The draw for the 2018 Intrust Super Cup season is out. The Devils are returning to Suncorp Stadium – the scene of some of our greatest moments – for two regular season matches. At Bishop Park, we’ve got five Sunday home games and four Saturday twilight/evening games.
Here’s a rundown for the Devils:
Norths Devils will return to the home of rugby league in Queensland in 2018 as part of an Intrust Super Cup schedule that also brings Saturday twilight home games to Bishop Park.
The 2018 draw was released today with the Devils opening and closing the season on Sunday afternoons at Bishop Park.
The Devils’ 2018 season includes (subject to any changes for Channel 9’s live coverage schedule):
• Two clashes at Suncorp Stadium as curtain-raisers to Broncos’ NRL clashes – an Easter Sunday Round 4 match against Wynnum and a Round 16 match against Souths Logan on Saturday, June 30
• Four twilight or evening Saturday games at Bishop Park, kicking off at 5.30pm or 7pm
• Five Sunday afternoon games at Bishop Park, including the first and last games of the home-and-away season. The last game will be the traditional Old Boys’ Day.
• A Country Week clash with PNG Hunters in northern Papua New Guinea
The Devils, under new coach Rohan Smith, have begun pre-season training with several new faces at Bishop Park.
“This is an exciting draw for the Devils especially given that we’re going to Suncorp Stadium twice – it’s a great opportunity for the players and the fans to see our team at Queensland’s home of league,” Norths CEO Terry Reader said.
“Suncorp Stadium has been the home of some of our greatest memories as a club. We’ll be proud to see the Devils’ jersey at the ground again.”
The Devils’ home and away season opens at Bishop Park on Sunday March 11 against Tweed Seagulls and concludes on Sunday August 26 against Ipswich. The finals will begin the following week.
The Devils will introduce regular Saturday home games to Bishop Park in 2018, catering to feedback from players and fans.
“We’ve got four Saturday games – starting at 5.30pm or 7pm – and we’ve got five Sunday games so we’ve tried to mix them up,” Reader said.
“We want to make Bishop Park a fortress – we’re proud of our home and we want to make it somewhere that teams don’t like to visit.”
