WILLIE Mason is on the bench. Lote Tuqiri will start for the Tigers. And a whole batch of rookies are set to debut. Check out the full teams for round one. 

FOR 22 years Paul Whatuira thought he could hide his horrifying secret from the world. The two-time NRL premiership winner thought he was tough enough.

GOLDEN try, restart play from the 30-metre line if the ball is kicked dead, allow a set of six to be completed after fulltime. They are some of the changes fans want.

THE hit by Newcastle's Wes Naiqama that left Penrith fullback Lachlan Coote needing brain scans has been deemed accidental by the NRL match review committee.

LUCKLESS Penrith fullback Lachlan Coote threw a scare into the Panthers' camp after being stretchered off following a collision with Newcastle's Wes Naiqama.

THE NRL's four western Sydney captains will front an ad campaign as rugby league makes its latest grassroots assault on defending its turf against the AFL.

WHAT exactly is in the water at CUA Stadium? Lachlan Coote has joined teammate Jarrod Sammut in packing on the muscle and is now a much more formidable force.

PENRITH captain Petero Civoniceva is eyeing another two years in the NRL,  and wants to be part of Queensland's historic chase for five straight Origin series wins.

PENRITH Panther Jarrod Sammut revealed a new tattoo but he probably should have checked the spelling before getting it permanently inscribed across his chest.

HE was once the scrawny fullback with light feet and bleach-blond hair. Well, not anymore. Panthers fullback Jarrod Sammut has gone from 72kg to 82kg in the off-season.

DESPITE the physical test results for NRL players being closely guarded by their clubs, we can reveal which footy player is the strongest in the league.

JARRYD Hayne had to battle past Parramatta teammate Fuifui Moimoi to secure a spot in the All Stars clash - but he wasn't the most popular choice among fans.

WHEN league bosses open negotiations for a new TV rights deal this year, they should be armed with these compelling figures of the code's popularity on the box.

WHAT will an NRL independent commission do for rugby league and how will it change the game we have come to love? Here are the answers to your questions. 

SEE what each club is saying as the NRL looks to issue in a new era of rugby league through the establishment of an independent commission to run the game we love.

ARL supremo Colin Love's role in the game's new structure will be one of the major talking points at a crucial summit of NRL CEO's, coaches and captains today.

WITH the kick off to the 2010 NRL season fast approaching it's time to take stock of who is in and who is out and who your club is playing in the trial matches.

IN what seems a most unlikely alliance, Penrith-born surfer Mick Fanning continued a long and fruitful association with the Panthers, sharing secrets of his success.

WAYNE Bennett hopes Matt Cooper, Gareth Ellis and Kurt Gidley are voted onto the NRL All Stars team he is to coach against the All Star Indigenous side.

KANGAROOS coach Tim Sheens has sprung a selection shock for the Four Nations final against England with Luke Lewis chosen as a likely starter in the second-row.

WESTERN Sydney has for a long time been the heartland of league, so it was only fitting the 100,000th ticketed club member hailed from the foot of the mountains.

PENRITH coach Matt Elliott last week revealed his plans to rest captain Petero Civoniceva during the season but the prop has declared he wants to play every minute possible.

JARRYD Hayne wasn't listening when the suits started their speeches. He wasn't even in the room. He was performing tricks with the footy with Michael Jennings.

PENRITH have hatched a plan to offer Kangaroos centre Michael Jennings a $2 million five-year deal to remain at the foot of the mountains for life.

PENRITH'S Lachlan Coote can't shake the thought of injury from his mind, but is hoping to exorcise some demons by getting through tonight's trial against Newcastle.

THE Daily Telegraph today launches its 2010 NRL Fans Survey. We're giving you the chance to have some real input into the game before season starts. Fans Survey

PARRAMATTA is counting the cost of last night's bruising trial loss to Penrith with star trio Jarryd Hayne, Daniel Mortimer and Ben Smith nursing injuries.

PENRITH Panthers star centre Michael Jennings has been charged with driving while unlicensed after being pulled over by police in western Sydney.

THE turf war for Sydney's west is ready to explode on Saturday night when - after two years of talk and barbs - the NRL and AFL finally go head to head.

PANTHERS coach Matt Elliott has put his players on notice that round-one jerseys will be up for grabs during Saturday night's  blockbuster trial against the Eels.

LYING in a Liverpool hospital bed after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing into a telegraph pole, rising forward Andrew Pritchard figured someone was looking out for him.

THE younger brother of Kiwi Test forward Frank Pritchard was left unconscious after his car hit a telegraph pole when he fell asleep behind the wheel.

WHAT a fairytale this would be: Brad Fittler returning to the foot of the mountains to help his old Panthers break their finals drought. Well, well Penrith fans.

OFF season? What off season? The year is barely underway and yet the league world is buzzing after the game met a significant milestone in ensuring its future.

DELEGATES from all 16 NRL clubs have today signed-off on a historic agreement to fast-track the game's first-ever independent commission. They want in in place by March.

THE heat is officially on from today as the last remaining NRL teams return to pre-season training after a welcome Christmas reprieve.

PANTHERS coach Matt Elliott has revealed more than half his squad are fighting for first-grade spots following one of the club's most ambitious recruitment drives.

JUST days into the season's first training sessions, Michael Jennings says he can already measure the benefits of Penrith's best-ever Kangaroo tour representation. 

SOUTH Sydney chief Shane Richardson has called on FFA to compensate NRL clubs up to $100 million if the rugby league season is suspended during a World Cup.

THESE are the recruits who will give Penrith their strongest side since they won the 2003 premiership, club legend Mark Geyer says. "I'm expecting big things."