Every game, every date in the 2019 Group 3 rugby league season fixture

In their 2019 campaign, the defending premiers only have a trip up the road to Kempsey as their single away fixture in the opening three rounds.

The middle third of the season, however, shapes as a challenging period for the Sharks who will only have one home game between rounds four and eight.

Coach Ben Kirkland said it was important for his team to hit the ground running.

"We have a tough couple of weeks straight up - Breakers then a road trip to Kempsey," he said.

"Then there's a week off, so we will get through those games and re-evaluate before we dig right in for the rest of the season."

They Sharks finish with three of their final four games at home.

"We have a good run of home games at the end of the season," Kirkland said.

"But we have a tough middle period with tough trips to Wauchope and Wingham close together."

Cross-town rivals Port City Breakers, however, will be on the road for two of the first three rounds, although one of those fixtures will be an opening-round local derby showdown.

The Breakers can make their move in the middle third of the season with four home games scheduled at home in five weeks between rounds four and eight.

They then finish with just one home game in the last four rounds before the finals. Gone are the days where teams alternated between playing at home and away each week.

Breakers coach Dan Kemp conceded his team potentially had a hard run home.

"It's the luck of the draw - literally - isn't it," he said.

"The easy end-of-season run has historically not been very good for us and there's merit in having a tough run into the finals.

"Hopefully we'll be there at the end of the year."

Sat, April 6: Wauchope v Taree City (Lank Bain Complex, Wauchope) 

Old Bar Beach v Macleay Valley (Old Bar Reserve) 

Sun, April 7: Port Macquarie v Port City (Regional Stadium. Port Macquarie)

Forster Tuncurry v Wingham (Harry Elliott Oval, Tuncurry)

Saturday, April 13: Taree City v Old Bar Beach (Jack Neal Oval, Taree)

Macleay Valley v Port Macquarie (Verge Street Oval, Kempsey)

Sunday, April 14: Port City v Forster Tuncurry (Regional Stadium, Port Macquarie)

Wauchope v Wingham (Lank Bain Complex, Wauchope)

Saturday, April 27: Port Macquarie v Taree City (Regional Stadium, Port Macquarie)

Wingham v Port City (Wingham Complex)

Sunday, April 28: Wauchope v Old Bar Beach (Lank Bain Complex, Wauchope)

Forster Tuncurry v Macleay Valley (Harry Elliott Oval, Tuncurry)

Saturday May 4: Macleay Valley v Wingham (Verge Street Oval, Kempsey) 

Port City v Wauchope (Regional Stadium, Port Macquarie)

Sunday, May 5: Old Bar Beach v Port Macquarie (Old Bar Reserve)

Taree City v Forster Tuncurry (Jack Neal Oval, Taree)

Saturday, May 11: Wauchope v Port Macquarie (Lank Bain Complex, Wauchope) 

Wingham v Taree City (Wingham Complex)

Sunday, May 12: Port City v Macleay Valley (Regional Stadium, Port Macquarie) 

Forster Tuncurry v Old Bar Beach (Harry Elliott Oval, Tuncurry)

Saturday, May 18: Taree City v Port City (Jack Neal Oval, Taree) 

Wauchope v Macleay Valley (Lank Bain Complex, Wauchope)

Port Macquarie v Forster Tuncurry Regional Stadium

Sunday, May 19: Old Bar Beach v Wingham Old (Bar Reserve)

Saturday, May 15: Port City v Old Bar Beach (Regional Stadium, Port Macquarie)

Sunday, May 16: Wingham v Port Macquarie (Wingham Complex)

Forster Tuncurry v Wauchope (Harry Elliott Oval, Tuncurry)

Macleay Valley v Taree City (Verge Street Oval, Kempsey)

Saturday, June 1: Taree City v Wauchope (Jack Neal Oval, Taree)

Port City v Port Macquarie (Regional Stadium, Port Macquarie)

Sunday, June 2: Wingham v Forster Tuncurry (Wingham Complex)

Macleay Valley v Old Bar Beach (Verge Street, Kempsey)

Saturday, June 15: Old Bar Beach v Taree City (Old Bar Reserve)

Port Macquarie v Macleay Valley (Regional Stadium, Port Macquarie)

Sunday, June 16: Forster Tuncurry v Port City (Harry Elliott Oval, Tuncurry)

Wingham v Wauchope (Wingham Complex)

Saturday, June 22: Port City v Wingham (Regional Stadium, Port Macquarie)

Old Bar Beach v Wauchope (Old Bar Reserve)

Sunday, June 23: Taree City v Port Macquarie (Jack Neal Oval, Taree)

Macleay Valley v Forster Tuncurry (Verge Street Oval, Kempsey)

Saturday, June 29: Wingham v Macleay Valley (Wingham Complex) 

Wauchope v Port City (Lank Bain Complex, Wauchope) 

Sunday, June 30: Forster Tuncurry v Taree City (Harry Elliott Oval, Tuncurry)

Port Macquarie v Old Bar Beach (Regional Stadium, Port Macquarie)

Saturday, July 13: Taree City v Wingham (Jack Neal Oval, Taree)

Macleay Valley v Port City (Verge Street Oval, Kempsey)

Sunday, July 14:  Port Macquarie v Wauchope (Regional Stadium, Port Macquarie)

Old Bar Beach v Forster Tuncurry (Old Bar Reserve)

Saturday, July 20: Macleay Valley v Wauchope (Verge Street Oval, Kempsey)

Wingham v Old Bar Beach (Wingham Complex)

Sunday, July 21: Forster Tuncurry v Port Macquarie (Harry Elliott Oval, Tuncurry)

Port City v Taree City (Regional Stadium, Port Macquarie)

Saturday, July 27: Old Bar Beach v Port City (Old Bar Reserve)

Port Macquarie v Wingham (Regional Stadium, Port Macquarie)

Sunday, July 28: Wauchope v Forster Tuncurry (Lank Bain Complex, Wauchope)

Taree City v Macleay Valley (Jack Neal Oval, Taree)

Saturday, August 3: Elimination Semi

Sunday, August 4: Preliminary Semi 

Saturday, August 10: Minor Semi

Sunday, August 11: Major Semi

Sunday, August 18: Preliminary Final

Sunday, August 25: Grand Final