Cowboys first on the menu
by Chris Cox
Thursday November 11, 2004

The Brisbane Broncos' 2005 campaign will kick off with a clash with their 2004 nemeses, the North Queensland Cowboys.  The Telstra Premiership draw, released today by the NRL, has pitted the Queensland sides head to head in their first clash at the revamped Suncorp Stadium on the weekend of March 11.

North Queensland defeated the Broncos 10-0 in their Elimination Semi-Final in September, which ended the Broncos' premiership aspirations.

That match was a complete sell out at Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville, and that interest should transfer to a bumper crowd in round 1 next year.

The big change to the draw to that of the previous three seasons is that the Broncos' second bye comes after the third State of Origin on July 6.  In the past the Broncos have had their two byes preceding two of the Origin games, therefore only playing one game without their representative stars available. 

However, the bye following the third Origin may prove a bonus for the club, which will instead gain much needed recovery time before the stretch to the finals.

The Broncos' other bye is immediately before the opening Origin game.

Broncos 2005 Season Draw

Round 1: vs Cowboys, Suncorp Stadium (March 11-13)
Round 2: vs Warriors, Suncorp Stadium (March 18-20)
Round 3: vs Roosters, Aussie Stadium (March 25-27)
Round 4: vs Storm, Olympic Park (April 1-3)
Round 5: vs Eels, Suncorp Stadium (April 8-10)
Round 6: vs Dragons, WIN Stadium/Kogarah (April 15-17)

ANZAC Test, Friday April 22, Venue TBA

Round 7: vs Sharks, Toyota Park (April 23-25)
Round 8: vs Manly, Suncorp Stadium (April 29-May 1)

City vs Country, Friday May 6, Venue TBA

Round 9: vs Bulldogs, Suncorp Stadium (May 7-8)
Round 10: vs Cowboys, Dairy Farmers Stadium (May 13-15)
Round 11: BYE  (May 20-22)

State of Origin Game 1, Wednesday May 25, Suncorp Stadium

Round 12: vs Souths, Aussie Stadium (May 27-29)
Round 13: vs Knights, EnergyAustralia Stadium (June 3-5)
Round 14: vs Raiders, Canberra Stadium (June 10-12)

State of Origin Game 2, Wednesday June 15, Telstra Stadium

Round 15: vs Tigers, Suncorp Stadium (June 17-19)
Round 16: vs Warriors, Ericsson Stadium (June 24-26)
Round 17: vs Sharks, Suncorp Stadium (July 1-3)

State of Origin Game 3, Wednesday July 6, Suncorp Stadium

Round 18: BYE  (July 8-10)
Round 19: vs Storm, Suncorp Stadium (July 15-17)
Round 20: vs Bulldogs, Telstra Stadium (July 22-24)
Round 21: vs Raiders, Suncorp Stadium (July 29-31)
Round 22: vs Manly, Brookvale Oval (August 5-7)
Round 23: vs Dragons, Suncorp Stadium (August 12-14)
Round 24: vs Panthers, Penrith Stadium (August 19-21)
Round 25: vs Roosters, Suncorp Stadium (August 26-28)
Round 26: vs Eels, Parramatta Stadium (September 2-4)

Finals Week One: 9-11 September 2005
Finals Week Two: 17-18 September 2005
Finals Week Three: 24-25 September 2005
Grand Final: 2 October 2005

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