- Stadium Australia home clubs South Sydney Rabbioths and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs will play the traditional Good Friday clash on 10 April;
- Bullodgs v Rabbitohs will also feature in an Stadium Australia farewell game on Saturday 27 June before the Stadium undergoes redevelopment;
- Stadium Australia will host 12 games in the first half of the NRL 2020 season;
- The full draw for the 25 rounds of the 2020 season was released by the NRL on Tuesday.
Arthur Stanley and Crystelle Cordero
SEVEN home games for the Rabbitohs, five home games for the Bulldogs . . . and with the two long-term tenants ready to give Stadium Australia a rousing send-off prior to redevelopment with a blockbuster finale at the Stadium on Saturday 27 June.
Stadium Australia will host 12 NRL games in the first half of the 2020 season before a massive State of Origin II on Sunday 21 June is followed by the Bulldogs v Rabbitohs Farewell Game on 27 June prior to the Stadium being decommissioned to allow works to commence.
The NSW Government is redeveloping Stadium Australia into one of the world’s great rectangular stadiums, with fans significantly closer to the action. The revamped 70,000-seat Stadium will deliver the ultimate customer and visitor experience and enable Sydney to host the NRL Grand Final for the next 25 years after its redevelopment, along with a host of other major events.
But there is plenty of sporting action to unfold in the first half of 2020, including the 12 NRL games revealed in the 2020 NRL Draw on Tuesday.
The Rabbitohs will kick off their 2020 campaign with a Round 1 blockbuster against the Cronulla Sharks at the fan-friendly time of 5.30pm on Saturday 14 March.
The Bulldogs play their first home game at the Stadium against the North Queensland Cowboys on Thursday 19 March.
The Rabbitohs face arch-rivals the Sydney Roosters in a Friday night Round 3 spectacular on 27 March, before the Bulldogs face the Sharks in Round 4 on Saturday 4 April at 5.30pm.
The two long-term home tenants at Stadium Australia will feature in the annual Good Friday grudge match in Round 5 . . . an Easter blockbuster that has traditionally drawn the biggest Sydney regular-season crowd.
However, whatever crowd Rabbitohs v Bulldogs attracts on Good Friday will surely be threatened when the two clubs come face to face in the Stadium Australia Farewell Game in Round 15 on Saturday 27 June.
Fans will flock on to the arena post-game to soak up the nostalgia of an end of an era as the two clubs say goodbye to the Olympic Stadium before it is reborn as a world-class 70,000-seat rectangular stadium.
Bulldogs v Rabbitohs on Saturday 27 June will now be a sporting event not to be missed.
After the doors of Stadium Australia are closed at the end of June, the Bulldogs will play four of their 2020 season home games at Bankwest Stadium, with the Rabbitohs playing two home games at Bankwest Stadium . . . a superb 30,000-seat Stadium that has set a new standard in the fan experience.
Another highlight of season 2020 at Stadium Australia will be the back-to-back games in Round 6, with the Bulldogs up against the Eels on Saturday (7.30pm) 18 April and the Rabbitohs playing the Dragons on Sunday 19 April at 2pm.
The traditional Queen’s Birthday long weekend game will feature the Bulldogs against the St George Illawarra Dragons on Monday 8 June.
