2019 NRL Draw

[Timmah]

(cont from prev post)

Manly Sea Eagles

Teams they play twice: Wests Tigers, Warriors, Rabbitohs, Knights, Dragons, Raiders, Titans, Eels, Storm.

Teams they play once: Roosters, Bulldogs, Broncos, Sharks, Panthers, Cowboys.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - Two, Friday - Four, Saturday - Thirteen, Sunday – Five.

Five-day turnarounds: 1 (Rd 11).

Kick-off: Des Hasler's second stint in charge of Manly begins with three matches in the opening four rounds at Lottoland so the new coach has a chance to make an early impression on the club's disgruntled fan base. However, all three matches at Brookvale are against 2018 playoff sides.

Toughest stretch: Rounds 2-6. The second Des Hasler era gets underway with a fairly even season draw that features the tougher games and away trips fairly well spread out. It's arguably trickiest in the early stages: they host premiers the Roosters in round two before travelling to Christchurch to play the Warriors followed by a home game against the Rabbitohs before heading up the M1 to face a Knights side that bested them twice in 2018, then heading in the other direction to meet the Dragons in Wollongong in round six.


And another thing: In round three the Sea Eagles take a home game to Christchurch for a second straight year. The move ended well for the Warriors last year as they romped to a big win in the two teams' only meeting. Manly face the Warriors in New Zealand twice in 2019 with a Warriors home game at Mt Smart Stadium in round 21 but Manly have had a happier time there, winning their past four.


Melbourne Storm

Teams they play twice: Broncos, Raiders, Bulldogs, Cowboys, Roosters, Warriors, Sharks, Titans, Sea Eagles.

Teams they play once: Panthers, Eels, Wests Tigers, Knights, Dragons, Rabbitohs.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - Four, Friday - Seven, Saturday - Eight, Sunday – Five.

Five-day turnarounds: 2 (Rd 5, Rd 10).

Kick-off: After falling one win shy of back-to-back premierships, the Storm open 2019 with a home showdown against Brisbane before trips to Canberra and Bathurst to face Penrith before returning to Victoria in round four where they'll host Canterbury.

Toughest stretch: Rounds 13-17. Despite Billy Slater hanging up his boots and the representative retirement of Cameron Smith, the Storm will still be heavily affected during the State of Origin period. They come out of their round 12 bye with a host of stars looking to back up from Origin I against a fresh Warriors side in Auckland before hosting the Knights in round 14. They then head straight into two very tough away games: premiers Sydney Roosters (set to be in Adelaide again) then the Dragons in Wollongong before returning home for an always-tough meeting with Cronulla.

And another thing: The Storm get their first taste of Carrington Park at Bathurst in what has become an annual home fixture for Penrith. They will be Penrith's fifth different opponents there in six years and hoping to be the second straight visiting team to taste victory after North Queensland's win there in 2018.


Newcastle Knights

Teams they play twice: Panthers, Dragons, Sea Eagles, Titans, Eels, Warriors, Bulldogs, Roosters, Wests Tigers.

Teams they play once: Sharks, Raiders, Rabbitohs, Storm, Broncos, Cowboys.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - Zero, Friday - Six, Saturday - Twelve, Sunday - Six.

Five-day turnarounds: 1 (Rd 11).

Kick-off: Newcastle have a chance to build some early momentum with three of their first four matches at McDonald Jones Stadium. However, they face three teams which made last season's finals in those matches plus a trip to Canberra in round three.


Toughest stretch: Rounds 8-11. The Knights enjoy a glut of home games to start the season (five in the first seven rounds) but the trade-off comes immediately after that with a tricky spell on the road, three of those against 2018 top-eight finishers. They head to Auckland in round eight, play the Bulldogs at Suncorp in Magic Round in round nine, head to Mudgee to play the Dragons in round 10 before returning home to host premiers Sydney Roosters in round 11 off a five-day turnaround.

And another thing: Old Boys' Day is always a big event in the Hunter. In 2019, for the first time in three years, the Knights are away in the final round of the year meaning the event will take place in round 24 at 3pm on a Saturday against the Titans. Expect it to be one of Newcastle's best-attended games once again.

New Zealand Warriors

Teams they play twice: Sea Eagles, Titans, Rabbitohs, Storm, Knights, Panthers, Broncos, Sharks, Raiders.

Teams they play once: Bulldogs, Wests Tigers, Cowboys, Dragons, Eels, Roosters.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - One, Friday - Seven, Saturday - Twelve, Sunday – Four.

Five-day turnarounds: 1 (Rd 7).

