Witzer Pre-Season Challenge Rd 2: Warriors, Sea Eagles claim comprehensive wins

Arch-rivals Souths and Manly kick off their 2025 season in the second match, which will prove the perfect appetiser for Saturday night's All Stars extravaganza in Sydney.

The Bunnies have Englishman Lewis Dodd running the show at halfback in his club debut and he'll get a solid examination in defence from the Sea Eagles' powerful edge forwards.

Follow all the action from Round 2 of the 2025 Witzer Pre-Season Challenge on NRL.com's live blog.

Saturday, February 15, Pre-Season Challenge Round 2

Rabbitohs v Sea Eagles at Industree Group Stadium

Play of the Game

Injuries

• Manly forward Taniela Paseka left the contest early in the second half with an AC joint injury. The prop had ice placed on his shoulder and will be sent for scans. 
• South Sydney duo Siliva Havili and Matthew Humphries were sent for Head Injury Assessments during the clash. 

Key Takeaways 

• Manly absorbed plenty of pressure throughout the first 15 minutes before they were able to claim the upper hand and they did not let it slip. 
• Lehi Hopoate was impressive throughout the first half while winger Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega provided a physical presence in both attack and defence. 
• Jake Simpkin and Gordon Chan Kum Tong were dynamic from dummy half for the Sea Eagles. With Lachlan Croker set to miss the opening month of the season, the pair are in a three-way battle with Jazz Tevaga for the starting No.9 jersey. 
• South Sydney recruit Lewis Dodd provided glimpses of brilliance throughout the contest, particularly throughout the opening 20 minutes.

Full-time: Sea Eagles 34 Rabbitohs 24 A late flurry pulled the Rabbitohs within 10 points however it was Manly's day up on the Central Coast. 

Coach Anthony Seibold will be thrilled with what he saw from a number of emerging players, with Lehi Hopoate among the standouts. As for South Sydney, Lewis Dodd showed signs of promise with limited opportunities. 

75th minute: Sea Eagles 34-12 The Rabbitohs have given their fans a reason to cheer in the dying moments of this clash, Salesi Ataata managing to ground the ball on the chalk as he fell in the tackle.

So tight was the call, the forward got up and played the ball before the referee awarded the try, with the Bunker later confirming the ball was grounded on the line.

62nd minute: Sea Eagles 28-6 Manly have kept their foot on the gas throughout the second half, Tuaimalo Vaega producing another powerful run to complete his double before hooker Jake Simpkin went straight through to put the Sea Eagles up 22 points. 

51st minute: Sea Eagles 20-6 Manly have capitalised on a number of repeat sets to extend their lead. Jake Arthur spotted space out wide and threw a perfect cut out pass to winger Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega who crossed in the corner.

It's not all positive for the Sea Eagles with forward Taniela Paseka leaving the field after injuring his left AC joint in his shoulder. The prop landed heavily on his shoulder in a tackle and will be sent for scans. 

Half-time: Sea Eagles 16-6 South Sydney started the half on top but couldn't capitalise on their opportunities however they have finished the opening stanza with a try against the run of play. 

A quick tap by Fletcher Myers put the side on the attack before Ashton Ward produced a perfect chip over the defensive line for livewire Jye Gray. The fullback won the race for the ball and put his side on the scoreboard. 

33rd minute: Sea Eagles 16-0 The match has well and truly turned in Manly's favour in the past 20 minutes with Aaron Schoupp crossing for the side's third try of the contest. 

28th minute: Sea Eagles 10-0 Hopoate is in the thick of the action yet again, this time slicing his way through the defensive line before being dragged down a metre from the line. Centre Clayton Faulalo took advantage of a scrambling defence, attacking the short side and sending Willett over for his second.

21st minute: Sea Eagles 6-0 South Sydney have had all the running but it's Manly who have opened the scoring courtesy of Navren Willett. A pair of set restarts put the Sea Eagles on the attack and the visitors made no mistake. 

Fullback Lehi Hopoate produced a sublime pass to put the winger over and put his side up 6-0.

15th minute: The Rabbitohs have made a dominant start to the contest, with smothering defence forcing the Sea Eagles into a number of errors. The pressure has allowed South Sydney to control field position while English import Lewis Todd has made an impressive start to his first match in the cardinal and myrtle. 

Despite throwing plenty at their opponents, the Rabbitohs have not been able to break through and it remains 0-0.

5:00pm: After a lengthy delay, the match has been confirmed to go ahead with kick off at 5:10pm.

3:35pm: Kick off on the Central Coast has been delayed after a medical emergency in the stands of the stadium. Paramedics are attending to the patron with play delayed for the time being.

Warriors v Storm at FMG Stadium, Waikato

Play of the Game

Injuries

• Melbourne duo Morgan Harper and Tuipulotu Katoa left the field for Head Injury Assessments after receiving head knocks.

