South Sydney Rabbitohs 2019 Season Draw

Author: Tanisha Stanton NRL.com Reporter
Timestamp: Fri 26 Oct 2018, 02:57 PM

Here is all you need to know about the South Sydney Rabbitohs 2019 Telstra Premiership draw.

Teams they play twice: Roosters, Dragons, Sea Eagles, Warriors, Bulldogs, Panthers, Broncos, Cowboys, Wests Tigers.

Teams they play once: Titans, Raiders, Eels, Knights, Sharks, Storm.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - Four, Friday - Eight, Saturday - Nine, Sunday – Three.

Five-day turnarounds: 0.

Kick-off: Souths begin their mission to improve upon this year’s preliminary final finish with a showdown against their traditional rivals, the Roosters, at the SCG on the first Friday night of the season. They only have one home game in the first four rounds, against the Titans at ANZ Stadium in round three, as well another couple of Sydney fixtures away to the Dragons and Sea Eagles.

Five key matches

Roosters (Round 1, SCG): The Bunnies weren't able to execute Anthony Seibold's "pressure and efforts" game plan when it mattered most as the Roosters ended their season with a 12-4 preliminary final victory. Just in case you didn't think this rivalry already had enough in it, the prospect of Angus Crichton lining up for the Roosters against his ex-club will provide another wrinkle.

Dragons (Round 2, Jubilee Oval): After the teams split their regular season meetings in 208, the Rabbitohs needed three late field goals from Adam Reynolds to score a thrilling 13-12 win over the Dragons in an elimination clash in week two of the finals. Their 2019 meetings promise to be just as tense.

Storm (Round 21, Central Coast Stadium): The Rabbitohs' 30-20 victory over the Storm in round 21 was one of their best wins all season. The teams met again in week one of the finals, but this time the Storm emerged victorious, with a late Cameron Munster field goal capping a 29-28 win. It was a contender for match of the year.

Bulldogs (Round 6, ANZ Stadium): The rivalry between the clubs stretches back decades, and in 2018 it was the Rabbitohs who enjoyed success. After scoring three second half tries en route to a 20-16 win on Good Friday, the Bunnies completed the clean sweep with a 24-6 triumph in round 18.That proved the final victory in Souths' nine-game winning streak.

Brisbane (Round 8, ANZ Stadium): The Broncos were the only team to beat South Sydney twice in the regular season this year, so in 2019 the Bunnies will be out for redemption. The 38-18 win at Suncorp Stadium in round 23 was the most points South Sydney conceded in a match all year.

Toughest stretch: Rounds 18-24. The Bunnies mostly have their tougher games and trips spread out but there are a few tough asks in the seven weeks from round 18 with three trips to Queensland and one to New Zealand and plenty of 2018's finalists in the Dragons, Sharks, Storm, Broncos and Warriors contained in that stretch.

NRL Telstra premiership draw 2019

And another thing: The Bunnies took home games to Perth, Cairns and Gosford last year - this year Central Coast Stadium gets another home game (round 21 against the Storm) while the other two home games taken on the road will be round five's Sunshine Coast Stadium match against the Warriors plus Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium in round nine.