I felt for the last few seasons Leeds have being undercooked when the season starts, due to the limited friendlies we play in preseason.



Preaseason has already started a few weeks now for many of the Rhinos squad, yet the only fixtures announced to date are the boxing day farce, and the annual Hunslet match.



Players always say they can't wait to play games rather than just traning, yet for some it will be many weeks of constant field work if we go as we are.



Anyone know if any more plans for Preseason games this year? I notice the championship one doesn't kick off until two weeks after super league this coming season, so our dual registration will be a bit of a later starter if fringe players are not up to speed.



Preseason for me should always be the time for players to put themselves up for a shirt. We have plenty of fringe players looking for a shot, so for me ensure they get that shot. Would have liked to have seen games against Championshp testers like Sheffield, Featherstone, Halifax, and a couple of games this time where the actual first team players all play.

Given that half the matchday team have now finished the world cup and will be taking a months break the emphasis for them in January will be to get the preseason done and matches may not be as important.



There will also of course be a week in the sun somewhere as part of that further limiting match opportunities

I await the obligatory 'we play every team in the league twice as pre-season friendlies' post.

And what about the fringe players looking for a chance to stake a claim?

26/12/2013 - Wakefield Wildcats

26/01/2014 - Hunslet Hawks



The two confirmed.



Ryan Baileys testimonial match to be confirmed also, which i believe will be against Super League opposition.



I believe the team are also going to Dubai for pre-season training camp, where Salford and South Sydney are also going for their pre-season training camps.

I'm pretty sure there will be matches, you had already identified two and I'm sure that there will be more for the fringe players.



You also wanted a few games where the full first team would get hitouts before the start of the season.

That may be less practical although we shall see. Given the length of the season for some players and the fact that the regular season is used for play off qualification the management may decide that it is not absolutely necessary to have the team hitting the straps in time for the first league fixture

Isn't that what the Hunslet game gets used for?

One game playing with other kids?



Have we previously used that game to declare that someone has now proved themselves ready for a shot?

I expect the 1st team to use Baileys testimonial as their full pre-season hit out as per previous years.

As for fringe players staking a claim I doubt they'll be considered unless injuries kick in given the Coach rarely rotates when possible and picks his team irrespective of form for many & certain players have little more than a pulse fitness wise.

Can't say that.

Let's face it, it's only 2nd December as well

Gotcha - how many friendlies do most teams play? The fact that Leeds look under cooked is training issue - i.e. too much strength and conditioning not enough ball skills and moves. It could also be the coach hasn't got a clue what he is doing!!

Matches very good for the ball skills and moves.



Wigan had quite a few friendlies last preseason, mixing a lot of their youngsters with established players. Gave Wane the confidence in the players when needed.



Not suggesting a friendly every week like. But same time a wasted game 8 weeks before season starts, then a game against Hunslet and a testimonial at the time they should be played just doesn't seem to do it. I would like to see a mixed fringe and high potential youngsters play a Sheffield, Hailifax or Featherstone team, to give them a test before season starts. Like I said championship one doesn't star until two weeks after super league, so dual reg becomes an issue for fringe players.

24 days to go.



Fantastic.

Sheffield, Fax and Fev might well be miles off fitness-wise given their later start. Any stand out performances by our fringe players would be almost meaningless in that context.

What later start? I think you might have got confused.



Championship clubs start same as Super League, Championship one starts two weeks later. Which was why I questioned whether a need for fixutres, due to the fact that dual reg becomes an issue for those early weeks.

Strength is four one hour sessions a week. You consider that too much?



Are you sure you're not really just seeing the changes in passing and catching you would expect to see as the weather gets warmer and dryer?

Since we're in the unfamiliar position of having no WCC to prepare for, perhaps being "fully cooked" in pre-season isn't the aim?



Also, we've played Salford while on training camp in the uS before, might do the same in Dubai? To be honest I always find it a bit odd that most clubs seem to think that a week in scorching sun and glorious weather is the best way to prepare for a season that starts in February on the M62 corridor. A bit of altitude training, on the other hand, could do wonders.



I'm just keyboard warrior-ing though, I remain confident that the conditioning team know what they're doing.

Do the conditioning team decide our preason fixtures and where we go?

It isn't wasted. It'll get a few thousand paying punters through the door on a day when the stadium would otherwise not be generating income. Several hundred of said paying punters will also have their Christmas cash from nan burning a hole in their pocket as they wander past the club shop.



For the punters, it's a trip out into the fresh air to recover from a hangover and watch a game which teaches us nothing about form or prospects, but is often quite entertaining if you watch it as an isloated event.



A few players who are still a bit cob-webby having not played for a while also get to blow a bit of dust off around the time the internationals come back into the fold, having played competitively much more recently. But that's a fringe benefit.

I don't imagine they care where we go, but while I am not party to the decision-making, they may well a) have an input; and b) be using the dates to plan the programs for players, and thus probably do have an input to team selection that they wouldn't have during the season.



All conjecture.



Do you have any substantive information to the contrary that isn't conjecture?

The boxing day fixture has lost all interest from me having fooled me into thinking Joe Vickery was a competent rugby league player last year.



That Vickery shone in pre season should be factored into the reckoning when discussing the value of friendlies to assess a player's abilities.

The "Warm Weather" training the team goes on is more about team-building and camaraderie than actual training. More of a jolly so to speak.

Yes and no on that one. It also allows the team to get more training in due to the greater certainty of the training conditions.

That, and a lot of the time if not the effort, is walking or slow speed through alignment, moves, support play and setup. It's not ideal to do that in the cold and wet.