The Titans' pre-season kicks off on Sunday, February 18 with the Gold Coast eager to fine tune combinations and get some serious game time under the belt ahead of the season opener in early March.
Facing the Dolphins in week one before the major showdown against the Eels in Ipswich, the two weeks of action will be the final time the squad has the opportunity to impress new coach Des Hasler before he selects his final 17 for the Round 1 clash against the Dragons.
Match: Dolphins v Titans
Round 1 -
home Team
Dolphins
7th Position
away Team
Titans
10th Position
Venue: Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast
The Pre-Season Challenge format and points system will remain consistent with 2023, which means there will be $100,000 in prize money up for grabs, split evenly between clubs and players. Teams will once again earn bonus points for tries, line breaks and offloads while playing squads will be capped at 28 players per week.
In addition to being the first chance to see off-season recruits run out in their new colours, the Pre-Season Challenge also gives fans and players their first look at the new rule which encourages more use of short dropouts and short kick-offs.
This year's competition will feature 16 teams, with premiers Penrith not taking part in 2024 as they travel to the UK to take on Wigan in the World Club Challenge.
Match: Titans v Eels
Round 2 -
home Team
Titans
15th Position
away Team
Eels
10th Position
Venue: North Ipswich Reserve, Ipswich
Below is everything you need to know for the 2024 Pre-Season Challenge:
The rules
Games will be played over 80 minutes as normal, with clubs able to field as many as 28 players with unlimited interchanges at their disposal in both weeks.
The NRL Bunker will be in use in all matches, while games which are tied at the end of regular time will be declared a draw, with no golden point to be played.
Bonus points
Win = 6 points
Draw = 3 points
Score 5 or more tries = 2 points
Make 5 or more line breaks = 1 point
Make 10 or more offloads = 1 point
The points
The addition of bonus points to go alongside points earned by winning or drawing a match will ensure teams have something to play for in every contest, no matter what's happening on the scoreboard.
Alongside points accumulated through results, the number of bonus points a team can snare each game could make all the difference on what is sure to be a congested ladder.
The club with the most points at the conclusion of the two rounds will be declared the winner of the Pre-Season Challenge and claim the $100,000 in prize money.
Tiebreaker process
Given the short duration of the Pre-Season Challenge, there is a good chance the winner will have to be decided via a countback, and the NRL has devised a system to find a winner should teams finish tied on points at the top of the ladder.
