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Broncos veteran set to make his return | 01:18
The NRL pre-season challenge is set to kick off on on Friday, with three weeks of rugby league action taking place across the country.
Watch every game of the 2025 NRL Pre-Season Challenge Live & Exclusive on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.
Regional towns across three states including Mudgee (NSW), Gosford (NSW), Toowoomba (QLD), Cairns (QLD) and Cranbourne East (Victoria) will host games.
For the first time there will be 17 games played across three weekends, instead of 16 games across two.
The new format will provide the four teams playing in Las Vegas in 2025 (Sharks, Warriors, Panthers and Raiders) the chance to give their first-choice sides a hitout before heading to the US.
Penrith didn’t feature in the 2024 pre-season challenge, having played in the World Club Challenge against the Wigan Warriors.
Teams for the first weekend of matches has been announced. Check them out here.
FULL SCHEDULE
Week 1
Friday 7 Feb
Sharks v Warriors at Sharks Stadium 7:30pm
Saturday 8 Feb
Panthers v Raiders at Sharks Stadium 7:30pm
Week 2
Thu 13 Feb
Raiders v Sharks at GIO Stadium 7:50pm
Fri 14 Feb
Knights v Eels at McDonald Jones Stadium 6:00pm
Cowboys v Dolphins at Barlow Park, Cairns 8:00pm
Sat 15 Feb
Warriors v Storm at Go Media Stadium 1:30pm
Rabbitohs v Sea Eagles at Industree Group Stadium 3:30pm
Sun 16 Feb
Broncos v Titans at Clive Berghofer Stadium, Toowoomba 3:30pm
Bulldogs v Wests Tigers at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium 5:30pm
Dragons v Roosters at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium 7:30pm
Week 3
Fri 21 Feb
Sea Eagles v Panthers at Leichhardt Oval 6:00pm
Wests Tigers v Eels at Leichhardt Oval 8:00pm
Sat 22 Feb
Dragons v Rabbitohs at Glen Willow Stadium, Mudgee 3:00pm
Broncos v Bulldogs at Kayo Stadium 5:30pm
Dolphins v Titans at Kayo Stadium 7:30pm
Sun 23 Feb
Storm v Cowboys at Casey Fields, Cranbourne East 2:00pm
Roosters v Knights at Industree Group Stadium 4:00pm
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2023 – Manly Sea Eagles
2024 – Brisbane Broncos
WHAT’S ON THE LINE?
The winning club will take home $100,000 in prize money, with the Broncos and Sea Eagles previously being handed the eye-watering sum.
WHERE TO WATCH?
ALL THE RULES
Points system
Teams will be awarded 12 points for a win, and six for a draw, with several ways to score bonus points ensuring no contest is a dead rubber.
If a team scores five or more tries, they earn one extra bonus point, while earning the same amount for five or more linebreaks and 10 or more offloads.
The maximum a team can score with a win is 15 points, while three points are still on offer for the losing side.
How many players can each team name?
The NRL will once again allow clubs to field as many as 28 players in the pre-season challenge with unlimited interchanges.
What happens if teams are tied on points?
In the event of a tie after all games are completed, a system has been laid out to ensure the pre-season challenge will always have a victor.
The team with the highest points differential will stake the money home, but in the event teams are still level it comes down to a percentage.
The winner becomes the team with the greater percentage of points scored for and against, from tries and goals.
If somehow there is still a deadlock at the top of the ladder, the winner is decided by these statistics, in order — most tries, scores, most goals kicked, most field goals kicked, least amount of penalties conceded — and ultimately, the toss of a coin.
New sin bin rules to be trialed
The NRL has also told clubs the pre-season challenge will be used to trial a “new assessment” of how the sin-bin is used for illegal high tackles.
The trial will mean players will be sin binned if a high tackle results in the opposing player being removed from the field as a Category 1 HIA, or is the player fails the Category 2 HIA assessment, regardless of whether play has subsequently resumed after the incident.
“High tackles identified by match officials will continue to be penalised by the referee as per current practice and the referee will retain the discretion to immediately send players from the field,” the NRL announced.
“It’s important to note all high contact is still subject to the Match Review and Judiciary process to disincentivise against tackles of this nature.”
