THE Dragons' hopes of reaching the finals in the first year of Anthony Griffin's tenure look set to hinge on a tough run home that will see them face three of this year's four prelim finalists' in the final six weeks of the 2021 draw.
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WIN Stadium will see its fair share of heavyweight matches next season, with the Dragons hosting the Raiders, Rabbitohs and Panthers in Wollongong, with the Raiders making what's become a regular trip to the Gong in round 15.
A round-22 clash with grand finalists' Penrith shapes as a grudge match for Griffin after he was shown the door by the Panthers in 2018 despite being finals bound. Assistant coach Matthew Elliott suffered the same fate at the foot of the mountains in 2011, adding further spice to the encounter in the home stretch of the season.
That match will come two weeks after a round-20 showdown with South Sydney. The Dragons will head to the capital for a return clash with the Raiders in round 21 ahead of the Panthers match in Wollongong and then Roosters at Kogarah in round 23.
It's a make or break stretch that will finish with a second clash with the Rabbitohs in the final round.
Illawarra fans will get their first taste of the Griffin era in round three against Manly, a fortnight after the club opens its campaign with a round-one derby against Cronulla at Kogarah. The Dragons will also host the Tigers in Wollongong, with the joint-venture's 12 home matches spread evenly between its traditional homes.
After going without an Anzac Day game this year due to COVID-19, the traditional clash will return next season, with the Dragons facing the Roosters in round seven at the SCG.
The full draw offers up just one Thursday night match, seven Friday fixtures, five Saturday and 10 Sunday games, with only two five-day turnarounds. It sees the Dragons face the Bulldogs, Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Raiders, Roosters, Sea Eagles, Sharks, Tigers and Warriors twice.
They'll face the Broncos, Eels, Knights, Panthers, Titans and Storm just once, the latter clash with the defending premiers in Brisbane for Magic Round. It's also been kind as far as road trips go, with a round-two trip to Townsville, Magic Round in Brisbane (round 10) and a round-16 trip to Auckland the club's only trips out of state for the season.
"Allocating our home game venues is always an intricate process, one that was further complicated by the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on other Australian sporting codes," Dragons CEO Ryan Webb said.
"Both our traditional venues in Kogarah and Wollongong will see their equal share of action in 2021.
"A huge local derby against the Sharks at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium is the perfect way to kick-start a season, while we look forward to welcoming South Sydney and the Panthers back to WIN Stadium for the first time after many years."
The Dragons will also get a bonus match at Kogarah in an "away" clash with the Sharks in round 11. Kogarah has been at the centre of ARLC chairman Peter V'landys' push to see upgrades to suburban grounds but Webb has indicated it won't shift the club's commitment to spreading its matches evenly across both their home grounds.