How many free-to-air games: Five (against Broncos, Tigers, Sharks, Panthers and Manly).

Day by day breakdown: One Thursday night game, four Friday night games, nine Saturday games and 10 Sunday games.

NRL-Super Rugby double-headers: April 13-14 (Brumbies v Lions and Raiders v Eels), May 24-25 (Brumbies v Bulls and Raiders v Cowboys), June 13-15 (Raiders v Sharks and Brumbies v Reds).

Canberra Raiders fans should mark April 22 in their diaries. That's the day they'll know for sure whether there has been a new beginning or they're stuck living the same nightmare of 2018.

The Green Machine will have the perfect chance to exorcise some demons in the opening rounds of the 2019 NRL season, starting with four home games in the first six rounds.

By the end of the home run, which finishes against the Brisbane Broncos on April 21, everyone will have a better idea about whether the Raiders are contenders or pretenders.

The first three rounds broke the Raiders last year. They lost three games against the Titans, Knights and Warriors by a combined five points and although they held onto their finals hopes for as long as possible, the early-season broken heart was never really mended.

In fact, the Raiders were the home-wreckers last year. Not because they struggled in their 12 matches at Canberra Stadium. It was, instead, the deep cuts of five home defeats by an average of 2.8 points that hurt the most.

The NRL published the 2019 draw on Thursday, with the Raiders to start on the road against the Gold Coast Titans just to remind them of the way they coughed up an 18-point lead against the same team at the same venue in the same round this year.

There will be plenty letting out sighs of relief if they get through that one. But just in case the Raiders and their fans get carried away, the NRL booked grand finalists the Melbourne Storm for a Friday night showdown to start things in Canberra on March 22.

Then the Newcastle Knights, the Johnathan Thurston-less Cowboys, the woeful Parramatta Eels and the Brisbane Broncos in a six-week sprint to start the season on a high.

History is against the Raiders in the early stages. The Green Machine hasn't won more than 50 per cent of games in the first six rounds since 2005.

But wins against eventual premiers the Sydney Roosters and the high-flying South Sydney Rabbitohs at the end of the 2018 campaign was the glimmer of hope. Something for the fans to hold on to over the long off-season.

The Raiders play both grand finalists, the Storm and the Roosters, twice next season. Toppling the Storm at home in round two will give the players early-season belief and beating the Roosters in Canberra in round 21 is a chance to build finals momentum.

But if the end of this year proved anything, it's that the Raiders can rise to the challenge against the top teams. It's the matches in between that will define Ricky Stuart's men.

Stuart is also facing an interesting period. The Raiders have missed the finals in four of his five seasons in charge, meaning there will be pressure to perform when the games start in 2019.

The Raiders will sweat their way through two Queensland trips in the first month of the year, especially a 4.30pm kick-off in Townsville on April 6.

But games against the Knights (round three), the Eels (round five) and Manly (round seven) are all games the Raiders are probably expected to win, and they are more than capable of doing so.

The five-week stretch before the finals looms as a testing patch, in particular if the Raiders are fighting to save their season like they have been in the past two years.

It starts with the Roosters on August 11, then rolls into the Storm in Melbourne, Manly at home, the Sharks at Cronulla and the unpredictable Warriors to finish.

The Raiders will host just two teams during an 11-week stretch from the end of May until the start of August.

It's a move designed by the NRL and the Raiders to keep fans warm, at least until the ACT government finally decides to build a stadium with a roof in Civic.

But the double-edged sword is that teams hate coming to Canberra during those colder months, and the sight of future Immortal Thurston shivering in icy conditions was enough to suggest the cold nights aren't all that bad.

The Raiders will play the Sharks at Canberra Stadium on June 13 and the Tigers on July 20 as the only home fixtures during that period.

The Raiders still had a hardcore following this year and averaged more than 11,000 at home games. It was a drop from their 2017 numbers, but winning, avoiding winter and ... winning will help numbers spike again.

March 17: Gold Coast Titans v Canberra Raiders at Gold Coast, 6.30pm (Fox Sports).

March 22: Canberra Raiders v Melbourne Storm at Canberra Stadium, 6pm (Fox Sports).

March 29: Canberra Raiders v Newcastle Knights at Canberra Stadium, 6pm (Fox Sports).

April 6: North Queensland Cowboys v Canberra Raiders at Townsville, 4.30pm (Fox Sports).

April 14: Canberra Raiders v Parramatta Eels at Canberra Stadium, 6.10pm (Fox Sports).

April 21: Canberra Raiders v Brisbane Broncos at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm (Channel Nine).

April 28: Manly Sea Eagles v Canberra Raiders at Brookvale, 2pm (Fox Sports).

May 4: Canberra Raiders v Penrith Panthers at Wagga, 3pm (Fox Sports).

May 12: Sydney Roosters v Canberra Raiders at Suncorp Stadium, 2pm (Fox Sports).

May 18: Canberra Raiders v South Sydney Rabbitohs at Canberra Stadium, 7.30pm (Fox Sports).

May 25: Canberra Raiders v North Queensland Cowboys at Canberra Stadium, 3pm (Fox Sports).

June 1: Canterbury Bulldogs v Canberra Raiders at ANZ Stadium, 7.35pm (Fox Sports).

June 7: Wests Tigers v Canberra Raiders at Western Sydney Stadium, 7.55pm (Channel Nine).

June 13: Canberra Raiders v Cronulla Sharks at Canberra Stadium, 7.50pm (Channel Nine).

June 20: BYE

June 29: Parramatta Eels v Canberra Raiders at Darwin, 7.35pm (Fox Sports).

July 6: BYE

July 14: St George Dragons v Canberra Raiders at Wollongong, 6.10pm (Fox Sports).

July 20: Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers at Canberra Stadium, 5.30pm (Fox Sports).

July 28: Penrith Panthers v Canberra Raiders at Penrith Stadium, 4.05pm (Channel Nine).

August 2: New Zealand Warriors v Canberra Raiders at Mt Smart Stadium, 8pm (Fox Sports).

August 11: Canberra Raiders v Sydney Roosters at Canberra Stadium, 2pm (Fox Sports).

August 17: Melbourne Storm v Canberra Raiders at AAMI Park, 5.30pm (Fox Sports).

August 25: Canberra Raiders v Manly Sea Eagles at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm (Channel Nine).

September 1: Cronulla Sharks v Canberra Raiders at Southern Cross Stadium, 2pm (Fox Sports).

September 7: Canberra Raiders v New Zealand Warriors at Canberra Stadium, 3pm (Fox Sports).