NRL 2025 fixture analysis: St George Illawarra Dragons

The St George Illawarra Dragons look ahead to 2025 with a tough start and finish to the year, but a fixture list that means they will have no one to blame but themselves if they miss the top eight.

Here is everything you need to know for the Red V's run through 2025.

Teams to play twice
Canterbury Bulldogs (Round 1, 20), South Sydney Rabbitohs (Round 2, 25), Parramatta Eels (Round 5, 17), Manly Sea Eagles (Round 7, 26), Sydney Roosters (Round 8, 19), New Zealand Warriors (Round 10, 24), Cronulla Sharks (Round 15, 23), Canberra Raiders (Round 18, 22)

The Dragons might have had one of the easier fixture lists last year, but that won't be the case this year, with double-ups to be played against the Bulldogs, Sea Eagles, Roosters and Sharks out of last year's top eight.

That said, they do avoid the Panthers and Storm twice.

Of their remaining double-ups, they face a trip to New Zealand, have to play traditional bogey side the Raiders, and also have South Sydney who could be in for major improvement throughout the 2025 campaign.

Travel schedule
The Dragons have - by our assessment - the fourth easiest travel schedule in 2025 and will only jump on a plane five times throughout the course of the year, also doing well below the NRL average in kilometres travelled.

The Red V won't leave New South Wales until Magic Round, although they face three trips to Brisbane in six weeks including that one.

Two late season trips within three weeks of each other - one to Townsville and another to Auckland - will add some kilometres at the wrong end of the season, but it's certainly not a schedule the Dragons can be offended by.

Turnaround times
The Dragons have also been given the right end of the stick when it comes to five-day turnarounds - they have none throughout the course of the 2025 campaign.

They also only face the NRL average of six six-day turnarounds, so it will be tough for fatigue to be used as an excuse at the joint-venture.

Of those six-day turnarounds, two come back to back in Rounds 5 and 6, and another two in Rounds 24 and 25 - a far tougher assignment given the first of those leads into a game in Auckland against the Warriors.

Start of the season
The Dragons kick off their season with a number of tough assignments, and it's going to be a very early learning as to just where the Dragons have the potential of finishing this year.

They kick-off with the Bulldogs - a team they simply haven't been able to beat in recent times - at home, before facing the likely to improve Rabbitohs in Wollongong.

A bye follows before another home game against competition heavyweight the Melbourne Storm, then it's the Eels on the road and the Titans at home to round out the first six weeks.

Despite the tough opposition, the Dragons play four of their first five at home. Wins are a must.

The Origin period
The Dragons have been handed a bye before Origin 1, but will have tough assignments before Games 2 and 3, with the Sharks and Raiders on their list of games both away from home.

That all said, the Dragons are unlikely to be supplying many players for Origin with the departures of Zac Lomax and Ben Hunt over the off-season.

Their games immediately after Game 1 and 3 come against the Knights and Roosters, while they have the bye in the week after Game 2.

The run home
Like the start of the season, the run home is less than straightforward for the Red V, although they again have more home than away games over their final six weeks.

From Round 22 through to Round 27, the Dragons play four of their final six at home, but have the Raiders, Sharks, Sea Eagles and Panthers as those games, while their away games come back-to-back, and both on six-day turnarounds against the Warriors and Rabbitohs.

The nature of the opposition mean if the Dragons make the top eight, they will have earnt it.

Toughest stretch
It's hard to ignore the final four weeks of the season for the Dragons, with the Warriors and Rabbitohs away leading into the Sea Eagles and Panthers at home.

At the end of a taxing season, there could be some mixed results there at best for the Red V, who as mentioned also have a tough start to the season.

Easiest stretch
Their run through the Origin period could well be the easiest stretch of the season for the Dragons given they are unlikely to lose many players.

From Round 13 onwards, they play the Knights at home, the Dolphins away, the Sharks away (without any Origin players), then have a bye before facing the Eels at home.

Games to watch
Round 1, vs Canterbury Bulldogs, at Netstratta Jubilee Stadium, Sat, Mar 8, 5:30pm
Round 5, vs Parramatta Eels, at CommBank Stadium, Sat, Apr 5, 3pm
Round 8, vs Sydney Roosters, at Allianz Stadium, Fri, Apr 25, 4pm
Round 23, vs Cronulla Sharks, at Netstratta Jubilee Stadium, Sat, Aug 9, 3pm
Round 27, vs Penrith Panthers, at WIN Stadium, Sat, Sep 6, 3pm

The must-win games
Round 6, vs Gold Coast Titans, at WIN Stadium, Fri, Apr 11, 6pm
Round 9, vs Wests Tigers, at Suncorp Stadium, Sat, May 3, 7:45pm
Round 10, vs New Zealand Warriors, at WIN Stadium, Sat, May 10, 5:30pm
Round 19, vs Sydney Roosters, at Netstratta Jubilee Stadium, Sat, Jul 12, 5:30pm
Round 26, vs Manly Sea Eagles, at Netstratta Jubilee Stadium, Sat, Aug 30, 5:30pm

Full fixtures