The four combatants for the opening round double header to be played at the new Perth Stadium have been confirmed with the defending premiers Melbourne and New Zealand Warriors headed to Western Australia to face South Sydney and the Canterbury Bulldogs.

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg confirmed the Bulldogs would battle the Storm while the Rabbitohs take on the Warriors on the 10th of March.

The NRL also announced three other blockbuster double headers for 2018 including:

* South Sydney Rabbitohs v Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and Parramatta Eels v Cronulla Sutherland Sharks at ANZ Stadium in Round Three on Saturday, March 24

* Wests Tigers v Melbourne Storm and Warriors v North Queensland Cowboys at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium in Round Five on Saturday, April 7

* Melbourne Storm v Gold Coast Titans and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles v Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in Round 10 on Saturday, May 12

“We will have double headers in four major cities – three in Australia and one in New Zealand,” Greenberg said.

“This is a huge step for the game and I’d like to thank the Clubs involved for their efforts to embrace the concept and ensure the matches eventuated.

“This is also a direct result of us having more control over the Premiership schedule in 2018.

“We have had significant success with double headers at Suncorp Stadium in recent seasons and this is a natural progression.

“It will create more blockbuster events for our fans in 2018.”