The Women’s State of Origin will likely be expanded to a full three-match series in 2024 as full particulars of the NRL and NRLW fixture for the upcoming season have been revealed.
Key factors:
- The Women’s State of Origin will start on May 16 as the opener to Magic Round
- Cronulla will solely play 9 video games towards 2023 NRL finalists subsequent season
- The males’s and ladies’s grand finals will likely be performed on October 6
Cronulla have emerged as the largest winners of the NRL’s 2024 draw, handed what’s theoretically the simplest schedule of all 17 golf equipment.
The NRL introduced its 2024 fixtures on Monday, heralding a brand new period for the sport with Manly and South Sydney kicking off in a Las Vegas double-header on March 2.
Matches will even be performed in Christchurch, Bundaberg and Darwin, whereas the Perth double-header has grow to be a single fixture after the Rabbitohs pulled out.
The grand last will likely be held on October 6, with the occasion to once more embrace deciders for each the lads’s and ladies’s competitions.
Meanwhile, Women’s State of Origin has been expanded according to the lads’s series to three matches.
The series opener will likely be performed at Lang Park on May 16 as the Thursday fixture in Magic Round, earlier than video games in Newcastle and Townsville on June 6 and June 20 respectively.
The Warriors and Storm won’t play on Anzac Day, which has been a function recreation on the calendar in recent times.
This yr the Warriors will even host a recreation on Anzac Day in New Zealand for the primary time since 2015, going through the Gold Coast Titans.
The Storm will host South Sydney on Anzac Day in place of the New Zealand outfit.
But it’s the Sharks who ought to stroll away from Monday the happiest, after bowing out of the primary week of the finals this yr.
Craig Fitzgibbon’s males solely have 9 video games towards 2023’s top-eight groups, the bottom of any membership within the draw.
They additionally solely play the Warriors twice out of final season’s high 4, whereas going through all of the underside 4 from 2023 two instances.
In distinction, Melbourne has suffered the hardest run.
Craig Bellamy’s good round-one file will face its sternest take a look at towards Penrith on March 8.
And in what looms as doubtlessly the coach’s final season in cost, the Storm solely play one staff from outdoors final season’s backside 9 within the opening eight rounds.
Melbourne additionally cop all different groups from final season’s high 4 twice, whereas taking part in 12 of a potential 14 video games towards the 2023 finalists.
Parramatta and Souths have additionally been handed a tough path again to the finals after final season’s disappointments, with 13 video games towards the highest eight from 2023.
Making issues worse for the Eels is an uncanny sense of deja vu.
After they have been handed three straight video games towards recent golf equipment early in 2023, Parramatta have the equal-most subsequent yr with 5 throughout the entire of 2024.
Clubs such as Manly and St George Illawarra don’t have any such match-ups.
The Sea Eagles additionally don’t have any five-day turnarounds, whereas the Eels are one of six golf equipment with three unfold all through the season.
Newcastle, in the meantime, have walked away as the largest winners on the industrial entrance.
On the again of 2023’s Kalyn Ponga mania, the Knights have elevated from seven free-to-air video games final season to 12 in 2024.
South Sydney have probably the most video games on free-to-air in 2024 with 14 matches, with the Brisbane Broncos the following most with 13.
AAP
