The NRL Pre-Season Challenge begins on February 15 and will feature 16 tough and intriguing matches over two weekends of entertaining rugby, setting the stage for the Telstra Premiership.

The Pre-Season Challenge is an excellent opportunity to fine-tune combinations and get valuable game experience ahead of the Telstra Premiership season, which begins in Las Vegas on March 3.

The Pre-Season Challenge format and points system will stay unchanged from 2023, resulting in $100,000 in prize money split evenly between teams and players. Teams will again receive additional points for tries, line breaks, and offloads, although playing squads will be limited to 28 men every week.

In addition to providing the first opportunity to see off-season recruits run out in their new colors, the Pre-Season Challenge provides fans and players with their first look at the new rule, which encourages the use of short dropouts and short kick-offs.

This year’s competition will include 16 teams, with premiers Penrith missing out in 2024 due to a World Club Challenge match against Wigan in the United Kingdom.

Games will be played for 80 minutes as usual, with clubs allowed to field up to 28 players with unlimited interchanges in both weeks.

The NRL Bunker will be used in all matches, and games that are tied at the end of regular time will be deemed a draw, with no golden points awarded.