The NSWRL will join with Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and South Sydney Rabbitohs to help farewell ANZ Stadium by staging four consecutive matches across four different competitions as the draws were released for the Canterbury Cup NSW and Jersey Flegg Cup for the 2020 season today (Thursday 19 December).
The Bulldogs and the Rabbitohs will face off in the Canterbury Cup NSW, Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership, Jersey Flegg Cup and the NRL on Saturday 27 June before ANZ Stadium shuts its doors to undergo a refurbishment that will be completed in 2023.
Other features from the draws released from the NSWRL competitions today include the return of Parramatta Eels to the state’s premier Canterbury Cup NSW competition for the first time since 2008; a Magic Round which will see six Canterbury Cup NSW games played across two venues on one weekend and three Beer, Food and Footy Festivals scheduled for three foundation clubs in the Canterbury Cup NSW.
“I’m extremely proud of all the hard work that goes in to managing the NSWRL competitions and I look forward to the release of our draws every season,” NSWRL Chief Executive David Trodden said.
“I’m also really looking forward to being part of the final day at ANZ Stadium where fans will get to be part of a festival of football with four games scheduled between two fierce adversaries in the Bulldogs and the Rabbitohs. Bring on the 2020 season.”
The first three matches of Magic Round (North Sydney Bears vs Western Suburbs Magpies, South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Newcastle Knights and the Jets vs the Eels) will be played at Metricon High Performance Centre in Redfern on Saturday 2 May; with the remaining matches (St George Illawarra Dragons vs Warriors, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs vs Penrith Panthers and Mounties vs Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles) to be played at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday 3 May.
The Jets have scheduled their highly successful “Beer, Food and Footy Festival” against the Warriors at Henson Park on Saturday 25 July while the Rabbitohs and the Bears will also host similar days on dates and games yet to be confirmed.
The NSWRL will release draws for its other competitions - including the addition for the first time in history of a Fijian team, the Kaiviti Silktails, in the Ron Massey Cup – in the New Year.
Click below for the following draws:
