By Matty Person
Analysing a club’s fixture strength is a key element in planning your initial NRL Supercoach squad, as well as trades throughout the year.
Jumping on an attack reliant player with an expected soft run of games can lead to a huge uptick in scoring, conversely a hard run of fixtures could prove fatal to their Supercoach output.
We don’t have a crystal ball as to which clubs will thrive and which will struggle in 2025, however we can use the 2024 season as a guide to aid our decisions.
On that, let’s have a look at each club’s draw in-depth.
I’ve rated the draw for each side by splitting last season’s ladder into five tiers, rather than top 4, top 8, bottom 4 etc.
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TIER 1
Panthers
Storm
TIER 2
Sharks
TIER 3
Sea Eagles
Bulldogs
Roosters
TIER 4
Cowboys
Knights
Raiders
Dolphins
Dragons
Broncos
Rabbitohs
TIER 5
Titans
Eels
Tigers
Embed from Getty ImagesLet’s start with the clubs with the hardest draw and work through to the clubs with the softest, keeping in mind there are no easy games in the NRL, especially early on in the season.
I’ve also taken into account the first 10 games of the season, factoring in how many home and away games clubs will play in that period.
A 10 is the hardest draw, while a 1 is the softest.
OVERVIEW
- The Panthers, Cowboys, Rabbitohs and Sharks have the hardest draw to begin the season.
- The Knights, Sea Eagles, Bulldogs and Dolphins have the softest draws to begin the season
PENRITH PANTHERS
The four-peat Panthers have been handed a devilish draw to start the season, punishment for dominance perhaps?
With their home ground being reconstructed, they’ve adopted CommBank Stadium in the interim and only have three games at this venue in the pre-Origin period.
7/10 games are against last year’s top 8 sides, they play none against last year’s bottom 4.
The only reason their draw isn’t a 10/10 rating is that they don’t have to play themselves.
DIFFICULTY RATING 9.5/10
Embed from Getty ImagesNORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
Unlike recent seasons, the Cowboys haven’t been handed a soft early draw.
Previous years they have been favoured with plenty of early home games, which isn’t the case this season.
They only have two home games leading into the round 6 bye.
They start with Manly away, Sharks at home, Broncos away, Raiders at home then the Panthers and Rabbitohs on a back-to-back Sydney road trip before the bye.
They then receive a slight reprieve at home against the Titans before a trip across the ditch to face the Warriors, then they have two home games against the Panthers and Sea Eagles.
DIFFICULTY RATING: 8/10
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS
After a horror season for the Bunnies, the return of Wayne Bennett brings hope for an improved showing in 2025, however the draw has done them no favours.
On the road for the first three rounds, the Bunnies play the Dolphins, Dragons and Sharks before a home game against Penrith, then the local derby against the Roosters.
Then it’s the Cowboys, Bulldogs, Storm and Knights. That’s a seven game stretch against last year’s top 8 sides, before two home games against the Broncos and Tigers.
DIFFICULTY RATING: 7.5/10
CRONULLA SHARKS
Many are expecting the Sharkies to be title contenders in 2025, so the early draw should test their chances.
They face the Panthers in Vegas, before a road trip to Townsville which isn’t an ideal start.
Two home games follow against the Bunnies and Bulldogs, followed by a tough road trip to the Nation’s Capital to face Canberra, then they’re home against Manly.
This leads into a four week road trip, heading up the M1 to Newcastle then the Tigers, Eels at Suncorp for Magic Round, then to 4Pines against Manly before finally landing at home against the Storm.
DIFFICULTY RATING 7.5/10
Embed from Getty ImagesSYDNEY ROOSTERS
Having lost several long-standing stars at the end of 2024, the last thing the Chooks needed was an awkward draw and that’s exactly what they received.
They kick off with the Broncos at Suncorp, then a home game against the Premiers Penrith, before flying over the ditch for the Warriors.
They then face the Titans and Rabbitohs at home, before they play Penrith again in round 7, so that’s twice in 6 rounds!
They then face the Dragons at home, Dolphins away for Magic Round, before a much-needed Bye and another away game against the Bulldogs.
DIFFICULTY RATING 7/10
WESTS TIGERS
When you’ve taken out the timberware three seasons running, one might like to think there would be some early draw reprieve for the hapless Tigers.
Sadly it’s not the case and when you look at some of the other side’s draws, Tigers fans will no doubt feel hard done bye.
They’ll only play three genuine home games in the first 10 rounds, being at Leichhardt and Campbelltown, largely as a result of playing a home game on Easter Monday at CommBank against the Eels, and a home game for Magic Round at Suncorp.
While most games are against middle ranked sides, they only have home games against the Knights in Round 1, The Warriors in round 4 and the Sharks in round 8.
They can’t even rely on the bye for two points until the first big bye round.
