THE under fire Des Hasler has hit pay dirt with the 2017 NRL draw, while the Broncos have some legitimate gripes with one of the toughest runs imaginable.

But the Broncos and Bulldogs aren’t the only two clubs sitting at opposite ends of the spectrum of something they have no control over but has a huge bearing on how their season plays out.

These are the winners and losers out of the 2017 NRL draw!

WINNERS

Round 20

Bulldogs

Sam Kasiano and the Bulldogs have a great shot at a strong 2017. Source: News Corp Australia

Des Hasler’s been done a solid, with Canterbury handed one of the softer schedules going.

The Bulldogs play 2016’s top four just four times this year — a better result than any of their 15 competitors.

That number 15 is also the amount of times they play last year’s bottom eight — again the best of any team in the game.

They avoid road trips to Townsville, Canberra and Melbourne, and only leave Sydney once (to Newcastle) between the middle of March and late June.

If they get themselves in the finals frame too they’ve got a very handy run home, with four of their last five games at ANZ Stadium, and only one of those against a 2016 finalist (the Titans away in round 25).

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Cowboys

The Cowboys have one of the best home ground records in the game and it’s hard to see that changing with six of their first nine games in Townsville.

In fact they don’t leave the Sunshine State until round seven, when they travel to Wollongong.

Parramatta (round 14) and Souths (round 19) have taken home games respectively to Darwin and Cairns — tropical climates that will suit North Queensland just fine.

Cowboys stars will have enjoyed seeing their draw for 2017. Source: News Corp Australia

The Cowboys also avoid Sydney for the most part, with only five games in the Harbour City across the regular season.

Their two byes have been scheduled to fall after Origins I and III, which will allow Queensland reps Johnathan Thurston, Matt Scott, Michael Morgan and Justin O’Neill time to rest up.

REPORT CARD: How your club’s draw stacks up

Manly

They may no longer be the proud custodians of the NRL’s most daunting home fortress, but the Sea Eagles have got the right draw to get their fans up and about early on and potentially build some momentum to catapult them back into the finals.

Manly play 10 matches at Brookvale Oval but they burn through them quickly to start the season, with five games at their northern beaches home in the first seven rounds.

Like the majority of clubs, Manly play six matches against top four sides from 2016 and have 12 against bottom eight sides, which is about average when compared to the rest of the competition.

However, if they can capitalise on their early run of home games they have the potential to steam home and grab a finals place, with five of their last eight games against teams who missed the finals in 2016.

To top it off they’ve copped just one five-day turnaround.

The Brookvale Oval hill will be rocking early in the 2017 season. Source: News Corp Australia

Warriors

Stephen Kearney couldn’t have been given a better opportunity to start his new life at the Warriors with a bang, with the under-fire New Zealand outfit starting their campaign with four of their first five games in the shaky isles.

They play six games against sides who finished in the top four in 2016, which neither advantages nor disadvantages them — all bar four clubs are in the same boat.

While they only play 11 games against bottom eight sides from 2016 — putting them towards the bottom of the pack — almost all of them come before and after the Origin period, which is a huge plus.

It means that a big slab of their matches against the stronger side are during the Origin period, when they’ll be weakened and at a stage of the season when the Warriors are traditionally at their strongest.

To top it off, the Warriors will be one of the Friday night kings of 2017, giving them plenty of commercial opportunities.

The Warriors have a big start to the 2017 NRL season ahead of them. Source: Getty Images

LOSERS

Broncos

Cue the pitchfork and hysteria. Not without cause either, as the Queensland juggernaut has 10 of their first 11 games in the juicy prime time slots of Thursday and Friday night.

It’s exposure the other clubs would kill for, and it’s not like the game’s strongest financial entity is struggling in a one-team town.

But those first 11 outings are a deadset minefield for Wayne Bennett’s men. Starting with the premiers on their own turf, they then take on each of last year’s top four to finish off their first month.

Brisbane are the only side that plays contenders Cronulla, North Queensland, Melbourne and Canberra the maximum of eight times.

They’ve also drawn 2016 finalists Canterbury and the Titans twice and in that same horror early run, as well as potential smokies Parramatta, the Roosters and Rabbitohs.

The Broncos have only drawn stragglers Newcastle and the Dragons once, and cop the Warriors a few days after Origin I.

They’ll get little sympathy from opposition punters, but Brisbane’s 2017 campaign is no cake walk.

Ben Hunt and Wayne Bennett have a very difficult draw to ponder. Source: News Corp Australia

Rabbitohs

There might be a reduction of five-day turnarounds (31 to 19), but Souths still get stung.

In fact, in the opening 20 rounds, they’ve got four — the most of any club — something coach Michael Maguire will no doubt be filthy about.

While no NRL team can be taken lightly, a couple of those turnarounds will really test the side.

In round 11 they play the Storm in Perth on the Sunday afternoon, then they’ll battle the Eels at ANZ Stadium on Friday night.

But one of their biggest challenges will come in rounds 19 and 20 when they take on the past two premiership winning sides — both away games.

They’ve got the Cowboys in Cairns on Sunday afternoon then fly down to Sydney where they’ll play the Sharks on the Friday night at Southern Cross Group Stadium — a fortress for the reigning premierships last season.

They’re bloody tough games in their own right, but with the added pressure of a short turnaround, it only makes the task harder.

The Rabbitohs will be tested physically. Source: News Corp Australia

Roosters

Another coach who is likely to be fuming is Roosters coach Trent Robinson.

The Tricolours get the second-most five-day turnarounds with three — two of them happen very early on in the piece.

They’ve got one straight away between their round one and two games against the Titans and Bulldogs respectively.

Then they’ve got to do it all over again from round three to four when they take on the Rabbitohs after playing the Panthers.

Roosters coaching staff will have already circled these clashes as crucial tests and Robinson will be wanting to put plenty of kilometres in his players before then.

The only positive here is that they get them out of the way sooner than later.

The Roosters will endure a tough early run. Source: Getty Images

Knights

It won’t get any easier for the 2016 wooden spooners.

To put it simply: they’re stuffed.

The Knights will have to play last season’s top four teams a total of seven times, the second-most behind the Broncos.

In fact, in their final three rounds of the season they face powerhouse sides the Storm, Raiders and Sharks — a daunting prospect for any team, let alone the Novocastrians.

In addition, they’ve also got clubs ranked fifth to eighth seven times — that’s the Broncos, Panthers, Bulldogs and Titans.

This means they only play the bottom eight sides 10 times — the least of any club.

One good result is that they’re one of five sides not to have a five-day turnaround.

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