm for the second time, where he will almost certainly finish his rugby league career.

The Warriors are traditionally one of the most-travelled sides in the NRL and having to travel five hours behind their normal timezone will test them both physically and mentally.

They have previously played many times in the world’s most isolated city for zero success, including playing a match against the Sea Eagles at the about-to-be-demolished Subiaco Oval in 2012.

In the end, the Rabbitohs’ desire to bounce back after two seasons out of the finals should get them the points here.

Prediction: Rabbitohs by 10 points.

Bulldogs versus Storm
Another club set to embark on a new era are the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.

Last season saw them out of the finals for the first time since 2011, after which coach Des Hasler was given his marching orders and replaced by former premiership player Dean Pay.

They also lost key players James Graham, Josh Reynolds and Sam Kasiano to the Dragons, Wests Tigers and Storm respectively during the off-season, but they did gain Kieran Foran and Aaron Woods while Josh Jackson has been named as the newest captain of the club.

They’ll enter their match against the reigning premiers, the Melbourne Storm, on the back of an emotional past week following the death of their 2004 premiership coach, Steve Folkes, who was farewelled in a public funeral held at the Belmore Oval during the week.

Craig Bellamy’s men will be without fullback Billy Slater, who has been ruled out of the match with shoulder soreness; however, it is only minor at best and his absence will allow him to celebrate his milestone 300th NRL match in a home match against the Wests Tigers the following week.

The Storm were by far the best-performed team last season by a mile as they stormed to their third NRL premiership title, and had their captain Cameron Smith break the all-time record for most NRL premiership matches played by an individual, previously held by Darren Lockyer.

Already they have made it clear that they will again be the team to beat in 2018, thrashing Leeds 38-4 to win their third World Club Challenge and doing so in front of their fans at AAMI Park.

The question now remains – can the Bulldogs knock them off on neutral territory? Or will the Storm continue to perform like they have in recent years and claim back-to-back premierships?

Prediction: Storm by 10 points.

Panthers versus Eels
The first of two matches on Sunday sees the Penrith Panthers tackle the Parramatta Eels in the Western Derby.

The Panthers endured an off-season from hell following their semi-final loss to the Brisbane Broncos last September, losing captain Matt Moylan and Bryce Cartwright to the Sharks and Titans respectively, while only gaining James Maloney from the Sharks as a direct replacement for Moylan.

This has left coach Anthony Griffin under immediate pressure, and there are suggestions that he only has half the season to prove his worth before Panthers officials decide whether he should stay or go.

A trial loss to a second-string Bulldogs side has done little to suggest that the club will improve on its semi-final showings of the past two years; in fact I have them missing the finals altogether in 2018.

Meantime, there are again high expectations for the Parramatta Eels after they reached the semi-finals last year, and also have prodigal son Jarryd Hayne back after his stints at American football and at the Gold Coast Titans.

Forward Kane Evans also arrives at the club from the Roosters, while winger Semi Radradra, as well as experienced heads Jeff Robson and Isaac de Gois, have left the club.

After several years of steady progress under coach Brad Arthur, one of which was blighted by a major salary cap breach which cost the club a finals berth in 2016, it now remains to be seen how the Eels can improve in 2018.

Although they have to make the tough trip out west, where tensions are undoubtedly high, they should return east with the points.

Prediction: Eels by four points.

Titans versus Raiders
The final match of the round sees the Gold Coast Titans welcome the Canberra Raiders to the Gold Coast in what will be the holiday strip’s only action of league for the first seven rounds of the season due to the Commonwealth Games.

After finishing eighth and losing a controversial elimination final against the Broncos in 2016, the Titans crashed and burned in 2017, finishing only above the Newcastle Knights on the ladder and having both their star player (Jarryd Hayne) and coach (Neil Henry) depart in acrimonious circumstances.

Hayne aside, Queensland Origin representative Chris McQueen has also left the club, returning to Sydney to link up with the Wests Tigers.

Appointed as coach to clean up the mess left behind is former Panthers assistant coach Garth Brennan, with several of his former players having decided to make the move up north, among them Bryce Cartwright and Mitch Rein, while Tyrone Peachey will link up with the club in 2019.

On the other hand, there were minimal movements at the Canberra Raiders as far as big-name players are concerned, but they have signed Craig Garvey from the Bulldogs and lost Lachlan Croker to the Sea Eagles.

They also regained Sam Williams after his stints at the Dragons in the NRL and Wakefield in the English Super League.

Having finished second in 2016, the Raiders struggled under the weight of expectations and finished 10th in 2017, two places out of the finals. This marked the fifth time in the past six seasons in which the Green Machine has missed out on September action.

It is now up to coach Ricky Stuart to lead his side back into the top eight; anything less and his job could come under serious threat.

A first-up trip to the Gold Coast, where a rejuvenated Titans side will be keen to perform in front of their home fans, won’t make things any easier, either.

Prediction: Titans by six points.