National Rugby League release 2012 season draw

The National Rugby League has released the 2012 Telstra Premiership Season Draw.

The competition will again be split over 26 rounds, commencing on Thursday 1 March. The weekend of April 20-22 will be set aside for Representative games. Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane will all host one State of Origin match each, with Brisbane the venue for the decider.

The first round will contain a number of key showdowns, with the Warriors and Manly at Eden Park in the Grand Final replay, the season opener between Newcastle and St George Illawarra, while Cronulla will be hosted by the Wests Tigers at one of their three home grounds. Parramatta host Brisbane at Parramatta, Penrith will be at home to Canterbury, while the Cowboys face off at DFS against fellow Queenslanders the Gold Coast Titans. The traditional Rabbitohs v Roosters round one clash has been maintained.

Round 1 (March 1st to 5th) is as follows:

Parramatta Eels v Brisbane Broncos
Wests Tigers v Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Penrith Panthers v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Warriors v Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Newcastle Knights v St George Illawarra Dragons
Canberra Raiders v Melbourne Storm
North Queensland Cowboys v Gold Coast Titans
South Sydney Rabbitohs v Sydney Roosters

The 2012 Grand Final will be played at ANZ Stadium on Sunday, September 30.

The full draw is available by clicking here.