Kick-off: The Warriors will need to clear customs just once in the opening month of the Telstra Premiership - they kick off the season in Auckland against Canterbury before travelling to Campbelltown in round two for a Sunday clash with the Wests Tigers. They will technically be the away team in round three against Manly in Christchurch before heading back to Mt Smart Stadium for a tussle with the Titans.

Toughest stretch: Rounds 22-25. A bigger travel load is a given for the Auckland-based club but mercifully they do not head to Sydney on more than two consecutive weeks at any stage in 2019. Probably the toughest spell is the run into the finals, starting with premiers Sydney Roosters at the SCG in round 22 followed by the Sharks at Shark Park the following week off a six-day turnaround. They return home off another six-day break to host the Rabbitohs before plenty more travel in round 25 when they venture to Canberra to round off the regular season.

And another thing: Even though the Warriors jagged their first win in Perth in round one last season, Stephen Kearney's men will be relieved they have dodged the huge return trip altogether this year for the first time since 2011, contributing to a drop in the team's overall travel workload in 2019.

North Queensland Cowboys

Teams they play twice: Dragons, Broncos, Sharks, Raiders, Storm, Bulldogs, Titans, Rabbitohs, Wests Tigers.

Teams they play once: Warriors, Eels, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Knights, Panthers.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - Four, Friday - Eight, Saturday - Nine, Sunday – Three.

Five-day turnarounds: 1 (Rd 19).

Kick-off: North Queensland won't leave the Sunshine State in the first four rounds - hosting the Dragons, playing the Broncos in Brisbane before returning to Townsville for duels with the Sharks and Raiders. It should be an early advantage in the warmer earlier rounds for the Cowboys after a long summer training in the tropical heat..

Toughest stretch: Rounds 17-22. The Cowboys are likely to be less affected by Origin than has been the case in recent years but they'll have their hands full either way heading out of the rep period and the round-16 bye. The run starts with premiers Sydney Roosters in Sydney before returning home to host the Rabbitohs, a tough trip to Cronulla off a five-day turnaround then Wests Tigers at Western Sydney Stadium before returning home to face traditional rivals Brisbane.

And another thing: The Cowboys have arguably the NRL's biggest contingent of travelling fans, meaning a Saturday slot for home games can help those from outside the Townsville area get to and from games. The 2019 draw contains an increase from five Saturday home games to six, with four Friday games (down from five) and two Thursday games.

 

[Springs09]

The opening of the WSS is Easter Monday?

Easter Monday this year got more than the capacity of WSS and the opening of WSS should sell out regardless of when it is and who against. Just condensed 2 big crowds into 1 there. Silly.

 

[Timmah]

Parramatta Eels

Teams they play twice: Panthers, Bulldogs, Sharks, Raiders, Wests Tigers, Knights, Dragons, Broncos, Sea Eagles.

Teams they play once: Roosters, Storm, Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Warriors, Titans.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - two, Friday - Five, Saturday - Eight, Sunday - Eight, Monday – One.

Five-day turnarounds: 2 (Rd 3, Rd 11).

Kick-off: When you're the wooden spooners, every game is a tough game but for Parramatta, the early schedule is favourable in that they don't leave Sydney's west in the first four rounds - away to Penrith first up before three straight ANZ Stadium fixtures against the Dogs, Roosters and Sharks.

Toughest stretch: Rounds 9-14. The toughest patch for the Eels comes from round nine. Their Magic Round game at Suncorp is against perennial tormentors Melbourne, before they face the Cowboys in Townsville where the Blue & Gold have just two wins since 2000. They return off a five-day turnaround for a local derby at home against a Penrith side that punished them twice in 2018 followed by the impressive Bunnies, also at home. They head from there to Cronulla to face a Sharks side that has beaten them five times on the bounce before hosting the dangerous Broncos.


And another thing: After having their 2018 season effectively derailed in the opening fortnight on the back of one comeback (round one at Penrith) and one flogging (round two at Brookvale), both in sweltering heat, hopefully the Eels spend this summer on the sand dunes because they have two more Sunday day games to kick off 2019.

Penrith Panthers

Teams they play twice: Eels, Knights, Wests Tigers, Titans, Sharks, Rabbitohs, Raiders, Warriors, Roosters.

Teams they play once: Storm, Sea Eagles, Dragons, Bulldogs, Broncos, Cowboys.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - Three, Friday - Ten, Saturday - Six, Sunday – Five.

Five-day turnarounds: 0.

Kick-off: After being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, Penrith's campaign to go further in 2019 will begin with three out of their first four matches on home turf, including a round-three sojourn to their west against the Storm in Bathurst. They also play three teams in the opening month who didn't make last year's playoffs so they have a golden opportunity to reverse their recent trend of slow starts to the season.

