The Anzac Day football spectacle is set to grace Go Media Stadium for only the second time, as the New Zealand Warriors gear up to face the Gold Coast Titans on April 25 next year, marking a significant moment in the 2024 NRL draw release.

This highly anticipated fixture is one of the 10 games lined up for the Warriors at their home ground. It’s a nostalgic throwback to the 2015 clash that commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli.

In the upcoming season, the Warriors are in for an action-packed start, with a series of home games within the first rounds following their record-breaking home and away crowds throughout their 2023 NRL campaign.

They’re launching the season against Cronulla Sutherland on Friday, March 8, with subsequent home games against Newcastle on March 31 and Manly Warringah on April 13, all at Go Media Stadium.

Notably, a groundbreaking three-year agreement brings a home game to Christchurch, with the Warriors set to face Canberra at Apollo Projects Stadium on March 22.

The team faces a rigorous challenge early on, encountering four of the top eight teams from the 2023 season within the first four weeks, including a visit to Melbourne in round two.

The draw promises an exciting lineup of home clashes against six of the previous year’s finals teams. This includes encounters with the Storm, Brisbane, and the three-times premiership-winning Penrith at ‘home’ in the exhilarating Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium on May 19. The Sydney Roosters are the sole top-eight side the Warriors won’t meet at their home ground.

Their 30th NRL campaign begins and concludes with showdowns against the Sharks, with a final-round encounter at PointsBet Stadium on August 31.

Throughout the season, byes have been scheduled, including breaks in the weekends preceding State of Origin matches in rounds 13 and 19.

The draw also lays out the teams the Warriors will face only once, both at home and away, marking crucial moments in their upcoming journey through the 2024 NRL season.

Other features of draw

Teams played once:

Home: Panthers, Broncos, Wests Tigers, Eels
Away: Rabbitohs, Dragons. Roosters, Cowboys
Teams played home and away:

Sharks, Storm, Raiders, Knights, Sea Eagles, Titans, Dolphins, Bulldogs

Luke Kirkness is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He previously covered consumer affairs for the Herald and was an assistant news director in the Bay of Plenty. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019.