Sea Eagles Cherry Ripe as second half swoop downs Eels
72 mins ago | Sam Bourke
NRL confirms 2023 Pre-Season Challenge details
The biggest pre-season in NRL history will include 18 teams, an overall winner, an innovative ladder/scoring system and prizemoney.
The winner of the 2023 Pre-Season Challenge will receive $100,000 in prizemoney as part of the exciting new tournament, which will be brought to fans live on Fox Sports and Kayo.
During the two-week Pre-Season Challenge, teams will receive twelve points for a win, six points for a draw, and will also be eligible for a bonus point by scoring five or more tries, making five or more line breaks and ten or more offloads.
As a result, teams can earn a maximum of 15 points per match, encouraging open and entertaining play.
"Having 18 teams and the added innovations, prize money and all matches televised live will create an exciting two weeks of football for fans," NRL Chief Executive Andrew Abdo said.
"The 2023 Pre-Season Challenge offers a new experience for Clubs, players and most importantly fans, ahead of another highly anticipated Telstra Premiership in 2023.
"Over two action packed weekends, we have traditional rivalry matches, the inclusion of St Helens, the Dolphins featuring in Pre-Season for the first time, the Charity Shield and World Club Challenge to look forward to."
Squads will be capped at 28 players for their Week One matches and 26 players for Week Two matches.
The 2023 Pre-Season Challenge will begin on Thursday, February 9 with a clash between the Warriors and Wests Tigers at Mt Smart Stadium.
All participating teams, including Super League champions St Helens, will be eligible to win the Pre-Season Challenge competition.
St Helens will face St George Illawarra at WIN Stadium on Saturday, February 11 before taking on 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership winners Penrith Panthers in the World Club Challenge at BlueBet Stadium on Saturday, February 18.
The St Helens match against the St George Illawarra Dragons and the 2023 World Club Challenge are proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.