Reigning premiers Penrith will launch the 2022 NRL season against Manly, after the full draw was confirmed this morning.
The Panthers will kick-off the season when they host the Sea Eagles at Bluebet Stadium on March 10, a match that pits Clive Churchill Medallist Nathan Cleary against Dally M Medallist Tom Trbojevic.
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The Jason Demetriou era at Souths gets underway the following night, live and free on Nine, when the Rabbitohs play Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium, a match that will also see Broncos’ recruit Adam Reynolds come up against his former club for the first time.
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Also on March 11, Craig Fitzgibbon makes his debut as an NRL coach, when the Sharks play Canberra, at GIO Stadium, pitting Fitzgibbon against his former mentor Ricky Stuart.
The Roosters get the chance for revenge in Round 2, when they face Manly, the same team that ended their 2021 campaign with a 42-6 thumping in week two of the finals.
Round 2 also sees the mouth-watering prospect of Newcastle hosting the Tigers, a match that will be played against the backdrop of the ongoing saga over the future of Luke Brooks.
Fans won’t have to wait too long for the grand final rematch, with Penrith and Souths to face off in Round 4. That match will be played at Bluebet Stadium on Friday, April 1.
The traditional Anzac Day clash between the Dragons and Roosters will be live and free on Nine from the SCG, while Magic Round has been set down for Round 10 in mid-May, with Suncorp Stadium once again hosting all eight matches across three days.
Manly and Brisbane will feature in the Friday night match on Nine, while the Saturday night sees the blockbuster clash between Penrith and Melbourne, the two clubs that finished 1-2 at the conclusion of the 2021 regular season. That match will be live and free on Nine, as will Sunday’s clash between the Roosters and Eels.
Those two clubs face perhaps the toughest draw of all the clubs. They’ve each been scheduled to play all four top-four teams from 2021 twice each. Manly, on the other hand, only has four matches against top-four teams from 2021, with just one match each against grand finalists Penrith and Souths.
This year’s wooden spooners, the Bulldogs, could find themselves in similar trouble early in 2022. After starting against fellow 2021 strugglers the Cowboys and Broncos, Canterbury then faces Manly, Melbourne, Penrith and Souths in consecutive weeks from Round 3.
The Cowboys don’t face any of the ‘Big Four’ until Round 11, but they’ll be hoping to have a top eight spot stitched up with time to spare, given they face Penrith and Souths in the final two matches of the regular season.
The New Zealand Warriors face the prospect of another long stint on the road, under a worst-case scenario in the draw for 2022.
The Warriors don’t play at Mt Smart Stadium until Round 15 in June, instead playing their home matches in Queensland.
It’s a stark reminder of the realities of international travel in the COVID-19 era, although Redcliffe residents will get an early taste of regular NRL action even before the Dolphins enter the competition, with many of the Warriors’ matches set down for Moreton Daily Stadium.
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