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Blockbuster NRL round one fixtures revealed for 2020
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/
The NRL will host four potential sellouts in a spectacular opening to the 2020 season.
A copy of the first round draw, leaked to The Sunday Telegraph, features huge afternoon games over the weekend in Sydney rather than the unpopular Thursday and Friday night timeslots.
The full house signs could go up at four venues:
# The Parramatta Eels hosting the Canterbury Bulldogs at Bankwest Stadium.
# The Cowboys playing the Broncos at the magnificent new stadium in Townsville.
# Brookvale Oval to host the Manly Sea Eagles against their arch-rivals Melbourne Storm on a Sunday afternoon.
# And the Penrith Panthers at home to premiers the Sydney Roosters on a Saturday night.
It is a huge match against the best team in the competition for Ivan Cleary and his Panthers who desperately need a strong start to the season to build confidence in the playing group.
The full draw will be released on Tuesday with the first round of the competition kicking off on Thursday night, March 12.
The Battle of Brookvale will headline the opening round. Picture: Brendon Thorne
The Battle of Brookvale will headline the opening round. Picture: Brendon Thorne
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The timeslot no one wants — 6pm on a Friday evening — has gone to grand finalists the Canberra Raiders in what will be a tough sell against wooden spooners the Gold Coast Titans and their new coach Justin Holbrook.
Still, the excitement the green machine generated throughout the finals series will ensure a solid turn out in the national capital.
Manly’s home game against Storm on a Sunday afternoon at a suburban ground will be as good as it gets. Only the Roosters, Rabbitohs rivalry is more bitter than the Sea Eagles and Melbourne.
After a disastrous 2019 campaign, St George-Illawarra and embattled coach Paul McGregor launch their recovery season in Wollongong against the Wests Tigers on Sunday evening.
Like the Panthers, they are absolutely desperate for early success.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are at home at ANZ Stadium on the Saturday evening against the Cronulla Sharks in what should be one of the closest games.
The NRL crowds were down this year about two per cent on 2018.
More strategies have been put in place in this year’s schedule for big games to be played in family friendly timeslots rather than on school nights.
ROUND ONE 2020
Thursday, March 12
Eels v Bulldogs, Bankwest Stadium (Nine/Fox League), 8.05pm (all Sydney times)
Friday, March 13
Raiders v Titans, GIO Stadium (Fox League), 6.00pm
Cowboys v Broncos, Townsville Stadium (Nine/Fox League), 8.05pm
Saturday, March 14
Knights v Warriors, McDonald Jones Stadium (Fox League), 3.00pm
Rabbitohs v Sharks, ANZ Stadium (Fox League), 5.30pm
Panthers v Roosters, Panthers Stadium (Fox League), 7.35pm
Sunday, March 15
Sea Eagles v Storm, Lottoland (Nine/Fox League), 4.05pm
Dragons v Tigers, WIN Stadium (Fox League), 6.15pm
Wonder how many free to air games we will get
To answer your question it is two on FTA, one during a split Origin round.
The home games splits are Thursday night x 1, Friday 6pm x 2, Sunday arvo x 4 (one is a Magic Round game v Panthers), Saturday either 3pm or 5.30pm x 5.
We have three away games in a row between rounds 4-6 and these are Roosters, Storm and Manly. Ouch.
Overall a family friendly draw with most games in the day or 6pm starts.
Don’t mind it and better than we deserve I feel.
Our first 6 games are all against top 8 sides, and 3 in a row away against Roosters, Storm, Melbourne. Would be genuinely shocked if we make it out of the first 6 with a win. And then team morale is going to be ruined by then, cheers NRL
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...4qztadqAQP01-w
We're in trouble....
Yeh tough start but ya never know, Holbrook might have some fairy dust and we may be a different team! Can only hope!
Beat Canberra in Round 1 in Canberra and we are well on our way to turning our club around
Good chance to catch the good teams off guard, hopefully theyre abit rusty and we out enthuse them
Gee all 24 games next year we have to play teams who finished above us this year.
I feel like welcoming the Friday 6pm games 'family friendly time-slot' is a bit of a politicians response. If it was actually a desirable slot in terms of ratings and attendance, lets be honest, they wouldn't be giving them to us. The problem with a draw full of likely top of the table teams is less whether you can win them or not, but more that you can't take points away from the teams likely to be in spots 6-10 on the ladder. So even if you can cause an upset or two it is still an uphill battle. That being said, I will maintain the cautious optimism I carry into every season, especially if we can make an off-season pickup or two.
Long time lurker on this forum, it seemed the most appropriate place to share my slightly bias opinion on the matter.
Best time to play the top teams is around origin and the beginning of the year. So not too bad.
Bloody Drongoes get 12 home games again.
The NEL keeps giving them a leg up and I cannot understand why the other clubs don’t complain.
Why the away team against the Broncos is allocated as the home team in the magic round at Suncorp just baffles me and the Drongoes must be laughing their heads off at the buffoons at the NRL