A new season, a new main competition sponsor, a new batch of future stars to unearth and many more new things we don’t yet know about. But what we do know is who will play who where and when, and so here is the HostPlus Cup 2022 Queensland Cup Draw with some analysis.
The 2022 Queensland Cup draw features more of the same from previous seasons like Sunday afternoons at Davies Park, two Rivalry rounds, and more games at Piggabeen now that governments care less about Covid attending games.
Country Week returns as ever, and remains one of rugby league’s great ideas. Those venues are TBA for now.
Talking of venues, the 2022 Queensland Cup draw will see the competition visit a total of 27 grounds this season, including the Country Week venues. Here’s hoping Warwick gets a run in 2022.
The PNG Hunters remain in the competition, and the 2017 Premiers are based at Runaway Bay for a second season.
There’s something for everyone.
It should be another great season, in a competition that rewards interest. For your interest is the 2022 Queensland Cup draw with some bits and pieces.
2022 HostPlus Queensland Cup Draw
Here is the full draw split into four convenient batches of five games. With Covid now no longer the official government worry that it has been, there should be more certainty over this schedule than the previous years.
Of course you can always go to the Official QRL Website Draw, which has all the interactivity you could need. And is official and better than ours. But they don’t have the barely interesting visuals we have below.
2022 HostPlus Queensland Cup Draw Insights
If you wanted to know you plays the most day or night games, or on which day, or even if any team has the slightly harder draw than others, you’ve come to the right place.
The number below is the average of the 2021 finishing position of each opponent.
2022 HostPlus Queensland Cup Draw – Club by Club Quick Stats
BURLEIGH BEARS
- The Bears, along with Townsville and PNG Hunters, play the fewest games in Brisbane in 2022.
- Burleigh’s first round results follow a pattern. From 2014 it goes WLWLWLWL.
- Key Games
- R1 v Wynnum (A)
- v Tweed Heads (H) Round 4
- v PNG Hunters (H) Round 5 – Anzac Day
- v Tweed Heads (A) Round 17
- R20 v Wynnum (H)
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS
- Townsville are unbeaten in the first round of the season since they joined in 2015. The only team with a 100% record.
- Townsville’s season begins and ends against the reigning premiers Norths Devils.
- Townsville have to play all of the top four in the first five rounds. All of those games are at home.
- The Blackhawks last three games of the season are on the road, two of them on the Gold Coast.
- Key Games
- R1 v Norths (H)
- v Northern Pride (A) Round 4
- v Mackay Cutters (H) Round 10
- v Northern Pride (H) Round 17
- R20 v Norths (A)
CENTRAL CAPRAS
- The Capras manage to avoid any of the top four sides until they face Norths in Round Eight. They then play two of the other three sides from the sharp end of last season in a row.
- Central Capras play in Brisbane for three of the first five weeks of the season, same number of Brisbane games as Burleigh, PNG and Townsville all season.
- Key Games
- R1 v Souths Logan Magpies (A)
- v Cutters (H) Round 4
- v Cutters (A) Round 17
- R20 v Souths Logan Magpies (H)
MACKAY CUTTERS
- Country Week TBA aside, all Mackay Cutters games this season are on a Saturday. Good for those who like a Sunday morning sleep in.
- Mackay have the worst record for Round 1 games – no wins since 2014.
- Key Games
- R1 v PNG Hunters (H)
- v Capras (A) Round 4
- v Blackhawks (A) Round 10
- v Capras (H) Round 17
- R20 v PNG Hunters (A)
NORTHS DEVILS
- Fans of the Grand Final replay will have to wait until Round 13 and July for the one and only match v Wynnum.
- Norths have won their past four Round One games going back to 2018.
- Key Games
- R1 v Blackhawks (A)
- v Redcliffe (H) Round 2
- v Wynnum (H) Round 13
- v Redcliffe (A) Round 15
- R20 v Blackhawks (H)
REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS
- Redcliffe play at home in Round One, then have four successive away trips before their next home game.
- Dolphins have the second hardest start to their season, based on 2021 ladder finishing position.
- Key Games
- R1 v Sunshine Coast (H)
- v Devils (A) Round 2
- v Wynnum (A) Round 4
- v Devils (H) Round 15
- v Wynnum (H) Round 17
- R20 v Sunshine Coast (A)
SUNSHINE COAST FALCONS
- Falcons have the easiest finish to the season based on their opponents finishing position last season. The average finishing position is over 10th.
- Falcons have won just one of their last five opening round fixtures.
- Key Games
- R1 v Dolphins (A)
- v Hunters (A) Round 4
- v Hunters (H) Round 17
- R20 v Dolphins (H)
PNG HUNTERS
- PNG Hunters get to spend time in Mackay and Rockhampton for the first two rounds.
- The Hunters along with Norths have the second best record for Round 1 with a 75% win rate.
- Key Games
- R1 v Cutters (A)
- v Falcons (H) Round 4
- v Bears (A) Round 5 – Anzac Day
- v Falcons (A) Round 17
- R20 v Cutters (H)
IPSWICH JETS
- Ipswich start the season with three straight home games, all against non top eight sides from last season.
- Ipswich have lost their last four first round games. Their overall strike rate is only 25%.
- Key Games
- R1 v Pride (H)
- v Tigers (A) Round 4
- v Tigers (H) Round 17
- R20 v Pride (A) Round 20
SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES
- The Magpies fly up to Tully in Round 10 for one of their home games. This is thier first game north of the Sunshine Coast in 2022.
- Souths Logan play four games in Logan this season – at Marsden State High School.
- Key Games
- R1 v Capras (H)
- v Norths (A) Round 4
- v Norths (H) Round 17
- R20 v Capras (A)
NORTHERN PRIDE
- Northern Pride play the fewest day games in 2022, with just four games being played in the afternoon.
- The Pride are on the road for the first three weeks of the season. Their rivalry round clash with Townsville in Round 4 is their first home game.
- Key Games
- R1 v Ipswich (A)
- v Blackhawks (H) Round 4
- v Blackhawks (A) Round 17
- R20 v Ipswich (H)
TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS
- Piggabeen welcomes back the Queensland Cup with three straight home games to start the season.
- Tweed Heads have won their last three opening round games.
- Key Games
- R1 v Tigers (H)
- v Burleigh (A) Round 4
- Flockbuster v Tweed Heads (H) Round 6
- v Burleigh (H) Round 17
- R20 v Tigers (A)
BRISBANE TIGERS
- The Tigers play the most games on a Sunday this season – 63% of their games.
- No team plays more daytime football this season than the Tigers. 84% of their games start at 4pm or earlier.
- Tigers were involved in the only draw in Round 1 since 2014 v Sunshine Coast in 2017.
- Tigers will be the first team to play at Piggabeen in a while in Round 1. It’s not a happy hunting ground, they have lost five of the six games there since 2014.
- Key Games
- R1 v Tweed Heads (A)
- v Ipswich (H) Round 4
- v Wynnum (H) Round 11
- v Ipswich (A) Round 17
- R20 v Tweed Heads (H)
WYNNUM SEAGULLS
- Wynnum visit Iona College in Round 2. Souths Logan are the other team to play at a high school this season with games at Marsden High.
- Wynnum, along with Souths Logan and Ipswich spend the most time in Brisbane this season. 74% of their games are in Brisbane this season.
- Key Games
- R1 v Bears (H)
- v Redcliffe (H) Round 4
- Flockbuster v Tweed Heads (A) Round 6
- v Tigers (A) Round 13
- v Redcliffe (A) Round 17
- R20 v Bears (A)
