Bonus boost: The clubs with an edge in the Pre-season Challenge
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Parramatta, Canberra, Melbourne and North Queensland are most likely to benefit from the bonus point incentives during the two-week Pre-season Challenge, where $100,000 is up for grabs starting on February 9.
The new pre-season trial format will see 18 teams, including NRL newcomers the Dolphins and Super League club St Helens, play two matches each with bonus competition points on offer for teams who score five or more tries, five or more line breaks or 10 or more offloads, win or lose, during games.
While NRL coaches may not roll out all their superstars during the Pre-season Challenge, the extra cash on offer is an incentive to see more expansive play in the summer trials, particularly when fringe players take the field towards the second halves of the fixture.
No NRL side averaged five or more tries per game in 2022 but the Storm went closest with an average of 4.7 tries per game while St Helens averaged 4.4 tries per game in the Super League.
It was the Cowboys, however, who scored five tries or more on 15 occasions - one better than the Panthers and Rabbitohs - with the Storm finishing on 13.
In the 2022 trials, nine NRL teams scored five or more tries.
Meanwhile, the Eels averaged 13.7 offloads per game last year while five other clubs averaged above 10 during each fixture for the season including the Bulldogs, who failed to reach the finals.
The Raiders (11.6), Sharks (10.3) and Roosters (10) were also offloading at will and are likely to do so again in the pre-season matches prior to Round 1.
Four clubs averaged over five line breaks in 2022 with top eight sides Melbourne, Cronulla, the Roosters and Rabbitohs all set to push for bonus points in this statistical area.
Penrith averaged 4.9 line breaks during their back-to-back title run but face stiff competition in the lead-up to their season opener on March 3 with clashes against Parramatta and St Helens (World Club Challenge) offering a tough start early.
Other clubs using their trial runs to form combinations and find the right balance in their squad are also expected to be not far away from scoring points with the Sea Eagles, Dragons, Warriors and Titans among those who piled plenty on last year.
The NRL Pre-season Challenge kicks off in Auckland with the Warriors to host Wests Tigers at Mt Smart Stadium before Newcastle face Cronulla in Gosford as part of a double-header that also features the Rabbitohs and Sea Eagles.
