NRL pre-season challenge Week 1: TEN players to watch

The teams are out for the opening week of the pre-season challenge, with the St George Illawarra Dragons, Canterbury Bulldogs, Newcastle Knights and North Queensland Cowboys heading to Kogarah to get things underway. Plenty of top stars are sitting out, but that creates opportunities for others to impress and potentially push for spots in Round 1, while an eye will also be on the future in multiple positions. Here are the ten players to watch this weekend. Pre-season challenge Week 1 team lists Heilum Luki (North Queensland Cowboys) The return of Heilum Luki should be one of the bright spots this weekend. The talented second-rower has had an awful run of injuries in recent seasons, and missed all of 2025 with another serious issue. While he managed double-digit games in each season prior to that, he has never played 20 games in a year. That is something of a travesty for such a talented player. The 24-year-old will line up for the Cowboys in their first pre-season challenge match this weekend against the Bulldogs, and it will be intriguing to see what shape he is in after a full year lay-off. He is going to have to fight for his starting spot too, so he'll need to find form and impress under pressure head coach Todd Payten quickly. Sandon Smith (Newcastle Knights) One of the key questions throughout the pre-season has surrounded which position Sandon Smith will play in 2026 following his off-season move to the Knights from the Sydney Roosters. One of the game's genuine utilities, Smith can play in either halves position, fullback, or at dummy half. Some have suggested that could turn him into the perfect utility for the Hunter-based club, but ultimately, he should start somewhere in the side. He is too talented for that not to be the case. He has been named at halfback this weekend, although that may yet be simply a consequence of Dylan Brown not playing. But his performance at halfback will certainly pave the way towards a more understood discussion over what position he will play this year. Ryan Couchman (St George Illawarra Dragons) The Dragons' forward - and brother of breakout prop Toby - has been named to make his return from a long-term injury this weekend in the Dragons' first trial, and will be immediately pushing for minutes and game time. He was set to be on the fringes of the first-grade squad for Shane Flanagan in 2025, but exactly where he stands coming into 2026 is well and truly up for dispute simply because of Dylan Egan's injury. While positive stories have emerged around the fitness of Luciano Leilua on Thursday, with the second-rower dropping as many as 15 kilograms, the fact Couchman can play in the middle or on the edge could make him a valuable prospect off the bench in the early part of the season for the Red V. Intriguingly, he plays alongside Jacob Halangahu, and the pair could well be in a straight up shootout for a Round 1 berth in Flanagan's side to tackle the Bulldogs in Las Vegas. Gordon Chan Kum Tong (Canterbury Bulldogs) The Bulldogs are a team with plenty of question marks heading into 2026, particularly around their spine. The bottom line for Canterbury is that the departures of Toby Sexton and Reed Mahoney leaves gaps to be filled. Sexton's position at halfback will clearly be filled by either Lachlan Galvin or Mitchell Woods (who will be injured to start the year), but given one is a five-eighth, and the other a rookie, the jury is out. There are also question marks around Bailey Hayward's ability to play 80 minutes on a weekly basis. The Bulldogs have, in what seems to be an insurance policy play, signed Gordon Chan Kum Tong from the Manly Sea Eagles. He will live on a development deal at Belmore, but could well find an upgrade with strong performances in the coming weeks. Behind Hayward at dummy half, the Bulldogs have experienced rake Jake Turpin and rookie Patrick Woods, but Chan Kum Tong may be the best of the trio. Watch this space. Jaxon Purdue (North Queensland Cowboys) Another club with major questions around the spine heading into 2026 are the North Queensland Cowboys. It doesn't come through departures, but rather, through the simple fact that Todd Payten is under a mountain of pressure, and seems to be unsure who his best halves are. Jake Clifford had the best strike rate of the halves in Townsville