NRL release 2015 draw

The NRL has softened the blow of the State of Origin player drain by scheduling fewer matches the weekend before the interstate series next season.

The NRL released its 2015 draw on Monday and said one of the big focuses had been to ensure the quality of football does not suffer during Origin.

It has been a long-running gripe of fans that the level of club football drops during Origin because representative players are ruled out the round before each clash.

NRL Head of Football Todd Greenberg said the game’s governing body had listened to fans, players and broadcasters by scheduling just four games the round before each Origin match.

“We’ve taken one game out of the round prior to every Origin game, which is a good thing for players and for fans,” he said.

“Fans ultimately want to see the best players playing. We’ve listened to that feedback and we’ve made some changes.

“This is an inexact science, you’re not going to get this perfect, but what we do have in 2015 is a strong schedule.”

State of Origin will be played on May 27, June 17 and July 8.

The Bulldogs will return to their spiritual home of Belmore Sportsground in round 20.

They will play at their former home ground for the first time since 1988 when they take on the Sharks on July 20.

The match will see former Dogs skipper Michael Ennis come up against his old club for the first time since making an off-season switch to the Sharks.

The season will kick off with Wayne Bennett’s return to Suncorp Stadium on March 5, when Brisbane host premiers South Sydney.

The next round, the Rabbitohs will clash with traditional rivals Sydney Roosters on Sunday afternoon at ANZ Stadium.

The Bunnies will play their grand final rematch against Canterbury at ANZ Stadium in round five.

Five games will be played across 10 hours on ANZAC Day to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli.

The Warriors will host Gold Coast to kick off the day at noon, followed by Newcastle taking on North Queensland, the Roosters playing St George Illawarra, Melbourne clashing with Manly and Broncos-Parramatta rounding out the day.

Following a backlash from fans over delayed telecasts, Channel Nine’s Sunday afternoon football will also be broadcast live into NSW all season and in Queensland from round six onwards, when daylight savings ends.

The mid-season Test between Australia and New Zealand will be played on a standalone representative weekend from May 1-3, which will also include a Pacific Island double header.

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