The South Sydney Rabbitohs are pleased to announce that the NRL Telstra Premiership 2019 draw has been released.
Across 25 Rounds of Rugby League, Members and supporters of mighty Red and Green will get to experience their beloved Club in a number of different settings.
The Club is very pleased with the layout of the draw and cannot wait for the new season to begin, especially with such a bumper start.
Kicking off on Friday 15 March, the Red and Green's 2019 campaign will get underway against arch-rivals the Sydney Roosters at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
It will be the first time since 2016 that both the Rabbitohs and the Roosters have clashed in Round 1 and the first time since 1993 the two have battled it out at the hallowed turf of the SCG.
Club CCO and former Rabbitohs player Shannon Donato is extremely pleased with the draw and is very happy that the two old foes will get the opportunity to play each other in Round 1.
"I think its an eight out of ten (the draw), I think it will be pretty well received overall from our Members," said Mr Donato.
"It's fantastic the NRL has brought back the Roosters to kick off the season and to bookend the season at the other end the year, we were average 30000 plus when we kicked off the season and when we finished the season in Round 25 so that should be really well received."
The Cardinal and Myrtle will then play their first home game in Round 3 against the Gold Coast Titans, which will be one of nine games the Club will play at ANZ Stadium.
Out of those nine games, the Rabbitohs will play five of them on the weekend making it easier for Members and supporters to see their beloved team.
"It's really pleasing that five of our nine games are on the weekend the scheduling of the matches in terms of being played on the weekend than and the weeknight is a big factor in determining attendance," Mr Donato explained.
In 2019 the Rabbitohs will also play two games in Queensland.
The first massive clash will be played on the Sunshine Coast, where the Red and Green will host the New Zealand Warriors at Sunshine Coast Stadium in Round 5.
The Club is extremely excited about the opportunity to play on the Sunshine Coast and give back to the Club's Queensland Members.
"Outside of NSW South Eastern Queensland is our biggest catchment for Members, we've got over 3000 members in that region," said Mr Donato.
"We identify South Eastern Queensland as being a really important part of the Rabbitohs future and we're trying to 'Rabbitise' South East Queensland and especially the Sunshine Coast."
The second match in Queensland will be played in Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium, where the Club will take part in the inaugural Magic Weekend, taking on the North Queensland Cowboys.
The Club will also be heading back to its second-biggest supporter catchment area, the Central Coast, to take on the 2018 Grand Finalist, the Melbourne Storm.
Last year, Members and supporters of Souths packed out the Gosford based venue to see the Rabbitohs put on an attacking clinic against the Canberra Raiders.
"The Central Coast is our second biggest catchment inside NSW for Members, so its a really important that we take games to where our Members are," explained Mr Donato
"It was really well received it was close to a full house and I hoping we can get a full house this year."
Supporters of the Club will also get to try out the brand new Western Sydney Stadium when the Rabbitohs face up against both the Parramatta Eels and the Wests Tigers in Round 12 and Round 15 respectively.
The state of the art complex has been purposely designed for rectangular sports, which should make watching the Cardinal and Myrtle even greater.
To finish up the regular season, Souths will host the Roosters at ANZ Stadium, which caps off a dynamic draw, which also features zero five day turnarounds for the team.
To see the full the draw please click the link! And to download a printable version follow along right here!
