Tallon Smith

Rugby league players and supporters across the Central and Western Riverina have begun circling their calendars after Group 20 released their fixture for season 2025 last week.

Set to run for 18 rounds as in previous years, the 2025 campaign will mark the return of Yanco-Wamoon to the First Grade competition after spending the bulk of last season playing in Reserve Grade.

The season is set to kick off with a bang, with rivalry games scheduled across the opening weekend between Hay and DPC, Yenda and Leeton, TLU and Yanco-Wamoon and the biggest of them all, the Griffith Derby between the Waratahs and Black and Whites at Exies Oval.

West Wyalong will have the bye in the first round, before kicking off their campaign on the road at Leeton in Round 2.

The highlight of Round 2 will be the Grand Final rematch between Darlington Point-Coleambally and Griffith Black and Whites on April 27 at the Darlington Point Sportsground.

The famous colour clash of 2024 will hopefully be avoided when the Black and Whites take on Hay in Griffith in Round 5, the Magpies’ only away game in a five week stretch with two home games either side.

The Leeton Derby between the Hawks and the Greenies will take place in Round 7 on June 1, before the return clash at Leeton No. 1 Oval on August 17.

That same weekend will see the Northern Derby as well, with West Wyalong hosting the TLU Sharks at Ron Crowe Oval before the return bout in Round 16.

The competition’s finals series will kick off on the weekend of September 6/7, and run for four weeks.

The 2025 Group 20 Grand Final, which will likely be held again at the traditional venue of EW Moore Oval in Griffith, is set down for Sunday September 28.

The draw is only applicable to the First Grade, Reserve Grade and League Tag competitions.

The Under 16s and Under 18s competitions will have a different draw which includes an 18-game season and no byes, which will be released in due course.

The current draw posted by the NSWRL and available on Play Rugby League is incorrect, with a representative from the state body confirming they will be moving to rectify the errors as soon as possible.

Group 20 is the third competition after the Proten Community Cup and Newcastle to publish their 2025 draw in the state.

(Cover Photo: Krista Schade – The Riverine Grazier)

Full 2025 Group 20 Fixture

Round 1 (13 April) Waratahs v Black & Whites Hay v DPC TLU v Yanco Yenda v Leeton West Wyalong bye Round 2 (27 April) DPC v Black & Whites Waratahs v Yenda Leeton v West Wyalong Yanco v Hay TLU bye Round 3 (4 May) Hay v TLU West Wyalong v Waratahs Black & Whites v Yanco Yenda v DPC Leeton bye Round 4 (11 May) DPC v West Wyalong Waratahs v Leeton Hay v Yenda TLU v Black & Whites Yanco bye Round 5 (18 May) Leeton v DPC West Wyalong v Yanco Black & Whites v Hay Yenda v TLU Waratahs bye Round 6 (25 May) Waratahs v DPC Hay v West Wyalong  TLU v Yenda Yanco v Yenda Black & Whites bye Round 7 (1 June) Hay v Waratahs West Wyalong v TLU Yenda v Black & Whites Yanco v Leeton DPC bye Round 8 (15 June) DPC v Yanco TLU v Waratahs Leeton v Hay West Wyalong v Black & Whites Yenda bye Round 9 (22 June) DPC v Hay Leeton v Yenda Black & Whites v Waratahs Yanco v TLU West Wyalong bye

Round 10 (29 June) TLU v DPC Black & Whites v Leeton Yenda v West Wyalong  Yanco v Waratahs Hay bye Round 11 (6 July) Hay v Yanco West Wyalong v Leeton Black & Whites v DPC Yenda v Waratahs TLU bye Round 12 (13 July) DPC v Yenda Waratahs v West Wyalong TLU v Hay Yanco v Black & Whites Leeton bye Round 13 (20 July) Leeton v Waratahs West Wyalong v DPC Black & Whites v TLU Yenda v Hay Yanco bye Round 14 (27 July) DPC v Leeton Hay v Black & Whites TLU v Yenda Yanco v West Wyalong  Waratahs bye Round 15 (10 August) DPC v Waratahs Leeton v TLU West Wyalong v Hay Yenda v Yanco Black & Whites bye Round 16 (17 August) Waratahs v Hay TLU v West Wyalong Leeton v Yanco Black & Whites v Yenda DPC bye Round 17 (24 August) Waratahs v TLU Hay v Leeton Black & Whites v West Wyalong Yanco v DPC  Yenda bye Round 18 (31 August) DPC v TLU Waratahs v Yanco Leeton v Black & Whites West Wyalong v Yenda Hay bye

Finals Series

Finals Week 1: Qualifying/Elimination – September 6/7

Finals Week 2: Major/Minor Semi – September 13/14

Preliminary Final – September 21

Grand Final – September 28