Bulldogs

Bulldogs 2019 draw snapshot

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Tanisha Stanton pan66.com Reporter
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Here is all you need to know about the Canterbury Bulldogs' 2019 Telstra Premiership draw.

Teams they play twice: Eels, Wests Tigers, Storm, Dragons, Rabbitohs, Cowboys, Knights, Roosters, Broncos.

Teams they play once: Warriors, Sea Eagles, Titans, Raiders, Sharks, Panthers.

Day-by-day breakdown: Thursday - Three, Friday - Three, Saturday - Nine, Sunday - Eight, Monday - One.

Five-day turnarounds: 2 (Rd 6, Rd 23).

Kick-off: The Dogs face a daunting start to the season with a trip to Auckland to lock horns with the Warriors as well as a round-four meeting with the Storm in Melbourne and they only have one home game in the first month of their campaign.

Five key matches

Rabbitohs (Round 6, ANZ Stadium): These teams have built a great rivalry in Good Friday matches and the 2018 edition went down to the wire again, with South Sydney prevailing 2016 (before running away convincing 24-6 winners in round 18).

Eels (Round 2, ANZ Stadium): There is always plenty of feeling when these two sides go head-to-head for the local derby. In 2017 the Bulldogs were one of the victims in the Eels' stellar season, losing twice. In 2018 Canterbury claimed victory in their first meeting of the season, with a 20-12 win in round 10 before the Eels exacted revenge later in the season.

Knights (Round 9, Suncorp Stadium): In their only meeting in 2018 the Dogs pumped Newcastle 36-16 at McDonald Jones Stadium. Their match-up in 2019 will be one to watch with new recruits Jack Cogger and Nick Meaney keen to face up against former Knights teammates.

Panthers (Round 20, Western Sydney Stadium): The western Sydney rivals went one game apiece in 2018 but with former Penrith duo Christian Crichton and Corey Harawira-Naera joining a new-look Bulldogs side, they will be hoping to take bragging rights over the Panthers in 2019.

NRL Telstra premiership draw 2019

Warriors (Round 1, Mt Smart Stadium): With plenty of Kiwi internationals across both of these sides their clash in round 23 was never going to be anything less than entertaining. Onthatoccasion it was the Bulldogs who came away victorious with a thrilling 27-26 win at ANZStadium, when birthday boy Lachlan Lewis slotted an epic field goal in the 78th minute.

Toughest stretch: Rounds 12-15. This run starts with an ANZ Stadium match against Canberra who beat them in heart-breaking circumstances in 2018, followed by three matches against likely top-eight sides in the Dragons, premiers Sydney Roosters followed by the Sharks.

And another thing: For the first time since their 'back to Belmore' triumph over the Storm in 2015, the Dogs will play just a single game at their spiritual home in 2019. It comes in round 11 against Melbourne and with just one win from seven (and that a last-gasp comeback against that year's wooden spooners Newcastle in 2017) it will be their only chance to break a developing mini-hoodoo at the venue.

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