Rabbitohs get derby opener

Craig Coleman directs his players in pre-season training

South Sydney Rabbitohs will kick off their National Rugby League campaign with a derby against Sydney City Roosters on 15 March.

Australia's oldest club have returned to top-flight rugby after winning their appeal against expulsion from the NRL in 1999.

  Pools

A: Newcastle, Bulldogs, Roosters, Wests Tigers, North Queensland

B: Parramatta, St George Illawarra, Warriors, Canberra, Penrith

C: Sharks, Brisbane, Melbourne, Northern Eagles, Souths

The 2002 draw features 26 rounds, a return to Saturday afternoon football and an evening Grand Final at Stadium Australia on 6 October.

Each club will play 24 matches over the 26 rounds and have two byes during the season.

With 15 teams in the competition, all clubs will play each other once, with the remaining 10 matches being made up through a pool system.

Each team has been ranked in one of three pools on the basis of final positions in 2001.

Clubs will play the 10 teams in the other two pools but not the teams in its own pool.

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Draw:

Round 1
15-17 Mar
Rabbitohs v Roosters
Storm v Raiders
Cowboys v Broncos
Bulldogs v Wests Tigers
Eels v Panthers
Eagles v Knights
Dragons v Sharks
Warriors Bye

Round 2
22-24 Mar
Raiders v Rabbitohs
Broncos v Bulldogs
Wests Tigers v Eels
Panthers v Dragons
Knights v Cowboys
Sharks v Storm
Warriors v Roosters
Eagles Bye

Round 3
29 Mar-1 Apr
Wests Tigers v Raiders
Roosters v Broncos
Sharks v Panthers
Warriors v Knights
Rabbitohs v Eagles
Bulldogs v Dragons
Storm v Cowboys
Eels Bye

Round 4
5-7 Apr
Knights v Raiders
Broncos v Sharks
Panthers v Wests Tigers
Eagles v Roosters
Cowboys v Warriors
Rabbitohs v Bulldogs
Eels v Storm
Dragons Bye

Round 5
12-14 Apr
Raiders v Broncos
Sharks v Wests Tigers
Roosters v Knights
Cowboys v Rabbitohs
Dragons v Eels
Warriors v Eagles
Storm v Bulldogs
Panthers Bye

Round 6
19-21 Apr
Eagles v Raiders
Broncos v Panthers
Knights v Sharks
Roosters v Cowboys
Bulldogs v Warriors
Rabbitohs v Eels
Storm v Dragons
Wests Tigers Bye

Round 7
25-28 Apr
Eels v Raiders
Broncos v Knights
Wests Tigers v Eagles
Panthers v Cowboys
Sharks v Bulldogs
Dragons v Roosters
Warriors v Storm
Rabbitohs Bye

Round 8
3-5 May
Raiders v Sharks
Rabbitohs v Broncos
Wests Tigers v Warriors
Roosters v Panthers
Storm v Knights
Eagles v Dragons
Eels v Cowboys
Bulldogs Bye

Round 9
11-12 May
Dragons v Raiders
Broncos v Eagles
Cowboys v Wests Tigers
Bulldogs v Panthers
Sharks v Eels
Roosters v Storm
Warriors v Rabbitohs
Knights Bye

Round 10
17-19 May
Rabbitohs v Raiders
Dragons v Wests Tigers
Cowboys v Panthers
Knights v Warriors
Bulldogs v Sharks
Storm v Eels
Broncos Bye
Roosters Bye
Eagles Bye

Round 11
24-26 May
Raiders v Cowboys
Dragons v Broncos
Panthers v Sharks
Knights v Rabbitohs
Eels v Roosters
Storm v Warriors
Eagles v Bulldogs
Wests Tigers Bye

Round 12
31 May-2 Jun
Raiders v Eagles
Wests Tigers v Broncos
Panthers v Roosters
Warriors v Sharks
Bulldogs v Rabbitohs
Cowboys v Dragons
Eels Bye
Knights Bye
Storm Bye

Round 13
7-10 Jun
Broncos v Eels
Eagles v Wests Tigers
Panthers v Bulldogs
Knights v Storm
Sharks v Dragons
Roosters v Rabbitohs
Warriors v Cowboys
Raiders Bye

Round 14
14-16 Jun
Sharks v Raiders
Broncos v Cowboys
Wests Tigers v Panthers
Eels v Knights
Roosters v Eagles
Rabbitohs v Warriors
Dragons v Storm
Bulldogs Bye

Round 15
21-23 Jun
Bulldogs v Raiders
Wests Tigers v Knights
Panthers v Eagles
Cowboys v Sharks
Roosters v Eels
Warriors v Dragons
Storm v Rabbitohs
Broncos Bye

Round 16
28-30 Jun
Raiders v Panthers
Broncos v Warriors
Wests Tigers v Roosters
Rabbitohs v Knights
Dragons v Cowboys
Eagles v Storm
Eels v Bulldogs
Sharks Bye

Round 17
5-7 Jul
Roosters v Raiders
Broncos v Dragons
Storm v Wests Tigers
Panthers v Rabbitohs
Knights v Eels
Sharks v Warriors
Bulldogs v Eagles
Cowboys Bye

Round 18
13-14 Jul
Raiders v Knights
Panthers v Broncos
Wests Tigers v Rabbitohs
Eels v Sharks
Storm v Roosters
Dragons v Bulldogs
Cowboys v Eagles
Warriors Bye

Round 19
19-21 Jul
Cowboys v Raiders
Broncos v Wests Tigers
Knights v Panthers
Eagles v Sharks
Bulldogs v Roosters
Warriors v Eels
Rabbitohs v Dragons
Storm Bye

Round 20
26-28 Jul
Raiders v Warriors
Eels v Broncos
Wests Tigers v Dragons
Panthers v Storm
Knights v Bulldogs
Sharks v Rabbitohs
Eagles v Cowboys
Roosters Bye

Round 21
2-4 Aug
Storm v Broncos
Rabbitohs v Wests Tigers
Panthers v Warriors
Knights v Dragons
Roosters v Sharks
Eagles v Eels
Cowboys v Bulldogs
Raiders Bye

Round 22
9-11 Aug
Raiders v Wests Tigers
Broncos v Roosters
Sharks v Knights
Warriors v Bulldogs
Eels v Rabbitohs
Dragons v Eagles
Cowboys v Storm
Panthers Bye

Round 23
16-18 Aug
Raiders v Roosters
Warriors v Broncos
Wests Tigers v Sharks
Storm v Panthers
Knights v Eagles
Dragons v Rabbitohs
Bulldogs v Eels
Cowboys Bye

Round 24
23-25 Aug
Raiders v Bulldogs
Knights v Broncos
Wests Tigers v Storm
Rabbitohs v Panthers
Sharks v Cowboys
Roosters v Warriors
Eels v Eagles
Dragons Bye

Round 25
30 Aug-1 Sep
Broncos v Raiders
Eels v Wests Tigers
Panthers v Knights
Roosters v Dragons
Rabbitohs v Cowboys
Eagles v Warriors
Bulldogs v Storm
Sharks Bye

Round 26
6-8 Sep
Raiders v Storm
Bulldogs v Broncos
Warriors v Wests Tigers
Eagles v Panthers
Dragons v Knights
Sharks v Roosters
Cowboys v Eels
Rabbitohs Bye