Ben Barba may face Bulldogs on opening day Ben Barba could be set for an early reunion in Auckland. Ben Barba could line up against the Bulldogs on the opening day of the NRL Auckland Nines in February after the Broncos were drawn in the same pool as the fullback's former club. It's one of several talking points to come out of Wednesday morning's draw in Auckland, with Penrith's Jamie Soward poised to go up against the Dragons and St George Illawarra's Gareth Widdop to go head-to-head with his former club, Melbourne, in Pool Red alongside South Sydney. Premiers Sydney Roosters have been drawn alongside Parramatta, Brisbane and the Bulldogs, while the Tigers, Sharks, Knights and Titans have been grouped in Pool Blue. Arguably the group of death includes the home side New Zealand Warriors, who take on runners up Manly, as well as the exciting North Queensland and Canberra Raiders The tournament, which has been locked into the NRL calendar for the next five seasons, will be played at Eden Park on February 15 and 16, with a total of $2.6 million in prize money which includes $500,000 for the winner. The inaugural event, which will be televised live on Fox Sports, also received a major boost on Wednesday with Dick Smith signing a multi million dollar deal to be the tournament's naming rights partner for the next five years. The rules of the two-day event will be released in the next few weeks, with plans in place to reduce the number of stoppages in the game. It's unsure which players will commit to the event, however each club is required to play at least one of their top five players and at least 12 of the top 25 players in the squad. Sam Thaiday, Willie Mason, Anthony Watmough, Greg Bird, Robbie Farah, Paul Gallen and Todd Carney have all said they are keen to take part in the Nines tournament, with Mason tipping Barba to be a phenomenon in the short version of the game. "It will be great for him, especially in a Nines format," Mason said at the draw in Auckland. He will cop sledging when he plays against the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium, that will happen later in the year. The Nines won't scare him, they will have to catch him first, he will be dynamite in this. There are going to be so many players who are suited for the Nines, hopefully the game takes off. More than 20,000 tickets on each day has been sold for the tournament at the 45,000 capacity ground in Auckland, with 40 per cent of those tickets purchased from fans outside of Auckland. The Warriors have no shortage of players that will be suited to the Nines format, with several of the stars already expressing interest in the tournament in their backyard. "Before the World Cup, the guys showed interest, Sam Tomkins and Shaun Johnson are keen to do it," Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said. There is great prizemoney for the clubs and for the players, to sell 20,000 plus tickets so far out from the tournament, it's going to be a great spectacle. While the NRL All Stars game has been cancelled for 2014, NRL marketing chief Paul Kind has guaranteed it will return in 2015. "The All Stars for 2015 will be a major priority for the preseason," Kind said. It's our absolute intent to play both. I think structure in the preseason is a good thing. Clubs have long run trial matches and there hasn't been a set structure. I think both those events can run complimentary along with the world club challenge. The player requirement in the nines isn't anywhere near what you'd get playing a full trial match against another NRL club. You're playing nine minute halves and three games in a day between 16 players. Pool Yellow Warriors Raiders Sea Eagles Cowboys Pool Green Roosters Eels Broncos Bulldogs Pool Blue Sharks Knights Tigers Titans Pool Red Storm Panthers Rabbitohs Dragons Game 1 - 12.35pm: Sharks v Knights Game 2 - 1pm: Tigers v Titans Game 3 - 1.25pm: Roosters v Eels Game 4 - 1.50pm: Broncos v Bulldogs Game 5 - 2.25pm: Warriors v Raiders Game 6 - 2.50pm: Sea Eagles v Cowboys Game 7 - 3.15pm: Storm v Panthers Game 8 - 3.40pm: Rabbitohs v Dragons Game 9 - 4.20pm: Sharks v Tigers Game 10 - 4.45pm: Knights v Titans Game 11 - 5.10pm: Roosters v Broncos Game 12 - 5.35pm: Eels v Bulldogs Game 13 - 6.10pm: Warriors v Sea Eagles Game 14 - 6.35pm: Raiders v Warriors Game 15 - 7pm: Storm v Rabbitohs Game 16 - 7.25pm: Panthers v Dragons Game 17 - 12pm: Sharks v Titans Game 18 - 12.25pm: Knights v Tigers Game 19 - 12.50pm: Roosters v Bulldogs Game 20 - 1.15pm: Eels v Broncos Game 21 - 1.45pm: Warriors v Cowboys Game 22 - 2.10pm: Raiders v Sea Eagles Game 23 - 2.35pm: Storm v Dragons Game 24 - 3pm: Panthers v Rabbitohs Game 25 - 3.30pm: 1st Quarter Final Game 26 - 3.55pm: 2nd Quarter Final Game 27 - 4.20pm: 3rd Quarter Final Game 28 - 4.45pm: 4th Quarter Final Game 29 - 5.45pm: 1st Semi Final Game 30 - 6.10pm 2nd Semi Final Game 31 - 7.30pm: Final