Rugby league: New Zealand Warriors’ 2023 NRL draw revealed

New Zealand Warriors forward Josh Curran (R) and hooker Wayde Egan. Photo / Photosport

New coach Andrew Webster has had a good start to his Warriors tenure, before a ball has even been kicked.

The 2023 NRL draw, which was confirmed today, has a mostly positive slant for the Auckland club.

While no schedule is ever easy in the cut-throat competition, the way the draw falls can impact a season.

As an example, the Warriors will only play the Melbourne Storm once next year. In seven of the last eight seasons they have drawn the Storm twice, with one win from the past 15 matches.

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The Warriors will also avoid two rounds against the Rabbitohs, after the thrashings of the last few seasons at the hands of South Sydney, and only face the Penrith machine and fellow 2022 grand finalists Parramatta once.

Their only match against Brisbane is well timed, just four days before the first State of Origin, with the Broncos likely to be deprived of their Queensland stars.

The Warriors also face the Sea Eagles, Titans and Wests Tigers once, with the Bulldogs, Cowboys, Dolphins, Dragons, Knights, Raiders, Roosters and Sharks in home and away rounds. It's a good move to start the season in Wellington — rather than a mid-season trip — and is also a nice change to go to Townsville early (round three) while bodies and minds are still fresh.

Perhaps most importantly their run home looks much less imposing than recent seasons, with the Gold Coast (away), West Tigers (Hamilton), Manly (Mt Smart), Dragons (Mt Smart) and Redcliffe Dolphins (away). That series also starts with a timely bye in round 22.

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Contrast that with 2022, when they faced teams like Melbourne, South Sydney, North Queensland and Penrith in the last six weeks.

The Warriors only have two games in Auckland across the first eight rounds, before eight over the rest of the campaign. They have nine Friday matches, nine on Saturday, five on Sunday and a Tuesday game (Anzac Day versus the Storm). The major disappointment was the lack of extra home games in New Zealand — after all the talk from Australian clubs wasn't backed up by action — but that was signalled months ago and is an indictment on the NRL.

All teams have three byes this year — in a longer 27 round season — which starts on March 2.

State of Origin will be played in Adelaide (May 31), Brisbane (June 21) and Sydney (July 12).