The NRL season opener kicks off tonight and to celebrate the return of the biff, online sports betting agency Sportsbet has unveiled its latest in-house work that gentle skewers many of the code’s off-field woes.

Titled “NRL ER”, the spot plays on a hospital theme and is awash with plenty of “in” gags that’ll probably only make sense to ardent league fans.

The ER sees a myriad of issues, from the Raiders seeking help with their problem finishing early, through to the Cowboys looking to be put on the half back recipient list.

And while the diagnosis was positive for some clubs, unfortunately for Manly it appears as if its season is on life support before it even started.

“We’re not sure who to feel worse for, the Titans who haven’t had any loved ones come and visit, or Manly who are suffering from a reoccurrence of their ‘Des’,” said Sportsbet communications manager Rich Hummerston. 

Check out the whimsical spot below: