Here is all you need to know about the Canterbury Bulldogs' revised 2020 Telstra Premiership draw.
The Lowdown
Teams they play twice
Dragons, Eels, Wests Tigers, Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs.
Teams they play once
Cowboys, Roosters, Sharks, Broncos, Knights, Storm, Warriors, Raiders, Titans, Panthers.
Day-by-day breakdown
Thursday - 3 games, Friday - 1, Saturday - 5, Sunday - 10, Monday - 1
The restart
The Dogs head up the M1 to meet Manly on the Central Coast to get things underway then play five straight games at Bankwest Stadium starting with the Dragons, Roosters and Sharks.
The best are coming back
Five key match-ups
Eels (Round 12, Venue TBC): The Bulldogs will be looking to turn things around after a lot of one-way traffic in this historic stoush – Parramatta won eight of nine clashes between 2007-11, then Canterbury claimed nine of the next 10 up until 2016, before the Eels ran out victors in seven of the last nine including the opening match of the 2020 season.
Rabbitohs (Round 8, Bankwest Stadium; Round 19, Venue TBC): The shutdown put paid to the traditional Good Friday meeting between these clubs but expect plenty of feeling nonetheless in round nine. The Bunnies had won four straight before Canterbury's round-22 win last year.
Sea Eagles (Round 3, Central Coast Stadium; Round 18, Venue TBC): No doubt it still stings a wee bit for Canterbury fans to see Des Hasler flying high at Manly once more while their club only just emerges out of the salary cap mess that ended his tenure. The Sea Eagles were narrow victors in their clash in 2019 so the Bulldogs would love to return the favour as the NRL gets back underway in round three.
Storm (Round 13, Venue TBC): The Dogs have lost four straight against the competition heavyweights, having triumphed in six straight before that. This game, originally scheduled for Perth, is the only meeting between the two this year and will be a big morale-boost to Dean Pay's men if they can force an upset.
Panthers (round 20, Venue TBC): The only meeting between these two in 2020 comes in the final round of the regular season, meaning it could be must-win to get into the finals for one or both of these teams. Adding some spice, ex-Panthers star Dallin Watene-Zelezniak readies for his second game against his former club after a first-up win last year.
It's game on
Toughest stretch
Rounds 6-10. Things ramp up quickly for the blue-and-whites with four of five games from round six coming against teams that played finals footy last year, starting with the Roosters.
You can download the full 2020 Premiership draw or just your team's schedule directly into your calendar with eCal. Download it now
