Slow starters last season as they lost four of their opening five games, hitting go earlier in 2024 will be crucial to the Raiders' hopes of improving on last year's exit in week one of the finals.
The Green Machine will feature in the first Australian-based game of 2024 following the Las Vegas double-header and have a big slate of Saturday matches to look forward to throughout the season.
Teams they play twice
Canberra will face the Sharks twice within the first eight rounds of the competition, while also getting two cracks at Wests Tigers, Sea Eagles, Bulldogs and Cowboys. Outside of Cronulla, the other 2023 top-eight sides they play twice are the Warriors, Knights and Roosters.
Teams they play once
The Raiders have the bonus of avoiding playing either of last year's grand finalists twice, while they'll also come up against the Eels, Titans, Dolphins, Storm, Rabbitohs and Dragons just once in 2024.
Day-by-day breakdown
- Thursday: 1 game (0 home, 1 away)
- Friday: 5 games (3 home, 2 away)
- Saturday: 9 games (4 home, 5 away)
- Sunday: 9 games (5 home, 4 away)
Turnaround time
- 5 days: 1 game
- 6 days: 5 games
- 7+ days: 17 games
Just the one five-day turnaround for the Raiders in 2024, when they travel to Manly to face the Sea Eagles on Friday night in Round 9 after taking on the Sharks at home on Sunday in Round 8. Their longest turnaround time is 14 days, with their Magic Round clash against the Bulldogs coming after a bye in Round 10.
Opening month
- Round 1: v Knights (A)
- Round 2: v Wests Tigers (H)
- Round 3: v Warriors (A)
- Round 4: v Sharks (A)
The Green Machine start the new season against the same team, and at the same venue, where their 2023 campaign ended with a 30-28 loss to the Knights in an extra-time epic at McDonald Jones Stadium. The Wests Tigers are up next before big away clashes with the Warriors and Sharks. It's a busy opening month for Ricky Stuart's men, with just one home game and three away trips, including a flight across the Tasman to play in Christchurch.
Magic Round
The Raiders launch Magic Round with a showdown against the Bulldogs on Friday. They met Canterbury-Bankstown in this fixture last season too, fending off a ferocious comeback from the Bulldogs to win 34-30.
State of Origin watch
They play the Dolphins, who have incumbent Maroons Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Tom Flegler and Tom Gilbert on their roster, the weekend before Origin I. They meet Wests Tigers before the second Origin match and have a bye in the lead-up to Origin III. They play the Storm in Melbourne – where Origin II will be played – the weekend after that interstate clash in Round 17, which will make it easier for any potential representatives to back up.
Can't miss game
Round 21 v Rabbitohs, Sunday at GIO Stadium (H)
After playing 12 seasons and 242 games in Canberra, this will be Jack Wighton's first trip to his former kingdom at GIO Stadium as an opposing player. How the crowd reacts to their former favourite son remains to be seen, but between that and the clash between two fiery forward packs, this has the makings of a classic.
