One game down, 23 to go.

It's difficult to measure how easy or hard the upcoming schedule is when teams are only just getting into their work and inevitable injuries haven't yet plagued the first-choice 17.

Still, the Stats Insider Schedule Difficulty model has crunched the numbers to give us an idea of what's ahead for all 16 clubs.

For the Parramatta Eels and Melbourne Storm, they face a tough time of it over the next 24 rounds. The Wests Tigers and Gold Coast Titans, on the other hand, have been presented with an opportunity to improve on their 2021 seasons.

While a loss in Round 1 or 2 might not feel season-defining right now, it can be the difference between playing finals football or flying to Bali early. Here, we're ranking the overall difficulty of each club's full draw from Round 2 to 25 from hardest to easiest.

RELATED: Betting Lessons From The NRL's Opening Round

Parramatta Eels

Overall Schedule Difficulty: 1.5

This is a huge year for the Parramatta Eels. We've had the usual "this is the year they will break the drought" chat in the build-up, but for many, it feels like it 'needs' to be the year with key players leaving the club in 2023.

Brad Arthur's side will need to overcome the toughest remaining schedule in the competition if they're to end the drought, though.

The Stats Insider Futures Model puts only five teams in front of the Eels for the premiership. 

Parramatta plays all five of those teams twice including a brutal three-game stretch against the Panthers, Roosters and Sea Eagles between Round 9 and 11.

Good luck.

Punters- At TopSport, the Eels are paying $2.5 to finish in the top 4 in 2022.

Melbourne Storm

Overall Schedule Difficulty: 1.4

The Melbourne Storm are a victim of their own success sometimes.

TV money funds the game so broadcasters are kept happy as best they can be. That means the best teams play each other as often as possible. Given their dominance over the last 20 years, the Storm tends to be one of those best teams playing the other best teams and 2022 is no different.

Melbourne are at 92.1% to make the Top 8 this year. They will play the other seven teams expected to feature in finals football twice each throughout the year. Should the season shake out the way the futures model expects, more than half of Melbourne's games throughout the regular season will be against finals-bound teams.

Still, it's safe to assume they find a way through the brutal draw to be among the contenders for the Minor Premiership at the pointy end of the season.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Overall Schedule Difficulty: 1.4

We're going to learn a lot about the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the coming weeks.

They picked up a desperate win in North Queensland to start the season but have the Broncos, Sea Eagles, Storm, Panthers and Rabbitohs to come before a visit to Suncorp Stadium to play the Broncos for a second time. A matchup against the Roosters in Round 8 ends an incredibly difficult opening two months for the rebuilding club.

Trent Barrett is at the top of many 'First coach to be fired' lists and will do well to get through the first eight rounds without his seat heating up.

Should the Bulldogs go into Round 9 with three wins and some decent football under their belt, we might finally be able to talk about them as a Top 8 contender.

Punters- At TopSport, the Doggies are paying $12 to claim a second-straight wooden spoon.

New Zealand Warriors

Overall Schedule Difficulty: 0.9

Things are a little bit more settled for the Warriors this year, but not too settled.

They've committed to spending a third consecutive season in Australia but may yet head across the ditch to play a few games at their true home ground, Mt Smart Stadium. 

The boost from a home crowd may come too late, though.

Shaun Johnson's injury couldn't have come at a worse time for the Warriors who play out their friendliest stretch of games of the season over the next four weeks. Playing the Titans, Tigers, Broncos and Cowboys, the Warriors will back themselves to be in all four matches. However, if they can't make the most of this patch and pick up three wins ahead of a five-week spell against the Roosters, Storm, Raiders, Sharks and Rabbitohs, eyes may turn to 2023 before State of Origin.

Sydney Roosters

Overall Schedule Difficulty: 0.8

The Sydney Roosters are typically slow starters and the lack of time this group has spent together on the field was evident in Round 1. However, they will soon have time to build into the premiership contenders most expect them to be this season.

Following the Sea Eagles and Rabbitohs in the next fortnight, the Chooks don't play another team projected to crack the Top 8 until hosting the Eels in Round 10.

There is a slow team that is written off early every year. It won't be a surprise to see the Roosters string together a few wins between Round 4 and 9 should they struggle through the opening three weeks.

Punters- At TopSport, the Roosters are paying $6 to win a 16th club premiership and 4th in 10 seasons. 

South Sydney Rabbitohs

Overall Schedule Difficulty: 0.3

The South Sydney Rabbitohs squad is filled with the sort of talent that catches the eye of State of Origin coaches. It means the middle portion of the season can be somewhat of a struggle as top players move in and out of the 17 every other week. Those that back up are often banged up and underdone.

There is some hope for this season, though. South Sydney will host the Sea Eagles in Round 8 and play only two teams currently projected to make the Top 8 (Raiders, Round 11 & Roosters, Round 13) through to Round 16. 

Canberra Raiders

Overall Schedule Difficulty: 0.3

The Canberra Raiders struggled through the 2021 season despite playing out what was considered to be a middling draw at this time last year. Handed similar for 2022, Ricky Stuart's side can't afford to drop so many winnable games this time around.

Canberra's draw looks setup to string wins together. Three weeks against the Rabbitohs, Eels and Roosters is the only notable rough patch on the calendar right now. 

With a win already under the belt with the Cowboys and Titans to come over the next fortnight, Canberra's current 48.5% to make the Top 8 might receive a shot in the arm ahead of Round 4.

Punters- At TopSport, the Raiders are paying $21 to win their first flag since 1994.

North Queensland Cowboys

Overall Schedule Difficulty: 0.1

As current favourites to win the wooden spoon at 31%, the North Queensland Cowboys need all the luck they can get and appear to have some in the draw.

