The 2022 NRL draw is set to be released at 11am on Tuesday morning as rugby league fans wait with baited breath.
Penrith and Manly will supposedly kick off the season on Thursday night, before Adam Reynolds plays his old side when Brisbane and South Sydney meet on Friday.
While those two blockbusters will start the season with a bang, it won’t be so exciting for Canterbury fans according to The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis.
Despite attracting a raft of high-profile recruits for 2022 in Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Burton, Paul Vaughan and Tevita Pangai Junior among others, Carayannis can’t see them winning much in their opening six games.
“It’s going to be some mixed news for Trent Barrett and his new-look Canterbury side,” Carayannis said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“They’ve got a pretty tough draw, they open up against the Cowboys and Broncos, which isn’t too bad.
“But their next month of football between Round 3 and Round 6, the play against every side that featured in the top four this year.
“So, that’s a rough start as the wooden spooners.
“They need to win, they open the season against North Queensland and Brisbane so they can’t be zero and two.
“It’d be a lean six weeks for the Bulldogs.”
The Bulldogs would’ve been hoping for an easier start having finished the 2021 season in dead last with just three wins from 24 games.
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“They’ve been there a long time and it just doesn’t feel like home for them.”