Crystelle Cordero
SEVEN home games across the first six weekends of season 2020 will give Rabbitohs and Bulldogs fans a flying start to the 2020 NRL season.
Anticipation is building fast toward Round 1 when the South Sydney faithful will turn out in force to see the Rabbitohs take on the Cronulla Sharks on Saturday 14 March.
But take a look at the feast of footy that lies ahead in the next five weeks for home teams the Rabbitohs and Bulldogs at Stadium Australia:
- All eyes are on Round 3 when the Rabbitohs take on fierce rivals the Sydney Roosters on Friday night 22 March. That’s superstar Latrell Mitchell up against his former club . . . extra spice to what is already the biggest grudge match of the season;
- A Round 4 Saturday evening classic pitting the Bulldogs against the Sharks at the fan-friendly timeslot of 5.30pm on Saturday 4 April;
- That leads in to the Good Friday blockbuster Rabbitohs v Bulldogs on 10 April (4pm kick-off) – a game that traditionally draws one of the biggest Sydney NRL crowds of the season. You’ve got to love Easter footy!
- A Round 6 weekend double-bunger with the Bulldogs hosting their Round 1 opponents the Eels on Saturday 18 April at 7.30pm, and then the Rabbitohs welcoming the St George Illawarra Dragons at 2pm on Sunday 19 April.
The Bulldogs’ first home games of the season is a Thursday night affair against the North Queensland Cowboys (19 March).
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.
Whatever crowd the Rabbitohs v Bulldogs game 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 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 and will give fans an insight into the modern venue that will await their return at the Olympic Stadium.
Another highlight of season 2020 will be the traditional Queen’s Birthday long weekend game featuring the Bulldogs against the St George Illawarra Dragons on Monday 8 June.
