RUGBY LEAGUE
Cronulla and St George Illawarra face daunting away trips to start the 2016 NRL season.
The Sharks will return to the scene of their embarrassing 39-0 semi-final exit when they travel to Townsville on Saturday, March 5 to play the reigning premiers North Queensland.
Kick-off is at 7.30pm
The Dragons will head south to take on Melbourne in the first Monday night football clash of the season on March 7 with kick-off at 7pm.
Cronulla and St George Illawarra will then meet in round two at Shark Park in the first local derby of 2016, on Sunday, March 13, kicking off at 4pm.
The Sharks and the Dragons will meet again in round 23 at Jubilee Oval, Carlton.
The Dragon’s Anzac Day clash with the Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium remains, while Saints will meet South Sydney at the SCG on March 20 to the mark the 50th anniversary of St George’s 11 premiership triumphs between 1956 and 1966.
The Sharks play traditional rivals Manly at Brookvale Oval in round three and the Storm at Shark Park in round four - both on Monday nights - to cap a tough first month for the black, white and blue.
The 2016 NRL draw, which was released on Friday following the announcement of a new broadcast rights deal involving Fox Sports, will see 18 games on Thursday nights and one match on Monday nights.
Under the new agreement Monday night games will cease to exist from 2017, with Thursday’s to remain.
The season starts on Thursday, March 3 with Parramatta hosting beaten grand finalists Brisbane.
What do you think of the 2016 NRL draw for your team?