WAYNE BENNETT'S first game in charge of Newcastle will be against St George Illawarra in a blockbuster opening to the 2012 NRL season.
The Sun-Herald can reveal that the Knights will host Bennett's former team at Ausgrid Stadium on March 1, opening the season with a Thursday night fixture. The NRL is putting the finishing touches on the season schedule, which will be released this week. The key points are:
❏ An earlier start to the season;
❏ A stand-alone weekend of representative football;
❏ The introduction of a State of Origin fixture for National Youth Competition players;
❏ An Anzac Day double header, with games to be staged in Melbourne and Sydney;
❏ Two blockbuster matches in Sydney on Good Friday.
But the biggest talking point will be the opening match, which pits Bennett against the club he took to the 2010 title. Both sets of supporters will be salivating at the prospect and it is sure to be a ratings bonanza. Bennett hasn't spoken publicly about his reasons for shifting to the Hunter, but gave an insight into his affinity for Newcastle in a members' brochure sent out over the weekend.
''I've always had a great respect for the Newcastle Knights,'' Bennett wrote in the pamphlet.
''Over 24 years they've always played a tough and uncompromising brand of football, and displayed qualities such as commitment, mateship and courage, qualities that are clearly part of the fabric of the Hunter Valley.''
Given the excitement about Bennett's arrival, coupled with new owner Nathan Tinkler making good on his promise to make tickets more affordable, the clash is almost certain to be a sell-out.
Playing the match on a Thursday night prevents a clash for free-to-air broadcaster Channel Nine, which also has the rights to the final one-day cricket match being played on the Friday evening.
The representative schedule has been overhauled to have three stand-alone matches. The Kangaroos will take on the Kiwis in New Zealand on Friday night, the NYC Origin clash will be on the Saturday evening and City-Country will be played on the Sunday afternoon at Mudgee. The NRL is in negotiations to have the under-20s representative game in western Sydney.
''By moving the season and starting a week earlier, it [effectively] provides a third bye to all the clubs,'' the NRL's manager of football operations, Nathan McGuirk, said. ''The whole competition takes a rest that weekend, but it's offset somewhat with Anzac Day falling the Wednesday afterwards. Whilst you don't have your NRL fix, you'll have some good representative football and then you only have to wait until the following Wednesday in which two NRL games will be played.
''The traditional match is at the [Sydney] footy stadium between the Dragons and the Roosters and that will be followed by a night match in Melbourne with the Warriors [taking on the Storm].''
Another innovation is a second game on Good Friday. While the teams haven't been locked in, both fixtures will feature Sydney sides and be held in Sydney - one in the afternoon, the other in the evening.
With Greater Western Sydney set to make their AFL debut next year, the NRL has put a focus on protecting its stronghold. To that effect, there will be 80 matches in Sydney, including 16 marquee western Sydney match-ups.
On the one weekend when there isn't any rugby league in Sydney - the weekend of April 20-22 - the Giants have muffed the chance to take advantage with a home game and will instead take on the Crows in Adelaide on the Saturday night.
