Tallon Smith

Group 2 Rugby League is already looking forward to a great season in the New Year after the release of their 2025 competition draw last week.

The season, which will feature seven clubs for the second successive year after the losses of Orara Valley and Bellingen-Dorrigo in recent seasons, will run from the second weekend of April until the end of August, with fourteen rounds and four weeks of finals scheduled.

The season opens with a blockbuster slate of matches, with South Grafton taking on Woolgoolga to kick off the season on Saturday April 12, followed by Coffs Harbour tackling Macksville and Sawtell facing Grafton on the Sunday, with defending premiers Nambucca Heads given the bye.

Players and fans of the Nambucca Heads and Woolgoolga clubs will have to wait until the last weekend of the first round of the competition for the Grand Final rematch, which is set down for the 1st of June (Round 7) at Woolgoolga.

The return clash will take place in the final round, Round 14, at Nambucca Heads.

One of the biggest matches in NSW, the Grafton Derby, will take place in Rounds 3 and 10, with both matches scheduled for Saturdays, while the Coffs Harbour Derby between the Comets and Sawtell Panthers will take place in Rounds 5 and 12. 

One interesting note from the draw is that the competition will play on the Easter Long Weekend, something largely avoided by most groups across the state.

What is even stranger about Group 2 playing on the Easter weekend is that the competition will have byes scheduled on weekends later in the season, and will not play on the June Long Weekend, with clubs only playing a 12-game season.

Regardless, the intentional placement of fixtures on that weekend should see bumper crowds as families flock to the footy for a fun afternoon out during the holiday break.

The full Group 2 draw for the upcoming campaign is listed below.

2025 Group 2 Draw

Round 1 (12/13 April)

South Grafton v Woolgoolga (Sat)

Coffs Harbour v Macksville

Sawtell v Grafton

Nambucca Heads bye

Round 2 – Easter Round (19/20 April)

Woolgoolga v Coffs Harbour (Sat)

Grafton v Nambucca Heads

Macksville v Sawtell

South Grafton bye

Round 3 – ANZAC Round (26/27 April)

South Grafton v Grafton (Sat)

Nambucca Heads v Sawtell

Woolgoolga v Macksville

Coffs Harbour bye

Round 4 (3/4 May)

Grafton v Coffs Harbour (Sat)

Macksville v Nambucca Heads

Sawtell v South Grafton 

Woolgoolga bye

General Bye – 10/11 May

Round 5 (17/18 May)

South Grafton v Nambucca Heads (Sat)

Woolgoolga v Grafton

Coffs Harbour v Sawtell

Macksville bye

Round 6 (24/25 May)

Macksville v South Grafton (Sat)

Sawtell v Woolgoolga

Nambucca Heads v Coffs Harbour

Grafton bye

Round 7 (31 May/1 June)

Coffs Harbour v South Grafton (Sat)

Grafton v Macksville

Woolgoolga v Nambucca Heads

Sawtell bye

General Bye – Long Weekend (7/8 June)

Round 8 (14/15 June)

Woolgoolga v South Grafton (Sat)

Macksville v Coffs Harbour

Grafton v Sawtell

Nambucca Heads bye

Round 9 (21/22 June)

Sawtell v Macksville (Sat)

Coffs Harbour v Woolgoolga

Nambucca Heads v Grafton

South Grafton bye

Round 10 (28/29 June)

Grafton v South Grafton (Sat)

Sawtell v Nambucca Heads

Macksville v Woolgoolga

Coffs Harbour bye

Round 11 (5/6 July)

Nambucca Heads v Macksville (Sat)

Coffs Harbour v Grafton

South Grafton v Sawtell

Woolgoolga bye

General Bye – 12/13 July

Round 12 (19/20 July)

Grafton v Woolgoolga (Sat)

Nambucca Heads v South Grafton

Sawtell v Coffs Harbour

Macksville bye

Round 13 (26/27 July)

Coffs Harbour v Nambucca Heads (Sat)

South Grafton v Macksville

Woolgoolga v Sawtell

Grafton bye

Round 14 (2/3 August)

South Grafton v Coffs Harbour (Sat)

Macksville v Grafton

Nambucca Heads v Woolgoolga

Sawtell bye

Finals Week 1 – 9/10 August

Finals Week 2 – 16/17 August

Preliminary Final – 24 August

Grand Final – 31 August