Toughest stretch: Rounds 5-9. Penrith for the most part have their tougher games and travel fairly well spread out through the season. There is a tricky spell from round five to nine in which they are at home just once, with two trips to Queensland and one to Wagga. The only home game in that spell is against a Rabbitohs side that finished third on the ladder last season while there is also a very tough trip to Shark Park in round six.

And another thing: The Penrith boys will get to spend plenty of time with each other on the Panther bus in 2019, especially early on, with road trips to Newcastle (round two), Bathurst (round three) and Wagga (round eight) plus five plane trips through the season to Brisbane (twice), Gold Coast, Auckland and Townsville.

St George Illawarra Dragons

Teams they play twice: Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Knights, Bulldogs, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Eels, Sharks, Titans.

Teams they play once: Broncos, Warriors, Storm, Raiders, Panthers, Wests Tigers.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - Four, Friday - Three, Saturday - Six, Sunday - Ten, Monday – One.

Five-day turnarounds: 3 (Rd 2, Rd 7, Rd 18).

Kick-off: St George Illawarra will have their mettle tested in the opening month of the season with just one match at home against the Rabbitohs at Kogarah in round two. They also have a couple of trips to Queensland to face the Cowboys and Broncos plus a round-four assignment in Newcastle.

Toughest stretch: Rounds 7-11. The Dragons have four straight games away from their regular home venues from round seven, kicking off against premiers Sydney Roosters at the SCG and taking in the Warriors at Suncorp for Magic Round plus a "home" game at Mudgee against the Knights before a Kogarah clash against local rivals Cronulla.

And another thing: The Dragons take a home game to picturesque Glen Willow Stadium in Mudgee for the second time after a successful outing there against Canberra last season. This time it will be the Knights getting their first taste of the venue in round 10.

South Sydney Rabbitohs

Teams they play twice: Roosters, Dragons, Sea Eagles, Warriors, Bulldogs, Panthers, Broncos, Cowboys, Wests Tigers.

Teams they play once: Titans, Raiders, Eels, Knights, Sharks, Storm.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - Four, Friday - Eight, Saturday - Nine, Sunday – Three.

Five-day turnarounds: 0.

Kick-off: Souths begin their mission to improve upon this year's preliminary final finish with a showdown against their traditional rivals, the Roosters, at the SCG on the first Friday night of the season. They only have one home game in the first four rounds, against the Titans at ANZ Stadium in round three, as well another couple of Sydney fixtures away to the Dragons and Sea Eagles.

Toughest stretch: Rounds 18-24. The Bunnies mostly have their tougher games and trips spread out but there are a few tough asks in the seven weeks from round 18 with three trips to Queensland and one to New Zealand and plenty of 2018's finalists in the Dragons, Sharks, Storm, Broncos and Warriors contained in that stretch.

And another thing: The Bunnies took home games to Perth, Cairns and Gosford last year - this year Central Coast Stadium gets another home game (round 21 against the Storm) while the other two home games taken on the road will be round five's Sunshine Coast Stadium match against the Warriors plus Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium in round nine.

Sydney Roosters

Teams they play twice: Rabbitohs, Broncos, Storm, Dragons, Wests Tigers, Raiders, Knights, Panthers, Bulldogs.

Teams they play once: Sea Eagles, Eels, Sharks, Cowboys, Titans, Warriors.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - Three, Friday - Seven, Saturday - Six, Sunday – Eight.

Five-day turnarounds: 2 (Rd 10, Rd 25).

Kick-off: The 2018 premiers kick off their campaign to become the first team in more than 25 years to successfully defend their title by going up against South Sydney at the SCG. The Roosters, who will play home matches at the ground in 2019 while Allianz Stadium is being rebuilt, also take on Brisbane at the famous venue in round four after road trips to Manly and Parramatta.

Toughest stretch: Rounds 4-8. The Roosters will want to hit their straps early in 2019 because they have five tough games in a row starting less than a month into the season. In round four, they host Brisbane – a club that downed the premiers twice in 2018 – then travel to Cronulla before heading to Melbourne in round six before two home games against the Dragons and the Wests Tigers – a team that gave them plenty of trouble last season despite not making the top eight themselves.

And another thing: Grand final star Cooper Cronk will finally get a chance to play at his old home ground of AAMI Park as an away player. Last year the eventual grand final combatants met just once through the regular season, in Adelaide. The fixture in the South Australian capital is on again with the Tricolours set to host the Storm in round 15 but they also travel to Melbourne in round six for a Friday night blockbuster which also shapes as a grand final rematch.


Wests Tigers

Teams they play twice: Sea Eagles, Bulldogs, Panthers, Eels, Roosters, Rabbitohs, Raiders, Cowboys, Knights.

