Shannon Meyer has analysed the full 2024 National Rugby League draw with some key takeaways from the schedule announced on November 13.
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NO EXCUSES FOR THE SHARKS MISSING OUT ON THE EIGHT
Measurement: based degree of difficulty where the opponent finished on the 2023 NRL ladder.
It’s a tough start to the season for the Storm as they face four of last season’s top five in their first four games, with a bye in round 4. On their side is that three of those games are at home.
For the Queensland-based sides, the Dolphins play three of the bottom four from 2023 and Titans play second last, third last and fifth last to start the season.
It’s not great reading for the Rabbitohs as they have the fourth most difficult draw to start the season and the hardest run into the 2024 NRL finals series.
The Sharks have the biggest advantage with a favourable draw ahead of the Warriors and Knights. There’s no excuses for the side from the Shire to miss the eight.
WARRIORS CONTINUE TO BE MOST TRAVELLED SIDE, TIGERS NEED TO JUMP ON THE BUS
Measurement: kilometres travelled during the NRL season. This excludes the double-header in Las Vegas to open the season.
The Warriors travel the most unsurprisingly, and their reward for an outstanding 2023 campaign is they travel for a further approximately 2,000 kilometres in 2024 compared to 2023.
On the other hand, the Roosters travel less than 200km in the first seven rounds, if you ignore the small thing of a trip to Las Vegas.
KNIGHTS THE SUNDAY KINGS, EELS ON FRIDAY NIGHT REPEAT
Knights’ fans will have to clear their diaries for over half of the Sunday’s played during the NRL season with 58% of games scheduled for that day.
Parramatta will dominate Friday night viewing with half their games falling in that timeslot.
The Cowboys, Titans and Tigers will enjoy playing mainly on Saturday in the new year.
Melbourne won’t be blinded by the daylight in 2024 with just a single day game scheduled for the club.
TURNAROUND BETWEEN MATCHES
Turnaround times have been all the more important under the Head Injury Assessment concussion policy implemented this season where players are stood down for an 11-day period.
Penrith lead the way with four times having to turnaround within a five-day period. Seven of the 17 sides will have only one instance during 2024, led by the Roosters, Warriors, and Knights.
At the backend of the season, Brisbane will receive a round 24 bye which will be beneficial should they make the finals series. The only other two top 8 sides from 2023 to have a bye in the final seven rounds are the Roosters (round 23) and Knights (round 21).
Conclusion
We have applied a weighted score based on the average turnaround time of each side and draw difficulty based on where teams finished in the 2023 season.
Leading the way with the easiest draw are the Sharks (6.99), followed by the Roosters (7.18) and Knights (7.24). The teams with the worst draw are the Storm (8.07), Bulldogs and Eels (7.88).
The full list is: Sharks (6.99), Roosters (7.18), Knights (7.24), Broncos (7.33), Raiders (7.36), Warriors (7.38), Dragons (7.46), Dolphins (7.51), Rabbitohs (7.55), Sea Eagles (7.55), Panthers (7.61), Cowboys (7.76), Titans (7.80), Tigers (7.85), Eels (7.88), Bulldogs (7.88), Storm (8.07).
