The Sydney Roosters will create history as the first Club in the NRL to face new franchise the Dolphins in the top-flight for the opening round of the 2023 season.
In an historic opener, the Tricolours will travel to Suncorp Stadium and take on the Dolphins in their first match in the NRL, in honour of legendary figure Arthur Beetson.
Hailing from south-east Queensland, Beetson was a significant contributor to Premiership success at both clubs, winning the 1965 BRL title with the Dolphins before captaining the famous Roosters sides of 1974-1975 to back-to-back Premierships.
In exciting news for Members and supporters, the Roosters will take the field at Allianz Stadium on eight occasions throughout 2023, beginning with a string of three consecutive matches starting in Round 2 against the New Zealand Warriors, South Sydney Rabbitohs and Parramatta Eels.
Central Coast Stadium will once again play host to an NRL match in Round 14 when the Red, White and Blue battle the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at 2pm on Sunday, June 4 in another family-friendly timeslot.
See the Sydney Roosters' 2023 NRL Draw in Full Here!
Due to scheduling conflicts with the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Roosters will return to the hallowed Sydney Cricket Ground, with games scheduled against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and Melbourne Storm (subject to availability).
With the 2023 NRL draw expanding to 27 rounds, all clubs will continue to play 24 matches in the regular season - 12 home and 12 away - with three byes spread across the season to adjust for player workload.
For the Roosters, those byes will come in Round 4, Round 13 and Round 19, with the latter two scheduled throughout the State of Origin period.
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The Roosters will play the Dolphins, Warriors, Rabbitohs, Storm, Eels, Dragons, Panthers and Sea Eagles twice, while facing the Sharks, Bulldogs, Broncos, Cowboys, Titans, Raiders, Knights and Tigers once.
The 2023 NRL season will officially kick-start on Thursday, March 2nd.
The NRL's Pre-Season Challenge competition will also kick-off on Thursday, February 9, with the Roosters facing the Melbourne Storm at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong on Sunday, February 12 before heading to Central Coast Stadium on Friday, February 17.
Highlights of the draw include:
- The opening match against the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, March 5 at the primetime slot of 4:05pm.
- Three of the opening four matches at Allianz Stadium, the home of the Sydney Roosters.
- A blockbuster start to the Easter Weekend for Members and supporters with a Thursday night match against Melbourne at AAMI Park.
- ANZAC Day to be played at Allianz Stadium for the first time since its re-opening on Tuesday, April 25.
- Magic Round against the North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium, in an exciting re-match of the thrilling 2021 edition.
- The Club’s first game in New Zealand since 2018 in Round 9 against the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium.
- Our annual Central Coast match against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs on a Sunday afternoon at 2pm.
- The Roosters’ first appearance at The GABBA against the Brisbane Broncos in Round 22.
- Only three five-day turnarounds, which takes into account ANZAC Day’s scheduling.
- Five consecutive matches in Sydney to finish off the regular season, including the final round epic against arch-rivals South Sydney.
- Thirteen free-to-air matches, among the highest in the league in a big win for remote Roosters.
- One Tuesday match (ANZAC Day), four Thursday matches, six Friday night matches, seven Saturday matches (three afternoon, four night) and six games on Sunday.
2023 Sydney Roosters NRL Draw
| Round | Opponent | Venue | Date | Kick-Off Time (AEDT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Season Challenge 1 | Melbourne Storm | GMHBA Stadium, Geelong (Away) | Sunday February 12 | 1:50pm |
| Pre-Season Challenge 2 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Central Coast Stadium (Home) | Friday February 17 | 8:00pm |
| 1 | Dolphins | Suncorp Stadium (Away) | Sunday March 5 | 4:05pm |
| 2 | New Zealand Warriors | Allianz Stadium (Home) | Saturday March 11 | 3:00pm |
| 3 (Multicultural Round) | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Allianz Stadium (Home) | Friday March 18 | 8:05pm |
| 5 | Parramatta Eels | Allianz Stadium (Home) | Thursday March 30 | 7:50m |
| 6 | Melbourne Storm | AAMI Park (Away) | Thursday April 6 | 7:50pm |
| 7 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | PointsBet Stadium (Away) | Friday April 14 | 6:00pm |
| 8 (ANZAC Day) | St George Illawarra Dragons | Allianz Stadium (Home) | Tuesday April 25 | 4:00pm |
| 9 | New Zealand Warriors | Mt Smart Stadium (Away) | Sunday April 30 | 2:00pm |
| 10 (Magic Round) | North Queensland Cowboys | Suncorp Stadium (Home) | Sunday May 7 | 4:00pm |
| 11 | Penrith Panthers | Blue Bet Stadium (Away) | Friday May 12 | 8:00pm |
| 12 (Indigenous Round) | St George Illawarra Dragons | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium (Away) | Friday May 19 | 6:00pm |
| 14 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Central Coast Stadium (Home) | Sunday June 4 | 2:00pm |
| 15 | Penrith Panthers | Allianz Stadium (Home) | Saturday June 10 | 7:35pm |
| 16 | Newcastle Knights | McDonald Jones Stadium (Away) | Saturday June 17 | 3:00pm |
| 17 | Canberra Raiders | Allianz Stadium (Home) | Sunday June 25 | 6:15pm |
| 18 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 4 Pine Park (Away) | Sunday July 2 | 4:05pm |
| 20 | Melbourne Storm | Sydney Cricket Ground (Home)* | Saturday July 15 | 7:35pm |
| 21 | Gold Coast Titans | CBUS Super Stadium (Away) | Saturday July 22 | 3:00pm |
| 22 | Brisbane Broncos | The GABBA (Away) | Thursday July 27 | 7:50pm |
| 23 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Sydney Cricket Ground (Home)* | Thursday August 3 | 7:50pm |
| 24 | Dolphins | Allianz Stadium (Home) | Saturday August 12 | 7:35pm |
| 25 | Parramatta Eels | Commbank Stadium (Away) | Friday August 18 | 8:00pm |
| 26 | Wests Tigers | Allianz Stadium (Home) | Saturday August 26 | 5:30pm |
| 27 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Accor Stadium (Away) | Friday September 1 | 8:00pm |
*subject to availability
