The NRL has brought in a $100,000 incentive for clubs to take pre-season games seriously, adding competition points that will be skewed towards teams that play attacking football.
All 17 NRL clubs plus Super League club St Helens will be eligible for the cash prize, which will be awarded to the team that finishes on top of the competition table, which will play out over just two weeks.
The competition has been named the ‘Pre-Season Challenge’ and will be played between Thursday February 9 and Sunday February 18.
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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 10 or more offloads.
As a result, teams can earn a maximum of 15 points per match.
“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 CEO 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.
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