DIFFICULTY RATING 7/10
Embed from Getty ImagesBRISBANE BRONCOS
Like the next four sides, the Broncos early draw is fairly middle of the road.
They play 7 of 10 at home which is excellent, thanks to an away game against the Dolphins and Magic Round, with 4 of those against top 8 sides from last season.
They start with two away games against the Roosters and Raiders, before playing four straight at Suncorp.
DIFFICULTY RATING 6/10
ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
The Dragons have the bye in round 3 and three straight home games in rounds 1, 2 and 4, however they are against the Bulldogs, Rabbitohs and Storm.
From there it’s the Eels away, Titans at home, Manly, Chooks and Tigers for three straight away games, Warriors at home and Broncos away.
DIFFICULTY RATING 6/10
NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
The Warriors draw is fairly middle of the road with 5 at home and 5 away.
They don’t play the Panthers, but do play the Storm and 6 of 10 games are against fellow sides in that middle tier.
They begin away in Vegas in Round 1 against the Raiders, before two at home against Manly and the Chooks, then away to the Tigers before a bye.
They are then away in Melbourne, then head home against the Broncos and Knights, Magic Round against the Cowboys, then away to the Dragons and Dolphins.
DIFFICULTY RATING 6/10
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GOLD COAST TITANS
The Titans start with a bye, then the Bulldogs away, Knights at home, Roosters away, Dolphins at home, Dragons away, Raiders at home, it’s a fair draw.
They then have the Cowboys away, Bulldogs for Magic Round, then the Knights and Raiders on the road.
They’ve managed to dodge the Panthers, Storm and Sharks, but don’t play any of last year’s bottom 4.
DIFFICULTY RATING 6/10
CANBERRA RAIDERS
Kicking off against the Warriors in Vegas, it’s then back home against the Broncos before back-to-back away games at 4Pines and Townsville.
They’re then home against the Sharks, then have away fixtures against two of last year’s bottom 4 in the Eels and Titans.
Then it’s back home against the Dolphins, Magic Round against the Storm, before two home games against the Bulldogs and Titans. Not easy, not particularly hard.
DIFFICULTY RATING 6/10
Embed from Getty ImagesPARRAMATTA EELS
Starting with a tough road trip to Melbourne, the Eels then have the Tigers and Bulldogs at home before a road trip to 4Pines, back home against the Dragons and a trip to Darwin against the Raiders.
They then pinch a home game off the Tigers for the Easter Monday Spoon Bowl replay, then have a bye before facing the Sharks away, Dolphins at home and Knights away.
DIFFICULTY RATING 5.5/10
DOLPHINS
Straight off the bat, the Dolphins have 7 out of 11 at home and 8 out of 11 in QLD!
They’re only leaving the state in round 2 to head to Newcastle, round 8 to Canberra and round 10 to CommBank.
They do have back-to-back games against the Panthers and Storm in rounds 6 and 7, both at home, but that aside we are starting to talk about soft serve ice-cream here.
DIFFICULTY RATING 4.5/10
MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES
Talk about a blessed first month, Manly start at home against the Cowboys then away against the Warriors.
They then have two more at home against the Raiders and Eels, that’s as soft as it gets early on.
They then have another home game in round 5, albeit against the Storm.
They are then away to the Sharks then back home against the Dragons, that’s 5 out of the first 7 games at 4Pines Stadium.
They are then away against the Panthers, then have the bye and then yet another home game against the Sharks before heading away to the Cowboys, that stretch is the only thing saving Manly’s draw from pure ease (on paper, of course).
DIFFICULTY RATING 4.5/10
Embed from Getty ImagesCANTERBURY BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS
Sneaking under the radar, the Bulldogs have a fairly softish early draw with 4 of 10 against bottom 4 sides and only 3 against top 8 sides from 2024, dodging both the Storm and Panthers as well as Manly.
They face the Dragons away, Titans at home, Eels away, Sharks away, and Knights at home into a round 6 bye, that’s a really nice early draw.
They then face the Rabbitohs at home before a stretch of 3 away games against the Broncos, Titans and Raiders, then they have a home game against the Chooks.
DIFFICULTY RATING 3.5/10
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
I’m not sure what’s happening in the Hunter, however lady luck has shined on the Novocastrians delivering 2025’s softest draw on a platter.
The Knights not only have managed to dodge the Panthers and Storm, they only play two games against top 8 sides from 2024 and play an incredible 6 against bottom 4 sides.
They have 5 home and 5 away with a bye in round 4, they play the Tigers twice in the first 5 rounds.
They have the Tigers away, Dolphins at home, Titans away, bye, Bulldogs away, Tigers at home, Sharks at home, Warriors away, Rabbitohs away, Titans at home, into the Eels at home. That’s ridiculous!
It’s worth noting they then play a depleted Panthers in the first big bye round.
DIFFICULTY RATING 2.5/10
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