for 2025 playing alongside Tom Dearden, but all the talk is that Jaxon Purdue will be given another crack in the halves. It will be intriguing to watch his performance this weekend, how much time he spends at five-eighth and how much at halfback, and just whether his kicking game has gone up the gears. Dearden can play either the number six or seven roles, so the fact of the matter is this could be a straight shootout to find out who will partner Dearden. Fletcher Sharpe (Newcastle Knights) Sharpe has been named to play his first game since suffering an injury which was compared to that of a car crash during a game in Perth last year. It ended his season, and impacted Newcastle's already struggling attack in a big way. Sharpe, who is able to play at fullback, five-eighth, halfback and on the wing, will have a big role to play for Justin Holbrook's side throughout the 2026 campaign. Exactly what that role is though is yet to be determined. It has been suggested that most of his training has been in the halves, where there is already a logjam for positions. That's where he will play this weekend, but don't be stunned if he spends some time at the back or out wide. Regardless, he will be on the plane to Las Vegas. Lipoi Hopoi (Canterbury Bulldogs) One of the Bulldogs rising stars, Hopoi impressed in his first-grade opportunities throughout the course of the 2025 campaign. He is expected to be on the fringes of the first-grade side again, but brings a level of aggression Canterbury needs to add to their forward pack. He should only continue improving with another pre-season under his belt, and whether he can find a way onto the plane for Las Vegas could well hinge on his performances over the next fortnight. David Fale (St George Illawarra Dragons) One of the more eyebrow turning surprises of the pre-season has been that of Shane Flanagan suggesting he will have two recruits on the wing come Round 1. Wingers were one of the big issues for the Red V in 2025. Tyrell Sloan's form and apparently falling out of the good books, Christian Tuipulotu's hamstrings, Nathan Lawson not quite picking up rugby league as quickly as expected... It all hurt the Dragons. So the signatures of David Fale, a winger in the Brian To'o mould from Penrith, and Warriors outside back Setu Tu, didn't exactly come as a surprise. Both being in the mix for Round 1 did though, and another surprise greeted on Tuesday when Fale was named in the centres for the Dragons. Given Valentine Holmes and Moses Suli will be picked for Las Vegas fitness pending, it's highly unlikely Fale will be there come Round 1, but this will be a big watch on Saturday evening. Jermaine McEwen (Newcastle Knights) The Knights have a clear shootout going on for a spot in the second-row come the opening round of the season following the departure of Kai Pearce-Paul to the Wests Tigers. The Englishman never quite got going to the standards expected at the Knights, but was still a walk-up starter each week. The other edge forward position belongs to Dylan Lucas, who could well be on the fringe of the NSW Origin side by the time the interstate series rolls around this year. Pearce-Paul's departure leaves a three-way shootout at the Knights - Jermaine McEwen, Thomas Cant and Brodie Jones. While Jones brings experience, and Cant brings versatility, it's McEwen who is the most exciting of the trio, and he will be the one to watch this Saturday. After playing 17 games in 2025, it feels as if the spot is his to lose. Xavier Kerrisk (North Queensland Cowboys) A young gun to finish, Xavier Kerrisk is rated as one of the best yet-to-debut dummy halves in the sport. It did raise eyebrows when the Cowboys signed Reed Mahoney on a four-year deal, but Kerrisk will learn plenty while biding his time behind Mahoney. In the meantime, he gets an opportunity on Saturday to prove he should be in consideration for the Cowboys' six-man bench come Round 1 against the Knights in Vegas.

		P	W	L	PTS	+/-
1	CBR	24	19	5	44	148
2	MEL	24	17	7	40	212
3	CAN	24	16	8	38	120
4	BRI	24	15	9	36	172
5	CRO	24	15	9	36	109
6	NZW	24	14	10	34	21
7	PEN	24	13	10	33	107
8	SYD	24	13	11	32	132

NRL pre-season challenge Week 1: TEN players to watch

Which players are in the fight for Las Vegas spots and minutes this weekend?

1. Heilum Luki (North Queensland Cowboys)

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