Neither encouragingly good nor terribly bad, the Cowboys will have the chance to lift themselves off the bottom of the ladder should they end up there in the coming weeks.

The Tigers (14.3%), Warriors (12.7%), Bulldogs (7.8%) and Dragons (7.2%) are the four teams most likely to finish lower on the NRL ladder than the Cowboys and it may all be decided between Round 19 and 23.

Round 19: Tigers @ Cowboys
Round 20: Cowboys @ Dragons
Round 21: Cowboys @ Bulldogs
Round 23: Warriors @ Cowboys

It's a bit early to be calling Spoon Bowl games but there's a good chance we see one or two at this point in the season.

Brisbane Broncos

Overall Schedule Difficulty: 0.1

The Brisbane Broncos were awarded the hardest draw of the 2021 NRL season. In hindsight, they did well to improve throughout the year and have recruited well enough to be Top 8 smokies for 2022.

The draw is working in their favour following their Round 1 win over the Rabbitohs, too.

With the Bulldogs, Cowboys and Warriors to come over the next three weeks, we might be looking at a 4-0 Broncos side when they visit the Roosters in Round 5. 

Newcastle Knights

Overall Schedule Difficulty: -0.1

The Newcastle Knights have had an unlucky run with injuries in recent years but have the squad, and the draw, to reach the finals in three consecutive seasons for the first time since 2003.

It typically only takes 12 wins to crack the Top 8 in the NRL and the Knights already have one W to their name. There are two spots on the draw that can be circled where the Knights make or miss the finals.

Round 9: @ Cowboys
Round 10: @ Bulldogs
Round 11: Broncos

Round 20: Bulldogs
Round 21: @ Tigers
Round 22: Broncos

Those three-week stretches of winnable games are likely to be where the Knights pick up the required wins to play finals football, or throw away their chances of extending their season beyond Round 25.

Punters- At TopSport, the Knights are paying $2.3 to play finals for a third-straight year.

St. George Illawarra Dragons

Overall Schedule Difficulty: -0.6

The St. George Illawarra Dragons have built a reputation of June premiers and early season fire-starters before flaming out late in the season. Last season didn't help the reputation as they overachieved throughout the early rounds before losing their last eight games.

However, if they can keep that early-season form going to give themselves a sniff at the Top 8, the draw is accommodating for a late-season push.

The Dragons don't play a team projected to finish in the top six after Round 19 with games against the Titans, Tigers and Broncos to end the year.

A lot needs to happen for the Dragons to make the most of what looks to be a favourable draw to finish, but they've made a decent start after beating the Warriors in Round 1.

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Overall Schedule Difficulty: -0.6

The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks have been particularly slow starters over the last two seasons.

In 2020, they lost four of their first five games in a condensed season before winning nine of their next 13 to sneak into the finals. In 2021, most had a line through them as a Top 8 side as they went into Round 14 with only four wins for 10th on the ladder. However, another purple patch saw them part of the Finals conversation right up until the end of Round 25 when points differential kept them to 9th.

With only two games against top-four opposition through to Round 12, this is the year for the Sharks to pile up early W's.

Punters- At TopSport, the Sharks are paying $2.1 to qualify for finals in 2022.

Penrith Panthers

Overall Schedule Difficulty: -1.1

As defending premiers and already the form team of the competition, the Penrith Panthers not needing to play themselves helps here. 

They flew out to premiership favouritism by winning their opening 12 games last season and are in a position to start well again in 2022. The Panthers don't play another top-four side (according to the Futures model) until visiting the Storm in Round 10.

Nathan Cleary is nursing an injury so the favourable early draw certainly helps. So does the fact his return is likely to be for Round 5 against the Bulldogs - a game most will expect the Panthers to win comfortably.

Making three Grand Finals in a row is a tough slog but the Panthers have the draw to start well and possibly rest players later in the season.

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

Overall Schedule Difficulty: -1.2

The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles played like a wooden spoon side throughout the first five rounds of the 2021 NRL season before flying home to be one of the best teams of the competition by Round 25.

They've dropped one game already and face a tough task against the Roosters this week if they're to avoid dropping to 0-2. However, the Sea Eagles play just three more games against top-four opposition (Storm twice and Roosters for a second time) and one game against the Rabbitohs for the rest of the season. 

While that can be considered a good thing, the concerns around the Sea Eagles heading into the season were around how they perform against top teams. We might not learn much before finals footy kicks off.

Punters- At TopSport, Manly are paying $9.5 to bring the premiership back to the northern beaches for a 9th time in 2022. 

Wests Tigers

Overall Schedule Difficulty: -1.3

The Wests Tigers need a little bit of luck. No team has gone longer without playing finals football and they have been talked about as potential wooden spooners throughout the preseason.

We're going to have a good idea of where the Tigers stand in a month.

The teams that end up at 7th or 8th beat the teams below them on the ladder to get there and the Tigers play four sides all hopeful of sneaking into the finals over the next four weeks. If they can pick up two wins across games against the Knights, Warriors, Titans and Sharks to be 2-3 after five rounds, this struggling club will have something to build on with Adam Doueihi's return in mind.

Punters- At TopSport, the Tigers are wooden spoon favourites and are paying $3.5 to collect that 'honour' in 2022. 

Gold Coast Titans

Overall Schedule Difficulty: -1.7

Making the finals one year doesn't always mean you make it the next. Particularly when you become the first side since 2003 to make the finals in a full season winning only 10 games.

However, the Titans have been gifted the draw to build on those 10 wins and add the two or three likely required to reach back-to-back finals for the first time since 2010. Half of their games in 2022 will be against teams projected to finish outside the Top 8. Provided they win the majority of those and pick up one or two wins over finals-bound teams along the way, the Titans will feature in the finals again this season.

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