New Zealand Warriors 2019 Season Draw

Author: Chris Kennedy NRL.com Reporter
Timestamp: Fri 26 Oct 2018, 11:20 AM

Here is all you need to know about the New Zealand Warriors' 2019 Telstra Premiership draw.

Teams they play twice: Sea Eagles, Titans, Rabbitohs, Storm, Knights, Panthers, Broncos, Sharks, Raiders.

Teams they play once: Bulldogs, Wests Tigers, Cowboys, Dragons, Eels, Roosters.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - One, Friday - Seven, Saturday - Twelve, Sunday – Four.

Five-day turnarounds: 1 (Rd 7).

Kick-off: The Warriors will need to clear customs just once in the opening month of the Telstra Premiership - they kick off the season in Auckland against Canterbury before travelling to Campbelltown in round two for a Sunday clash with the Wests Tigers. They will technically be the away team in round three against Manly in Christchurch before heading back to Mt Smart Stadium for a tussle with the Titans.

The five key clashes

Storm (Round 7, AAMI Park): There is always plenty of feeling when the Warriors meet the Storm, not least because the first of what is usually two meetings per year happens on Anzac Day. The last April 25 meeting didn't go so well for Steve Kearney's men, battered to the tune of 50-10. Look for a tougher showing this time around.

Panthers (Round 10, Panthers Stadium): Two of the most unpredictable matches of 2018 were played out by the Warriors and Panthers before a third topsy-turvy meeting in September saw Penrith dump the Warriors out of the finals race.

Five key matchups of the Warriors' 2019 draw

The first of the three meetings didn't even happen until round 17, when a baby Panthers side wracked by Origin and injury omissions blew a settled Warriors side off the park at Penrith 36-4. An almost carbon copy reversal less than two months later saw the Warriors run out easy 36-16 winners in Auckland. They would have thought they were headed for a repeat dose in the second week of the finals when they were up 12-0 after 15 minutes in their elimination final before Penrith did what Penrith do and came home over the top.

Raiders (Round 20, Mt Smart Stadium): The Raiders provided the Warriors with two highly memorable battles last season and New Zealanders will have happy memories of both. In round three they were down 19-4 with 20 to play before tries to Tohu Harris and Issac Luke got them to 19-18 with three minutes left. Two Shaun Johnson field goals in two minutes snatched a stunning win. Johnson's boot was in action again in round 25 as the Warriors celebrated Simon Mannering's 300th NRL game in style with two penalty goals in the final 15 minutes to seal a 20-16 win.

Dragons (Round 9, Suncorp Stadium): Another team the Warriors managed to best twice in-season in 2018, and one of them was one of the Warriors' best all year. Both teams were unbeaten after five rounds and being spoken of as genuine premiership threats. In round 21, with both sides having slipped down the ladder, the stakes were even higher at WIN Stadium when the Warriors eked out a crucial 18-12 win. Oddly, they scored all their points in the first half while the Dragons scored all theirs in the second. At the time, it looked like it could be the difference in them making or missing the finals. Keep an eye out for bench weapon Leeson Ah Mau up against his former club.

Bulldogs (Round 21, Mt Smart Stadium): The Warriors will be keen for a rematch in this one. Late in the season with their top eight hopes hanging somewhat precariously, the Warriors travelled to ANZ Stadium to face a Bulldogs team sitting in 14th and not expected to cause them too much trouble. It looked like playing out that way as Gerard Beale crossed early but a spirited Dogs team went try for try with the Warriors in what turned into a high-scoring thriller. The result was a major blow to the Warriors' eventually unfulfilled hopes of a home final. There are usually plenty of Kiwi reps facing off against each other when these sides play, adding to the feeling. The Dogs will have Kieran Foran, Reimis Smith, Raymond Faitala-Mariner and Corey Harawira-Naera involved here.

NRL Telstra premiership draw 2019

Toughest stretch: Rounds 22-25. A bigger travel load is a given for the Auckland-based club but mercifully they do not head to Sydney on more than two consecutive weeks at any stage in 2019. Probably the toughest spell is the run into the finals, starting with premiers Sydney Roosters at the SCG in round 22 followed by the Sharks at Shark Park the following week off a six-day turnaround. They return home off another six-day break to host the Rabbitohs before plenty more travel in round 25 when they venture to Canberra to round off the regular season.

And another thing: Even though the Warriors jagged their first win in Perth in round one last season, Stephen Kearney's men will be relieved they have dodged the huge return trip altogether this year for the first time since 2011, contributing to a drop in the team's overall travel workload in 2019.