NRL pre-season challenge competition puts $100,000 on the line for all-out excitement

The NRL’s highly anticipated $100k Pre-Season Challenge will introduce new rules, while teams will earn bonus points on the ladder for scoring extra tries.

The 2023 NRL pre-season challenge.

The winner of the $100,000 prize in the NRL’s pre-season competition could be determined by the toss of a coin.

The Daily Telegraph has obtained details of next month’s 2023 Pre-Season Challenge, which were sent to clubs on Wednesday.

The anticipated trial games will feature Anthony Seibold’s first outing as Manly coach, include a grand final rematch and club debuts of a host of superstars.

In a move to excite audiences, the NRL has placed an emphasis on attacking play. Teams will be rewarded for taking risks, with bonus points available for innovative football around scoring tries, linebreaks and offloads.

Anthony Seibold will coach his first game against South Sydney in the pre-season challenge. Picture: Jeremy Piper

The competition will involve all 17 NRL teams plus Super League champions St Helens, who will fly to Australia next month to take part in the World Club Challenge against NRL premiers Penrith.

That fixture will form part of the pre-season challenge, which all participating teams are eligible to win.

But that’s where things get even more interesting.

Under the rules of the competition, teams will get 12 points for a win and six for a draw.

However, teams can earn up to three bonus points if they score five or more tries, make five or more linebreaks or 10 or more offloads.

The overall winner will be the team with the most points.

The winner of the pre-season competition could come down to an unusual finish.

In the event of a draw, the NRL has outlined a series of tiebreakers to determine who takes home the $100,000 winner’s cheque.

For and against will be used to separate teams, and if they’re still equal, it will then be decided by who has the greater percentage of points scored, most tries scored, most goals kicked, most drop-goals kicked and then least number of penalties conceded.

If they still can’t be separated, it will come down to heads or tails.

The pre-season competition will mark Cameron Ciraldo’s first game as an NRL head coach, when Canterbury travel to Moruya on the NSW south coast to take on the Canberra Raiders.

It will also feature Seibold’s return to the NRL as Manly coach and an appetising clash with his former side, South Sydney, in Gosford.

Newcastle-bound Shark Lachlan Miller could face Cronulla if his release to the Knights goes through before then.

While grand finalists Penrith and Parramatta will face off in the first week of trials.

New Sydney Roosters signing Brandon Smith could make his club debut against former club Melbourne on February 12, a date which will also feature expansion side the Dolphins’ first competitive game, against Queensland rivals the Cowboys in Cairns.

Originally published as NRL pre-season challenge competition puts $100,000 on the line for all-out excitement