NRL 2020 draw winners and losers: How your team fared
The fixtures have been released for the 2020 NRL season and Parramatta, Brisbane and Canberra are big winners but who are the losers? Check out our analysis of the 2020 NRL draw.
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Parramatta, Brisbane and Canberra are the biggest winners.
And it’s the Newcastle, St George Illawarra and Penrith with the toughest draws.
By the time the NRL takes into account requests from broadcasters, club requirements, venue availability and player welfare, the integrity and the fairness of the schedule will never be perfect.
Never has, never will be.
Here is how your team fared:
EVERY TEAM, EVERY ROUND: DOWNLOAD THE FULL NRL DRAW FOR SEASON 2020.
BRONCOS
Once again, the NRL have looked after Brisbane with a draw loaded with ideal game times for big crowds and plenty of rest of recovery.
The Broncos have 11 Friday night games, four Thursday night games, four Sunday games and only five Saturday games.
Seven of their opening 10 games are Friday night encounters
On the flip side, Brisbane face a tough run home though with clashes against benchmark teams Melbourne and the Roosters to finish the regular season.
Breakdown:
Thursday: 4
Friday: 11
Saturday: 5
Sunday: 4
Monday: 0
Grade: A
BULLDOGS
The pressure will be on Canterbury to start well in 2020 with two Thursday night games to open the season against Parramatta (A) and North Queensland (H).
The Bulldogs then take on the Tigers, Sharks, Souths and the Eels again – matches they can win based on their strong finish to last season.
Dean Pay’s men also have a decent run home with games against the Panthers (H), Tigers (H) and Knights (A).
Breakdown:
Thursday: 4
Friday: 5
Saturday: 11
Sunday: 4
Monday: 1
Grade: B
COWBOYS
After a forgettable 2019 season, North Queensland have a strong chance of hitting back this year.
The Cowboys christen their new Townsville stadium in round 1 against Brisbane on a Friday night before winnable games versus the Bulldogs (A), Eels (H) and the Knights (A).
North Queensland must start the season well to have any chance of returning to finals football.
Six Friday night and six Thursday night games will help with recovery while a decent run home against the Sharks (H), Warriors (H) and Tigers (A) is advantageous.
Breakdown:
Thursday: 5
Friday: 7
Saturday: 11
Sunday: 1
Monday: 0
Grade: D
DRAGONS
Paul McGregor’s job could hinge on St George Illawarra capitalising on a favourable draw to open the season.
The Dragons face Tigers (H), Panthers (H), Raiders (A), Eels (A) and Warriors (H) in the first five weeks.
McGregor’s men need to win at least 3 of these 5 games to make their mark in 2020.
The Dragons also have a good run home with three home games against the Eels, Sharks and Rabbitohs.
Breakdown:
Thursday: 4
Friday: 5
Saturday: 5
Sunday: 9
Monday: 1
Grade: C
EELS
Parramatta have the perfect chance to come out firing in 2020 with games against teams from last year’s bottom eight in the first six weeks.
The Eels take on the Bulldogs (H), Titans (A), Cowboys (A), Dragons (H), Tigers (H) and Bulldogs (A).
Parramatta will have to get used to being away from their fortress at Bankwest, though, with only three games at the venue in the opening 10 rounds.
The post-Origin period looks particularly brutal with matches against the Sea Eagles (home), Raiders (away), Rabbitohs (home), Broncos (away), Roosters (home) and Storm (home) in the six weeks following the interstate decider.
Breakdown:
Thursday: 2
Friday: 5
Saturday: 8
Sunday: 8
Monday: 1
Grade: B
KNIGHTS
Newcastle have been handed a horror draw to start the season with only three home games in the first seven rounds.
The Knights face away clashes against the Tigers, Sharks, Manly and the Raiders.
The Novocastrians also have a tough run to the end of the regular season with away games against Brisbane and Parramatta before finishing at home against Canterbury.
Their prime time stock seems to have plummeted — their only two Friday night games of the season are 6pm clashes.
Breakdown:
Thursday: 2
Friday: 2
Saturday: 10
Sunday: 10
Monday: 0
Grade: D
PANTHERS
Penrith’s season could be over before it really gets started with a difficult five weeks to start 2020.
The Panthers have games against top teams the Roosters (H), Dragons (A), Storm (A), Broncos (H) and Raiders (H).
On the plus side, three of these five games are at home but even that advantage won’t guarantee victory against last year’s grand finalists the Roosters and Raiders.
Penrith also have a tough run home with games against the Manly (A) and Parramatta (H).
Breakdown:
Thursday: 3
Friday: 7
Saturday: 3
Sunday: 11
Monday: 0
Grade: C
RABBITOHS
South Sydney have received a mixed draw but at their best they are capable of rising above the schedule to succeed.
