The Warriors will begin their season in Las Vegas in 2025. Photo / Photosport
The Warriors will begin their season in Las Vegas in 2025. Photo / Photosport
The Warriors have their schedule for 2025 – a season where they need to bounce back. Michael Burgess looks at the key points from their NRL draw
Overall verdict
On the surface, it is quite generous. Among the big guns, they only have to face Penrith, Melbourne and the Roosters once, while they have also avoided double assignments against the Rabbitohs (who will be formidable – surely – under Wayne Bennett) and Cronulla.
Of the clubs they play twice, only Newcastle and Manly are coming off top eight campaigns last season. They also don’t have to travel to Townsville – one of the most demanding trips in the NRL – or Canberra. And after the season opener in Las Vegas, they have consecutive games at Mt Smart to recalibrate.
That is always the most important aspect of any Warriors draw. There are some exceptions but generally, every successful Warriors campaign has been built on a strong start, as the Auckland club often struggle to find their best in July and August. Look at their previous two finals seasons. In 2018 they flew out of the blocks – with a 5-0 start – then maintained from there – while in 2023 they had a 5-2 record after seven rounds. Last year they lost close matches to the Sharks and Storm in the first two rounds and were chasing their tail from there.
In 2025 the Warriors’ resilience will be tested in the first half of the season. They have only four games at Mt Smart, all against tough opponents, travel to Melbourne, Wollongong and Campbelltown, and face the Rabbitohs in Sydney. But they will enjoy two trips to Suncorp – with a lot of Kiwi support – and will be hard to beat in Christchurch. If they can come through with a positive record, the second half of the season features six matches in Auckland, including games against the Titans, Dragons and Eels.
The placement of the rest weeks isn’t ideal. The first comes after a month – off the back of Las Vegas, two home games and a trip to face the Tigers. The next two are within the space of four weeks, in mid-June and mid-July, within the State of Origin period, which is usually a time for the Warriors to make hay. It also means an unbroken nine-game stretch to end the season.
The Warriors will host Penrith for the first time since 2019 next season. Photo/Photosport
The long-awaited return of the Panthers
Hosting a match against Penrith – for the first time since 2019 – was one of two specific requests the club made to the NRL. As well as bringing the four-time premiers back to Auckland, it also means they won’t have to face the Panthers in Magic Round, a match that was usually staged in blazing afternoon heat.
The other wish, which was granted, was the Anzac Day match in Christchurch. It’s a smart move, capitalising on the current boom in league’s popularity in the Garden City, while also reinforcing the concept of the Warriors as a nationwide rather than Auckland club.
The litmus test
Between late April and the last week of May, the Warriors have four consecutive road trips to Christchurch, Brisbane, Wollongong and Brisbane again, as they face the Knights, Broncos, Dragons and Dolphins. In a season where the club will travel approximately 75,000km – three times more than the NRL average – that will be the most gruelling period.
The wish list
The Warriors have to restore Mt Smart as a fortress to have any playoff hopes. That means winning at least one of their first two home games to set the tone, though it won’t be easy, as the Roosters and Sea Eagles are traditionally fast starters.
They’ll also want to replicate their 2023 success across the Tasman, where they managed one of the best away records in club history. The biggest statement of all would be a victory in Melbourne, to finally snap the negative streak against the Storm, which dates back to 2015.
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. He has also reported on the Warriors and NRL for more than a decade.
