The St George Illawarra Dragons are expected to welcome the Bulldogs to Wollongong next month as the NRL pushes on with plans to allow fans into stadiums from this weekend.
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Pending final clearance, the round 10 clash with Canterbury will be the first played at WIN Stadium since the Dragons lost to the Wests Tigers on Sunday March 15, the last game played before coronavirus restrictions came into effect.
An announcement from the NRL is expected later this week, with the league still working through strict biosecurity measures for each of the proposed venues across the competition.
The Dragons intend to split games across Kogarah and Wollongong, with the round nine clash with Manly to be played at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium before they take on Canterbury at WIN Stadium on Saturday July 18.
The team will then alternate games between the two grounds, with the Roosters next on the schedule for WIN Stadium on August 6.
The NRL's return to home grounds and capped crowds comes as Victoria continues to grapple with a surge in coronavirus cases, a situation that has thrown the AFL season into disarray.
While the Melbourne Storm could be forced to remain at their Sunshine Coast base indefinitely, the league hopes to avoid a reschedule of upcoming matches.
The NRL will still be required to adhere to restrictions when fans do return to NSW venues this weekend, with crowds capped at 25 per cent of their capacity.
It is likely only club members will initially be allowed into grounds to simplify contact tracing should an outbreak occur, while Victorian residents will not be able to attend matches.
Guidelines regarding seating on the famous WIN Stadium hill will also be provided to the club to ensure fans maintain social distancing throughout the games.
Under the current rules, a maximum crowd of 5750 will be permitted at the 23,000-capacity venue.
The Dragons will be the first team to travel to Canberra since the season resumption this weekend, St George Illawarra facing the Raiders at GIO Stadium on Friday night.
The side is approaching the match with plenty of confidence despite last week's loss to the Roosters.
While many anticipated the team would struggle against the defending premiers, the Dragons led after 50 minutes and consider the match one they let slip.
Having pushed one of the top teams in the competition, five-eighth Corey Norman said confidence within the squad is growing.
"Since the Sharks game a few weeks back, we've just been building every week," Norman said.
"Last week was really pleasing and it gave the playing group a lot of confidence. The way we went out there and played, the last 15 to 20 minutes could've been better, but we went in the right direction again."
Norman has enjoyed the recent stability in the team's selection, with his combination with halfback Adam Clune continuing to develop.
"It's really good we've finally got some consistency in the nine, seven and one. In the past that's where it's always been shuffled around.
"The more we play together, the better we'll get. Me, Clune, Cam and Duft are starting to get a good combination going and I think we can still be a lot better in our attack, but we're building."
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