Teams they play once: Warriors, Broncos, Titans, Storm, Dragons, Sharks.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - Five, Friday - Six, Saturday - Seven, Sunday - Five, Monday - One.

Five-day turnarounds: 3 (Rd 4, Rd 7, Rd 22).

Kick-off: The Wests Tigers are the only team which will play their first three matches at home in 2019 - Leichhardt Oval clashes with Manly and Canterbury either side of a round-two tussle with the Warriors at Campbelltown. They remain in Sydney as well for round four when they head to Penrith.


Toughest stretch: Rounds 7-11. By the time the Wests Tigers hit their round-12 bye they should have a pretty good idea of their potential finals credentials. And the bye will probably be welcome after a five-week stretch that includes trips to Tamworth, Brisbane and Melbourne as well as four straight games against 2018 top-eight sides – including both grand final teams.

And another thing: The Tigers are locked in for four home games at Western Sydney Stadium, replacing the four home games they played at ANZ Stadium last season. Campbelltown Stadium and Leichhardt Oval (three each) and Scully Park at Tamworth (one game) have the same allotment as last season. The remaining home game will be played at Suncorp for Magic Round in 2019 rather than in Auckland.

 

[beave]

NQ has 4 home games in the first 5 rds. f**king ridiculous. And so is scheduling the derby in Tvl on a Thursday night AGAIN. No one expects favourtism in any way but you’d like the governing body to use their brain once in a while. That many games together during the wet season is going to f**k NQ’s crowd figures.

I swear you could get a dart board and just throw shit at it and come up with a better draw than these idiots.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

Knights gifted a very soft draw.
Surprise, Surprise.
Looks like the NRL have decided to give them a leg up.

West Tigers also have a soft draw.

NRL looking to make the Comp as “even” as possible.

 

[Timmah]

The opening of the WSS is Easter Monday?

Easter Monday this year got more than the capacity of WSS and the opening of WSS should sell out regardless of when it is and who against. Just condensed 2 big crowds into 1 there. Silly.

Guarantees a sell-out. Genius IMO.

 

[Springs09]

Guarantees a sell-out. Genius IMO.

Yeah maybe we should open it on Origin 1. Guaranteed sell-out. Genius.

 

[Panther_Daz]

Guarantees a sell-out. Genius IMO.

To be fair the Eels would have sold out against the Titans if it was the opening of their new stadium.

 

[thorson1987]

Tigers v Dogs on a Sunday at Campbelltown. Surely that gets a decent crowd. Plenty of dogs fans out here.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

Tigers v Dogs on a Sunday at Campbelltown. Surely that gets a decent crowd. Plenty of dogs fans out here.

The lack of attendance at Campbelltown Stadium in the past few years is surprising. The area is bursting with kids. What’s the go there?

 

[thorson1987]

Up for a trip out to Bathurst next year @umina panther?

 

[thorson1987]

The lack of attendance at Campbelltown Stadium in the past few years is surprising. The area is bursting with kids. What’s the go there?

Plenty of people moving out here already support other clubs or don't follow the game at all.

 

[umina panther]

Up for a trip out to Bathurst next year @umina panther?

Might be able to sell it to the missus as a weekend away. I'll let you know

 

[Differ To The Coifed]

Plenty of people moving out here already support other clubs or don't follow the game at all.

Correct. I see more sharks gear on fans than tigers out here.

 

[Vic Mackey]

Knights gifted a very soft draw.
Surprise, Surprise.
Looks like the NRL have decided to give them a leg up.

West Tigers also have a soft draw.

NRL looking to make the Comp as “even” as possible.

Well we had the ‘hardest’ draw last year so that’s fair. Maybe we should take performance enhancing drugs an cheat the salary cap to catch up to you blokes?

 

[Vic Mackey]

The lack of attendance at Campbelltown Stadium in the past few years is surprising. The area is bursting with kids. What’s the go there?

We don’t play on dole weeks

 

[Diesel]

Who creates the draw each year, is it in house or put out to contract?


I get it no one will be 100% happy and that’s life, but just some scheduling & common sense goes a long way

 

[Springs09]

One good thing is ANZ games go from 33 down to 20 next year.

WSS gets 14 games - Eels 9, Tigers 4, Dogs 1

 

[Fire]

Warriors v Dragons is at the dick and shit show at Suncorp Stadium.

I wanted to go over to NZ this year with my family to see that game.

Go f**k yaself Greenberg ya f**ken f**khead jabroni.

 

[sempmrh]

Pretty happy with Storm's draw - there's only a couple of home games which cause minor issues for me but nothing I can't work with.

I think the thing that has bothered me about the draw for a few years now is having long stretches without a home game. If you have a couple of away games in a row with a bye in between you can be waiting a month before your next home game. Not the end of the world but still a little frustrating.