The Wrap: Eels pip Titans, Tigers to claim Pre-Season Challenge

The Eels have won the Witzer Pre-Season Challenge for the first time on the back of two impressive wins over the Sharks and Roosters.

The Eels scooped the 15 points on offer in both of their matches to finish on 30 competition points, one clear of the Titans and Wests Tigers.

After downing the Sharks 40-6 in Round 2 at Henson Park, the Eels again racked up 15 points as they ran in six tries to down the Roosters 28-22 in Gosford on Saturday.

Jason Ryles' men also had 10 line breaks and 14 offloads as they overcame a 10-point half-time deficit at Polytec Stadium.

That meant the only team that could deny the Eels the title and the $100,000 prizemoney were the Titans, who had to beat the Storm by more than 29 points and pick up all three bonus points.

Josh Hannay's team produced a sensational performance to beat the Storm 42-12 on the back of a Jaylan De Groot double but they came up short in the offload tally.

With Round 2 leaders the Cowboys (27 pts) and second-placed Bulldogs (16 pts) already Vegas-bound, the door opened for the Eels, Titans, Wests Tigers and Raiders, all of whom sat on 15 points heading into an enthralling final round.

The Tigers made it two from two in the Pre-Season Challenge with an impressive 26-12 win over the Panthers on Friday night, pocketing 14 points in the process but missing out on one extra point for 10 or more offloads.

Jarome Luai and Adam Doueihi led the Tigers around Leichhardt Oval and star recruit Kai Pearce-Paul lined up in the second row as Benji Marshall's men ran in five tries to jump to the top of the table at least until Saturday.

The Raiders came into Round 3 on 15 points but were blown off the park in Gosford by the Sharks, who ran in nine tries in a comprehensive 48-6 win.

The Eels then did their thing with Jordan Samrani bagging a double as they recovered from 22-12 down at the break to make it two from two in the pre-season and serve notice of big things to come.

The final match of the 2026 Witzer Pre-Season Challenge pitted the Rabbitohs against the Sea Eagles at the picturesque Glen Willow Oval in Mudgee with Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Jamal Fogarty and Luke Brooks taking centre stage.

Both sides entered the weekend on 13 points and were knocked out of title contention with Wests Tigers climbing to 29 points on Friday night but it was the Rabbitohs who powered to an impressive 30-6 victory with two bonus points to finish fifth on the pre-season ladder.

• Check the Witzer Pre-Season Challenge LADDER Here

Bonus points

The addition of bonus points to go alongside points earned by winning or drawing a match ensures 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 Witzer Pre-Season Challenge and claim the $100,000 in prizemoney.

Tiebreaker process 

Given the short duration of the Witzer 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.

Defending champs

The Broncos piled on 80 points in two games in 2025 to make it back-to-back Witzer Pre-Season Challenge titles. They kicked off with a 50-12 win over the Titans in Toowoomba before downing the Bulldogs 30-12 at Redcliffe. The Dragons were the only other team to win both their matches in last year's Pre-Season Challenge but the Broncos had a superior points differential and pocketed the $100,000. With the NRL premiers in England for the World Club Challenge, a new champion will be crowned in the Witzer Pre-Season Challenge.