I'm really liking the Draw for 2018! There's no doubt it's one of the best we've had in years and is ten times better than last year.
I'm just going to do a little analysis on it.
Toughness
In terms of toughness, we are much better off in 2018. The NRL has ranked us ninth for this. That is a huge improvement on last year as I think we were ranked to have the toughest Draw. Rankings are below.
1. Warriors (234 points)
2. Titans (226)
=3. Sharks (218)
=3. Bulldogs (218)
=3. Wests Tigers (218)
=6. Sea Eagles (216)
=6. Knights (216)
8. Cowboys (208)
9. Rabbitohs (207)
10. Broncos (205)
11. Dragons (202)
12. Eels (191)
13. Panthers (190)
14. Raiders (189)
15. Storm (180)
16. Roosters (170)
Days
The number of games allocated to certain days are as follows:
Thursday night games: 5
Friday night games: 7
Saturday games: 10
Sunday games: 2
Teams we play
Teams we play twice: Broncos, Raiders, Bulldogs, Warriors, Cowboys, Eels, Dragons, Roosters, Wests Tigers.
Teams we play once: Sharks, Titans, Sea Eagles, Storm, Knights, Panthers.
Five day turnarounds
A huge positive for 2018's Draw is that we only have two Five day turnarounds which occur between Rounds 7 and 8 aswell as between Rounds 24 and 25. That is a huge positive.
Starting point (from NRL.com)
We have been given the honour of hosting the Warriors in Round 1 in the double-header to open the new Perth Stadium and then take on three Sydney rivals starting with the Panthers at Penrith in Round 2. Two home games against arch enemies Manly and Canterbury follow at ANZ Stadium, before a clash with the Bulldogs in the traditional Good Friday blockbuster.
Tough run (from NRL.com)
An eight-week stretch in the middle of the season where we play only three games at ANZ Stadium will be an excellent test of new coach Anthony Seibold's credentials. In Round 9 we head north of Sydney to take on the Knights and after a clash with the Dragons back on home soil there are back-to-back away trips to Townsville and Auckland that should provide a stark contrast in terms of playing conditions. A visit to the Gold Coast and then a home game in Cairns against the Cowboys in Round 16 rounds out a hectic two-month period.
Show-stoppers (from NRL.com)
An expected sell-out crowd of 60,000 at the unveiling of Perth Stadium is an inspiring way to begin a long campaign and the Good Friday blockbuster against the Bulldogs in Round 4 should ensure South Sydney's average home crowds are very healthy over the first month of the season. It will be just shy of six years since South Sydney last played at UOW Jubilee Oval when they face the Dragons in Round 5 and with a meeting against fierce local rivals the Roosters a week later there will be no lack of atmosphere at Rabbitohs games early in 2018.
Origin impact (from NRL.com)
Queensland reps Greg Inglis and Dane Gagai will miss the Round 13 local derby against the Sharks if they are in camp with the Maroons for Origin I as expected, but that is the only game for which they will be unavailable. Any Souths Origin reps could be forced to back up just two days after the series opener in Melbourne to play the Titans on the Gold Coast and they're looking at another short turnaround after Origin III in Brisbane, a date with the Bulldogs on Saturday night awaiting them in Round 18.
Positives (I will probably miss some)
Some other positives I have not mentioned:
- There are four Reciprical Rights games
- Draw is a lot more crowd friendly as we now have plenty of day games, this is great news
- This next one is a BIG one for me, I almost fell out of my chair when I saw it. We have a game in NZ!!!!!!!!!!!! That means I'll be able to see the boys live this year!!!! So stoked with that.
- We don't play the Storm at AAMI Park in 2018
- Obviously all the games we're taking to different places like Perth, Mudgee, Cairns, NZ, Central Coast. We're everywhere next year
- Our huge clashes with the Roosters will not be impacted by Origin
- Large turnarounds after our big away trips
Negatives (again, I will probably miss some)
- We are still playing the Cowboys in Cairns
- One of our massive games with the Roosters is on a Thursday
I know I've probably missed some things but overall, we have a good Draw and I am now really excited for 2018!!