2025 NRL Draw news, venues, info

[Saxon]

Okay, so there are issues for many teams about an unfair draw.
I’ll start with the Storm.
How is it fair that they get 7 home games and 3 byes by Round 15?
It was the same in 2024. They are a great side and deserved Grand Finalists, but they were ahead of the pack most of the year on the ladder because they got on a massive roll of home wins. Success breeds success, so don’t tell me having the majority of your home games in the first half of the season is in any way a disadvantage.
The draw sucks.

Oh have a f**king whinge.
So they have 7 home games in the first 14 weeks (6 actually, because one of those "home games" is magic round in Brisbane. Hardly half an hour up the road.) and 5 in the last 13 weeks. How brutally unfair.
And two byes around Origin and one in week two (rather than late in the season where everyone could use a rest). Outrageous!

Also, if you don't understand that bye points are an artifice to comfort the hard of thinking who can't actually process the concept that a team that has played more games has the opportunity to accumulate more points but everyone will play the same number of games eventually, then there's no hope for you.

 

[MugaB]

This thread is moot
The only answer that is nessesary is PENRITH!!!!
That's all that matters, and all other clubs are just beneath them, your draw is automatically stuffed if you have to play them twice, even then they'll just beat you come finals even if you do

 

[Tiger5150]

It's never going to fair when not all teams get to play the Tigers twice....

Meoooowwww.....

Tigers got screwed in this draw, they dont play a single team that finished below them even once.

 

[glockers]

Personally I enjoyed Ricky complaining Canberra got screwed while Fox Sports rated the. The easiest draw.

 

[Incorrect]

Tigers got screwed in this draw, they dont play a single team that finished below them even once.

Yes but you're one of the lucky ones that gets the Eels twice ...

 

[Scootsie]

The draw sucks and it is detrimental to the game. There are just too many holes in how it is managed. That’s the cold hard reality.
I haven’t read anything to say otherwise, the NRL have just stuffed up.
The only people having a whinge on here are those motivated by self interest and those lacking the intellectual capacity to see that the draw could be managed 100 better ways.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Ricky said we got screwed so I'll go with the great man.

 

[ColdWetPanther]

Cows don’t leave Australia and have the 3rd highest kms travelled after 2 teams playing in Vegas

Are we blaming the draw for North Queensland being based in the north of Queensland?

 

[ColdWetPanther]

Don't get me wrong, not saying it's a conspiracy against the roosters. It just seems easy to me to ensure everyone has at least one bye directly before an origin week and then also spread them apart somehwat.

We have 3 byes from rounds 10 - 17 and you guys from rounds 11 - 18.

Re no byes during Origin player unavailable rounds, do we know if that was requested by the Roosters. I know the league takes those things into account.

But if not, that is horrible. I would be pretty p!ssed as a Roosters fans.

In terms of not having a bye in the last 10 rounds (both Penrith and Roosters), surely that is going to happen in a comp where for a majority of rounds there is only one team on the bye. The alternative would be to only play 7 games a week for a five weeks coming into the finals; might make the draw slightly fairer but the networks would not be happy.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

the draw could be managed 100 better ways.

Hahahaha. Name them

 

[AlwaysGreen]

The only problem I have with the draw is that teams who play each other twice do so too close together. Just 1 example:

Round 2: Bulldogs v Titans
Round 9: Titans v Bulldogs

Teams should play every other team before they play someone a second time.

 

[Marshall_magic]

The only problem I have with the draw is that teams who play each other twice do so too close together. Just 1 example:

Round 2: Bulldogs v Titans
Round 9: Titans v Bulldogs

Teams should play every other team before they play someone a second time.

We play the Knights and Eels twice each before ANZAC Day. That side of the draw is a little poor but the cream rises. No team has ever won or lost the premiership because of a draw.

 

[Captain Apollo]

Heck Ricky Stuarty was having a whinge about the Raiders draw for 2025, despite who they play, and are considered to have the sofest draw in the NRL.

 

[Scootsie]

Hahahaha. Name them

Well, start with how they used to do it - pull the teams out of a hat, and alternate each week between home and away games. That’s just one method that doesn’t involve Media and sponsorship moguls wanting to feather their own nests.

 

[MugaB]

The only problem I have with the draw is that teams who play each other twice do so too close together. Just 1 example:

Round 2: Bulldogs v Titans
Round 9: Titans v Bulldogs

Teams should play every other team before they play someone a second time.

A conference or pool system, would solve that, play your pool of 4 (5 including you) then everyone else then your pool again, this would create an instant rivalry with teams in your pool, and reason to be playing them twice, and make those dead rubbers near end of season more intense
20 teams = 23 rounds... 8 inhouse pool games, 15 outhouse pool games, add a magic round for an even 24 rounds, 12 home 12 away, let the broadcasters choose the magic round line ups, top 2 from each conference enters finals

 

[Fangs]

Penrith.

 

[Canard]

Well, start with how they used to do it - pull the teams out of a hat, and alternate each week between home and away games. That’s just one method that doesn’t involve Media and sponsorship moguls wanting to feather their own nests.

I don't believe it's ever been done like that. And the alternating H/A idea takes about 20 seconds of thought to realise its impossible.

It's an insane way to create a draw from a commercial perspective also.

 

[MugaB]

Penrith.

I second this!