The Rabbitohs face the Sharks (H), Broncos (A), Roosters (H), Storm (A), Bulldogs (H), Dragons (H) and Raiders (A) in the first seven weeks.
Wayne Bennett’s men should win at least half of these games but clashes against the Roosters, Storm and Raiders will give us a clear indication of how they’ll go in 2020.
Souths also face a challenging run home with games against last year’s grand finalists the Roosters and Canberra.
Breakdown:
Thursday: 6
Friday: 5
Saturday: 10
Sunday: 3
Monday: 0
Grade: B
RAIDERS
I know Canberra fans are still hurting after the grand final but the 2020 draw should give you some motivation.
The Raiders have seven free-to-air games this season while they have a sensational start to the season.
In the first six weeks, five of the teams they play missed the finals last season.
This should set Canberra up for another successful season.
Breakdown:
Thursday: 1
Friday: 2
Saturday: 12
Sunday: 9
Monday: 0
Grade: B
ROOSTERS
Let’s face it - the draw doesn’t really matter when you have the class that the Sydney Roosters possess.
The Roosters defied a less than perfect draw last year to claim consecutive premierships.
Trent Robinson’s men will be crowing with 11 Saturday night games this season but they face a tough opening to the season with three of their four games away from home.
Breakdown:
Thursday: 1
Friday: 8
Saturday: 11
Sunday: 4
Grade: B
SEA EAGLES
Des Hasler must have Manly firing to survive a difficult first month of the 2020 season.
The Sea Eagles play top teams the Storm (H), Roosters (A) and the Raiders (A) – which could define their year.
On the plus side, Manly then have a decent run home with winnable games against the Warriors, Panthers and Titans.
Breakdown:
Thursday: 2
Friday: 7
Saturday: 9
Sunday: 7
Monday: 0
Grade: C
SHARKS
Cronulla’s inconsistency in 2019 will be put to the ultimate test in the opening seven rounds of the 2020 season.
The Sharks play Souths (A), Storm (H), Knights (H), Bulldogs (A), Roosters (H) and Broncos away.
Sure, they can win clashes against the Knights and Bulldogs but the likes of the Roosters, Broncos the Storm will be difficult.
Although they do do not have to leave Sydney for the first five weeks of the season, with those games all on Saturdays.
The Sharks are resilient and they’ll need it to thrive this season, even with a decent run home against the Cowboys, Dragons and Warriors.
Breakdown:
Thursday: 3
Friday: 7
Saturday: 8
Sunday: 6
Monday: 0
Grade: C
STORM
Melbourne have been the benchmark when it comes to consistency for years but they face the ultimate challenge in 2020.
The Storm start the season with two tough games in Sydney against Manly and Cronulla.
If they can survive this fortnight, it could set up their campaign with three home games following against bottom teams from last year in Penrith and the Gold Coast.
Melbourne then face a huge task in the final three weeks with games against the Roosters (H), Broncos (A) and the Raiders (A).
Breakdown:
Thursday: 4
Friday: 6
Saturday: 12
Sunday: 2
Monday: 0
Grade: B
TITANS
The Gold Coast’s season could be in tatters after five weeks.
That is the reality facing the Titans with clashes against the Raiders (A), Eels (H), Broncos (H), Roosters (A) and Storm (A).
If the Gold Coast fails to fire in these games, they don’t have the talent to bridge the gap at the back end of the season.
They have seven Friday 6pm matches and four at 6pm on Sunday which could impact their already lowly crowds.
Breakdown:
Thursday: 1
Friday: 8
Saturday: 7
Sunday: 8
Monday: 0
Grade: F
WARRIORS
The men from New Zealand have to start the season strongly to have a chance of making the finals.
The Warriors face the Knights (A), Raiders (H), Manly (A) and the Tigers (H) in the opening month.
They must win at least two of these games.
We all know the Warriors thrive during the Origin period before dropping off in the closing rounds.
The New Zealanders will be up against it again this year with Manly (H), Cowboys (A) and Sharks (A) to finish the regular season.
Breakdown:
Thursday: 0
Friday: 8
Saturday: 12
Sunday: 4
Monday: 0
Grade: C
TIGERS
The Tigers have the chance to start 2020 in style with winnable games in the opening six weeks.
Michael Maguire’s men face the Dragons (A), Knights (H), Bulldogs (H), Warriors (A), Eels (H) and Panthers (A).
The Tigers also have a good run home with games in Sydney against the Titans, Bulldogs and Cowboys.
Breakdown:
Thursday: 1
Friday: 6
Saturday: 5
Sunday: 11
Monday: 1
Grade: B