Leeds Rhinos step out for historic Vitality Superleague debut against Celtic Dragons

Leeds Rhinos open the 2021 Vitality Superleague season against the Celtic Dragons (5.15pm) in a biosecure bubble in Wakefield – Studio 001 – which will stage the first nine rounds of English netball’s domestic season.

It will be an historic occasion for netball in this region, a sport that saw its last standard-bearer in the elite, the Yorkshire Jets, removed from Superleague five years ago without sufficient reasoning to placate the large numbers who play the sport.

Those participation figures have only swelled since the England Roses won the Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2018, and the return of top-flight netball to these parts is long overdue.

Leeds Rhinos have been waiting nearly 18 months since they were granted a franchise into Superleague by England Netball for the 2021 campaign and beyond.

Benefitting from the professional infrastructure of the rugby league Rhinos, they have their own independent staff to help grow the game, the franchise and the fanbase, as well as provide young netballers of the county a pathway to an elite team.

They have appeal as well, attracting England Roses internationals of the vintage of Jade Clarke and promise of Vicky Oyesola, as well as players from the powerhouse league of Austalia and New Zealand.

Their head coach and director of netball is no stranger to that environment, Dan Ryan coming to England from Australia in August 2019 to help build the programme. He has as much invested in the project as anyone, so understands the importance of today and beyond.

“We’re conscious we’re not just representing Leeds Rhinos and the city, but also the region,” said Ryan, 37.

“We’re very proud of that fact and we want to represent the brand and the game and the area incredibly well and also ensure we are doing as much as we can to bring joy to the lives of the people that are in a national lockdown, that can’t play community netball, that can’t leave their house to go to work.

“We’re really grateful for the opportunities that we have and most importantly for us we want to enjoy playing the game because it’s been so long since we actually played. Hopefully by enjoying what we do we can produce a lot of good netball which in turn brings a lot of joy to the people that are watching and supporting us back home.”

Launching a new team and building a fanbase from scratch is a challenge at the best of times. Doing it in the midst of a pandemic is nigh on impossible.

Ryan sums up the challenge best when he says: “We’ve got some great fans out there already who haven’t even seen us play.”

Indeed, owing to lockdown, Rhinos have played only two behind-closed-doors friendlies and every game this season will be played without fans, though every one will be broadcast via Sky Sports’ various channels and/or on YouTube.

“We’re hoping we can build a bit of traction and a bit of momentum so we can really give the Yorkshire region something to cheer about,” continued Ryan.

“There’s been countless challenges, and the season will throw up more challenges.

“Everybody, whether it’s an athlete, a support staff member, an administrator, everyone has really made a contribution to building this team, this club, this franchise and our overall environment. Seeing everyone buy into that and play a part in building it from the ground up has been very rewarding.”

While recruitment has been encouraging – a mix of youth and internationals – this past week is the first that Ryan has had his full squad to work with. That fact, allied with the absence of fans and the strength of established rivals in the 11-team Superleague means no outlandish targets will be set for the four-month season.

“No targets for us, it’s just about gradual improvement and being better than what we were the previous game or the previous training session,” said Ryan.

“Whilst we want to be competitive against every team in the competition we’re really not too focused on outcomes and end results, it’s all about our processes.

“Friday is going to be a bit of trial and error for us, get an indication as to where we’re at, but hopefully we’ll be competitive enough with plenty of positive signs as to what is to come.”

Even though Wakefield is a short hop down the M1 for the Rhinos, today will be the first time the players have seen the venue.

“It’s going to be a really new day for everyone,” added Ryan. “The first time we see the arena, the first time we step on the court, first time we get a feel for the production and how it will work.

“We need to be able to manage that, to keep players relaxed and calm in a new environment.

“We’re just grateful to be playing. We’d have played anywhere.”

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