Key takeaways

• The Warriors produced a superb first half in their final hit out before travelling to Las Vegas for a Round 1 clash with the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
• Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was impressive in his shift to the wing, crossing for a double and highlighting why coach Andrew Webster is so keen for the veteran to get his hands on the ball as much as possible.
• Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf was almost perfect in the opening 40 minutes, directing his side around the park and forcing multiple errors with his kicking game. 
• Melbourne were without more than 1400 games of NRL experience with the vast majority of their squad rested for their first pre-season match. 
• Warriors centre Ali Leiataua and hooker Samuel Healey were placed on report during the match. 

Full-time: Warriors 36-Storm 10 It was a tale of two halves at FMG Stadium, with the Warriors bursting out of the blocks to jump out to a 36-0 lead at the break. The Storm were much improved in the second and had the better of the attacking opportunities. 

Kane Bradley put his side on the board in the 52nd minute before Ben Talty closed out the scoring with a 77th-minute try.

65th minute: Warriors 36-4 The second half has seen both coaches turn to their benches, with most starters from the two sides taking an early breather. The changes have seen the match swing back towards Melbourne's favour, with the visitors holding on to possession and benefiting from improved field position.

52nd minute: Warriors 36-4 The Storm are on the board, Kane Bradley soaring through the air to pluck a bomb out of the sky and ground it to secure his side's first points of the afternoon. 

The try came moments after a near-certain try went begging for the Warriors at the other end of the field. Taine Tuaupiki had an open line in front of him but could not reel in the final pass.

2:30pm: The final teams are in for the second game of Saturday Pre-Season Challenge action, with no late changes to report. 

Manly will line up 1-17 while the Rabbitohs announced their sole change on Friday afternoon. Former Sea Eagle Jamie Humphreys dropped out of the side with Ashton Ward to start in his place at five-eighth. 

Half-time: Warriors 36-0 Chanel Harris-Tavita has put a punctuation mark on a dominant first half with a stunning piece of footwork to slice his way through the Storm defensive line. 

Melbourne fullback Sualauvi Faalogo produced a brief moment of excitement as the half-time siren sounded, breaking through the defensive line however the visitors couldn't finish off the play and the hosts maintained their clean sheet. 

The Warriors ran in seven tries to zero in a stunning onslaught that saw the hosts outgain their opponents 1103 metres to 311m. Melbourne fielded an inexperienced squad but the coaching staff will be disappointed with the 30 missed tackles in the opening 40 minutes.

30th minute: Warriors 32-0 The onslaught continues with Ali Leiataua crossing for two tries in three minutes to take the lead out to 32 points.

The different approaches from the two coaches have been clear throughout the opening 30 minutes of this match. Storm coach Craig Bellamy has rested most of his stars, with Tyran Wishart, Stefano Utoikamanu and Sualauvi Faalogo the only regular first graders in the team. 

The Warriors had the luxury of a hit out against the Sharks last week and while three players are away on Maori All Stars duties, Andrew Webster has named most of his starters in their final hit out before travelling to Las Vegas for the opening game of the season in two weeks.

20th minute: Warriors 22-0 The Warriors are piling on the points in Hamilton with both Tuaupiki and Tuivasa-Sheck completing doubles inside the first 20 minutes. 

It has been all one-way traffic, with the hosts steamrolling an inexperienced Melbourne pack and capitalising on a number of errors. Halfback Luke Metcalf has been superb, orchestrating his team's attack and producing a number of bombs that have been spilled by the Storm back three.

12th minute: Warriors 12-0 Warriors coach has shifted Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to the wing this season and the outside back just showed us why. The hosts shifted the ball to the left flank, Tuivasa-Sheck receiving the ball in space before standing up Storm fullback Sualauvi Faalogo with a superb piece of fullback.

4th minute: Warriors 6-0 The opening match of today's action is underway with the two sides running out in front of a healthy crowd at FMG Stadium. 

It didn't take long for the Warriors to give the fans something to celebrate and they opened the scoring courtesy of a slick right shift in just the second minute. A Storm error put the hosts on the attack and centre Ali Leiataua produced a superb tap on before Taine Tuaupiki managed to remain inside the field and score in the corner.

12:30pm: Welcome to a Super Saturday of rugby league with two Witzer Pre-Season Challenge matches followed by the annual All Stars games this evening. 

The Warriors and Storm will kick off the day in Hamilton, with both sides making a handful of changes on game day.

Te Maire Martin has shifted from five-eighth to fullback, with Taine Tuaupiki moving to the wing and Edward Kosi the extended bench. Chanel Harris-Tavita shifts from the reserves to five-eighth. 

Back rower Marata Niukore has also moved from the bench to the starting side with Demitric Vaimauga to start the game on the interchange. 

As for Melbourne, Josh Billing will now start as an edge forward, with Ativalu Lisati dropping out of the side.