Cronulla Sharks handed a dream run while Melbourne Storm and Parramatta Eels face horror schedule in 2024 as NRL draw is released
- Winners and losers of the NRL schedule
- The season starts on March 2
- The opening matches will take place in Las Vegas
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo insists the competition’s draw is as fair as possible after Cronulla emerged as the biggest winners from the globetrotting 2024 schedule.
The NRL announced the fixtures on Monday, with South Sydney and Parramatta handing out two of the toughest draws in their battle to return to the finals.
It came as the NRL ushered in a new era for the competition, with Manly and the Rabbitohs kicking off in a double-header in Las Vegas on March 2 with almost 20,000 tickets already sold.
Newcastle host Canberra in the first match in Australia on March 7, with matches also being played in Christchurch, Bundaberg and Darwin.
Perth will host another match, but it has gone from a double-header to a single match after Souths withdrew.
The Cronulla Sharks are the recipients of a dream NRL draw in 2024 and will look to cash in when the season starts
Craig Bellamy already has many headaches after high roster turnover in recent years and now faces a challenging draw
The Warriors will host a match on Anzac Day in New Zealand for the first time since 2015, as one of three games to be played on April 25.
But it’s the Sharks who should walk away the happiest on Monday, having exited the first week of this year’s finals.
Craig Fitzgibbon’s men have played just nine games against the top eight teams of 2023, the fewest of any club in the draw.
They also play last season’s top four Warriors just twice, while they face all of the 2023 bottom four twice.
In contrast, Melbourne has had the toughest run.
Craig Bellamy’s perfect record in the first round will be put to the test against Penrith on March 8.
And in what is emerging as possibly the coach’s final season in charge, the Storm will play just one team from outside last season’s bottom nine in the opening eight rounds.
Melbourne also twice outlasted all other teams in last season’s top four, while playing 12 of a possible 14 matches against the 2023 finalists.
Eels fans hoping for a break after missing the 2023 finals won’t be happy with the NRL draw they received
In a unique quirk of the draw, Manly will not have to play one team in 2024 and will not have a five-day turnaround.
Parramatta and Souths have also faced a difficult path back to the finals after last season’s disappointments, with 13 games against the 2023 top eight.
Making matters worse for the Eels is an eerie sense of deja vu.
After getting three straight games against new clubs at the start of 2023, Parramatta will have the most draws next year with five across the whole of 2024.
Clubs such as Manly and St George Illawarra do not have such competitions.
The Sea Eagles also have no five-day turnarounds, while the Eels are one of six clubs with three spread throughout the season.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have walked away as the biggest winners commercially.
Thanks to 2023’s Kalyn Ponga mania, the Knights have gone from seven free-to-air games last season to 12 in 2024.
South Sydney have also ended Brisbane’s long run as the game’s most watched team, with 14 free-to-air matches to Brisbane’s 13.
KEY NRL DATES IN 2024:
Newcastle were the surprise package of 2023, who will be the new standout team when the 2024 season starts?
March 2: Season opener in Las Vegas (Manly v South Sydney, Sydney Roosters v Brisbane)
March 21: Penrith v Brisbane (Grand Final rematch in round three)
May 16: Women’s State of Origin I, Suncorp Stadium
May 17-19: Magic Round, Suncorp Stadium
June 5: Men’s State of Origin I, Accor Stadium
June 6: Women’s State of Origin II, Newcastle
June 26: Men’s State of Origin II, MCG
June 27: Women’s State of Origin III, Townsville
July 17: Men’s State of Origin III, Suncorp Stadium
October 6: NRL and NRLW grand finals.