Blockbuster clashes lighting up 2020 NRL draw
The 2020 NRL draw has been revealed, and fans will be treated to a host of must-see clashes as rivalries are reignited and local enemies do battle. Here’s the games not to be missed in the upcoming season.
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FIXTURES: Full NRL draw for 2020 season
ANALYSIS: Winners and losers in NRL draw
The full draw for the 2020 NRL season has been announced, and we’ve run an eye over the entire list of fixtures to pinpoint the blockbuster clashes ahead.
From local derbies, to rivalries, to a stunning Anzac Day triple header, here are the must-see games in the upcoming season.
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Round 1: Cowboys v Broncos
North Queensland’s shiny new stadium will add a freshness to the Queensland derby. Brisbane dominated the match-up last season, winning both games. For fans of respective sides it’s a chance to gauge what might be in stall for 2020. The Cowboys were disappointing in 2019 and go into next season without veteran forwards Matt Scott and Scott Bolton. The Broncos were humiliated at the hands of Parramatta in week one of the finals series, will they still bear the scars? Or will coach Anthony Seibold have what it takes to galvanise a roster in a state of flux.
Round 1: Sea Eagles v Storm
What better way to whet your appetite for the rest of the season than a round one battle between bitter - probably the most bitter - modern day rivals. Des Hasler’s Manly outfit of rag tag and misfits were the surprise packets of season 2019. Was it all a fluke? Has Hasler really rediscovered the coaching acumen that many questioned if he still possessed?
Round 2: Broncos v Rabbitohs
The petty digs, the not so subtle sledges… who didn’t enjoy watching South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett and Broncos coach Anthony Seibold openly go at it in the media in the lead-up to this clash in 2019. Bennett boogied in victory when his troops downed his old club at Suncorp Stadium in round 23. Can he jive his way to a 3-0 lead in his duel with Seibold?
Round 3: Rabbitohs v Roosters at ANZ Stadium, the old rivals
The old foes go toe-to-toe to add yet another chapter in the book of feuds. The game’s oldest rivalry is a chance for back-to-back premiers, the Sydney Roosters, to send a message to the rest of the competition very early on in their title defence campaign. While the Roosters will be a mostly unchanged proposition, the Rabbitohs could be without their inspirational leader Sam Burgess if he is forced into retirement. It could be the difference in this, and many other results, for South Sydney.
Round 7: Anzac Day triple header
The Anzac Day clashes are some of the biggest and proudest on the rugby league calendar. In season 2020, the double header is now a footy fest with the Cowboys and the Canterbury Bulldogs added to the schedule.
Round 9: Country clashes
The NRL goes to the bush in May with two big clashes scheduled in Tamworth and Bathurst - which is sure to delight country fans. Tamworth will get to see 2019 grand finalists Canberra, who beat the Tigers on both occasions in 2019. A change in scenery might be exactly what Michael Maguire’s men need to try and even the ledger in 2020.
Round 11: Roosters v Raiders
Who doesn’t love a grand final rematch? Especially when the actual grand final itself was shrouded with a number of controversies - in particular the infamous ‘six again’ mishap from referee Ben Cummins. It has undoubtedly set-up what will be one of the most highly anticipated grand final rematches in recent memory. The biggest question mark over this clash is the fact it will be played in Perth rather than Sydney.
Round 11: Eels v Panthers
It doesn’t get much bigger than two western Sydney powerhouse clubs in the Eels and the Panthers at Bankwest Stadium. While modern day players do their best to play down the rivalry or tension between their neighbouring foes, make no bones about it, the dislike between the rivals is real. The fact Parramatta will field former Panthers juniors in Waqa Blake and Reagan Campbell Gillard will only add fuel to a fiery encounter.
Round 13: Storm v Raiders.
First there was the come from behind for the Raiders in round 22 that pundits have claimed to be the best in the club’s history. Then there was the finals series ambush in week one at AAMI Park. Can Craig Bellamy figure out how to crack Stuart’s new style of play? Or do the Raiders have a psychological edge over the men in purple.
Round 25: Wests Tigers v Cowboys
There is no more fitting way than for Wests Tigers veteran and club legend Benji Marshall to call time on his NRL career than in front of his beloved fans at Leichhardt Oval. It could be the last game he ever plays in the NRL if the Tigers aren’t to move on into the finals series.
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