Rejoice fellow footy frothers, the real festive season is almost upon us.
The 2023 NRL competition is certainly sneaking up quickly. But first let’s first pay attention to the NRL Pre-Season, otherwise now known as the Pre-Season Challenge… assuming there’s no player boycott(!).
Amidst the chaos of the polarising CBA battle that threatens to derail the competition, the NRL will be leveraging shiny new pre-season window dressing to divert attention from their miserly mishandling of revenue.
For an organisation seemingly hesitant to share the wealth, they’re offering a perplexing $100,000 to the winner of the two-week event; the exact amount seasonally awarded to the competition’s Minor Premiers. Go figure.
But we’ll come back to that.
Are the NRL Pre-Season trials on Kayo?
Every men’s trial game will be broadcast on Foxtel and Kayo.
NRL Pre-Season Week 1 (All times AEDT)
Thursday February 9
Warriors vs Tigers, Mt Smart Stadium, 6pm
Friday February 10
Knights v Sharks, Central Coast Stadium, 5.55pm
Rabbitohs vs Sea Eagles, Central Coast Stadium, 8pm
Saturday February 11
Eels vs Panthers, BlueBet Stadium, 6pm
Dragons v St Helens, WIN Stadium, 8.05pm
Sunday February 12
Storm vs Roosters, GMHBA Stadium, Geelong, 1.50pm
—New Rooster Ignites Old Flame to provide early NRL Pre-Season punch
Brandon Smith’s defection from Melbourne to Sydney adds a further layer of intrigue to one of the NRL’s fiercest rivalries. How will his former teammates receive him on-field… and considering it’s ‘merely’ a trial game? How will he combine with a Roosters spine that now challenges the competition’s best on paper?
This matchup should exhibit all the niggle and feeling of a competition game with coaches Trent Robinson and Craig Bellamy looking to gain a mental edge over an old foe leading into the season proper.
Raiders vs Bulldogs, Ack Weyman Oval, Moruya, 3.55pm
Cowboys vs Dolphins, Barlow Park, Cairns, 6pm
—Dolphin watch in NRL Pre-Season Queensland Derby #1
A new team entering the competition always generates a special buzz. For the youngest generation of NRL fans, it is their first taste of this excitement as the Dolphins become the newest addition to the NRL since the Titans in 2007.
Wayne Bennett has assembled a respectable lineup that should compete well and record their fair share of wins against the middle-to-bottom sides – but possibly left wanting against the competition’s elite. Their first hit-out against 2022 Preliminary Finalists the North Queensland Cowboys offers the perfect gauge of their potential.
Broncos vs Titans, Sunshine Coast Stadium, 8.05pm
—Coaching Conundrums in NRL Pre-Season Queensland Derby #2
Can Kevvie coach? Selwyn Cobbo did him and his teammates no favours; publicly bagging Kevin Walters’ coaching credentials in an off season podcast that recently surfaced. Brisbane are a youthful, talented side on the rise and should push for finals footy again with the acquisition of Reece Walsh. If Walters does have the trust of the playing group, expect a response from the get-go.
On the other side of the paddock are Justin Holbrook’s Titans who narrowly avoided wooden spoon embarrassment in 2022. They have recruited key-position class, temperament, and premiership winners Kieran Foran and Sam Verrills to join dynamos Jayden Campbell and AJ Brimson in the spine. A swift start to the season is necessary to avoid Holbrook’s head being placed on the chopping block.
NRL Pre-Season Week 2
Friday February 17
Knights vs Eels, Central Coast Stadium. 5.55pm
Roosters vs Sea Eagles, Central Coast Stadium. 8pm
Saturday February 18
Dragons vs Rabbitohs, Glen Willow Stadium, Mudgee, 3.30pm
–The Charity Shield; the NRL Pre-Season’s crown jewel.
The 2023 version of the Charity Shield marks the 40th playing of rugby league’s most famous pre-season trial, featuring two proud clubs on completely different timelines.
South Sydney remain settled; their seasoned superstars primed for another successful campaign.
While St George-Illawarra are anything but under Anthony Griffin’s tutelage. They are desperate for Ben Hunt to forge enduring combinations with their stable of young-guns in a bid to regain relevance in the competition. A hard-fought 16-10 victory in this fixture last season broke a nine-year losing streak, but only served as false hope as they failed to translate the win into early season momentum. Are they good enough to repeat the dose yet learn from their mistakes?
Panthers vs St Helens, BlueBet Stadium, 6:50pm (World Club Challenge)
–The World Club Challenge makes its big return
The World Club Challenge returns from a three-year hiatus and fittingly features the two most domestically dominant sides from that period.
The Penrith Panthers have won back-to-back NRL Premierships, three consecutive Minor Premierships, and boast an incredible 85.9% win percentage since the beginning of 2020.
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Not to be outdone, St Helens have won an astonishing four straight ESL titles at 81.3%, plus a Challenge Cup title in 2021 for good measure.
English sides have struggled in recent times, winning just two of the past 12 WCC clashes, and most will expect that trend to continue in Australian conditions. Nevertheless, it will be a fascinating encounter, watching the best from either hemisphere battle for supremacy.
Broncos vs Cowboys, Sunshine Coast Stadium, 8.10pm
Sunday February 19
Warriors vs Storm, Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch, 12.50pm
Tigers v Raiders, Belmore Sportsground, 2.55pm
Bulldogs v Sharks, Belmore Sportsground, 5pm
Dolphins vs Titans, Moreton Daily Stadium, 7.05pm
NRL Pre-Season All-Stars games
Saturday February 11
Women’s match, Rotorua International Stadium, 1.45pm
Men match, Rotorua International Stadium, 3.45pm
How will the NRL Pre-Season Challenge work?
Someone’s set to win some cash this NRL Pre-Season; $100 grand in fact. So how will it be decided?
Put simply, all 17 NRL clubs and English Super League Champion’s St Helens play two games a piece. Twelve points are awarded per win, six-each for a draw (there is no golden point), plus single bonus points are available for 5+ tries, 5+ line-breaks and 10+ offloads per game. The team with the most points after two games – wins! In the event of a probable tie, a countback system will decide the outcome based on point differentials and percentages etc.
It is an interesting piece of innovation from the NRL as they search for an entertaining pre-season product to replace the defunct Nines competition.
And like all pre-season trials, it will provide valuable insight into how each team intends to line-up, and shake-things-up in the new season.
