Earlier this week, Cameron Munster joked former teammate Cameron Smith may have taken up a Brisbane Broncos coaching gig with an eventual eye towards replacing Craig Bellamy.

Payne Haas will reportedly sign a one-year extension when he returns from the Broncos’ World Club Challenge trip abroad.

The legal showdown between the Parramatta Eels and Zac Lomax may not be done and dusted by the time the NRL season kicks off in early March, a court has been told.

The Australian Open has finished and the English cricketers are long gone, which means we’re just weeks away from the start of the NRL season in Las Vegas on March 1 (AEDT).

*Watch Josh Addo-Carr in Rivals, which premieres exclusively on Kayo Sports on March 1 after the Las Vegas NRL season opener.

The salt air in Wollongong and the humidity of Kogarah carry a familiar scent: desperate hope mixed with a healthy dose of scepticism.