St George Illawarra will host Newcastle at Kogarah in their first trial match ahead of the 2019 NRL season.
The Dragons will welcome the Knights to Jubilee Stadium on February 23 for their opening pre-season hit out.
St George Illawarra travel to Mudgee for their annual Charity Shield clash against South Sydney the following Saturday.
It will also be Newcastle’s first trial match of the season. The Knights host Cronulla at Maitland the following Saturday.
The Dragons, who returned to pre-season training after their Christmas break on Monday, open their NRL campaign in Townsville when they face the Cowboys on March 16.
St George Illawarra will play five regular season matches at Jubilee this season.
The Dragons host South Sydney at Kogarah in round two before welcoming Canterbury to Jubilee in round five.
They then play three games in four rounds at Kogarah against Parramatta (round 20), Gold Coast (round 21) and reigning premiers the Roosters (round 23).
It will be a month of staying close to home, with the Dragons’ clash against local rivals Cronulla at Shark Park breaking up their Jubilee run in round 22.
Meanwhile, St George Illawarra have announced the appointment of Mick Crawley as the club’s coaching advisor.
Crawley has been an NRL assistant coach at North Queensland, Newcastle and Canberra over the last 12 years. He has worked alongside veteran coaches Graham Murray, Wayne Bennett and Ricky Stuart in his 35-year coaching career.
Crawley was named under-20s coach of the year in 2014 while at the Knights.
