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Crusaders v Leeds Rhinos: McClennan aims to put down Super marker
Champions Leeds Rhinos are aiming to fire a warning shot across the bows of their engage Super League rivals tonight.
Leeds kick off their latest campaign, a week earlier than most other teams, with a trip to rebranded Welsh outfit Crusaders.
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It is a game they will be expected to win – and win well – and boss Brian McClennan is looking for a dominant performance to illustrate that Rhinos mean business again this year.
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Super League isn't won in January, but McClennan feels a strong start is vital for his team, especially with the Gillette World Club Challenge showdown against Melbourne Storm looming less than a month away.
"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression," he stressed. "We want to make a really good first impression.
"All the clubs are beginning on the same starting line, but we would like to fire off a shot over everyone's bow and say right, this is the Rhinos for 2010 – and we really want to get off to a good start."
Leeds were unbeaten in pre-season, sides of differing strengths beating Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, Bradford Bulls and Whitehaven.
McClennan confirmed there are no injuries in the Leeds camp, allowing him to rest England captain Jamie Peacock for tonight's game, which is expected to attract a sell-out 10,000 crowd.
Keith Senior (shoulder) and Ryan Bailey (neck) have both been named in Leeds' initial 19-man squad after not playing in pre-season, along with recruit Greg Eastwood, who has been given the all clear from the hand he broke last autumn.
Danny Buderus will play his first competitive game since suffering a fractured leg last July and Carl Ablett – who damaged an ankle on Boxing Day – is also in contention.
Fifteen of the team which beat St Helens at Old Trafford last October could play tonight, the absentees being Peacock and Lee Smith, who has left the club.
The additions to the Old Trafford line-up are Kallum Watkins, Buderus, Eastwood and potential debutant Brett Delaney.
McClennan said: "It's a strong squad, strong enough to be able to give Jamie Peacock another week, so we can give him a proper pre-season.
Debutants
"As a team, we have had a pretty good pre-season. You always get your bumps and bruises, but all in all we are pleased with our preparation.
"We suffered the same fate as everyone else in that it was a difficult period for three weeks due to the snow, but we had our camp which culminated in a game up at Whitehaven and we thoroughly enjoyed that.
"It was wonderful to mix with people who love their rugby league. We really feel good about the game we are involved in."
Crusaders' 19 for tonight includes eight potential debutants. They have not had a practice game and coach Brian Noble is still assembling his squad.
From Rhinos' perspective, homework on the opposition has been difficult, but McClennan doesn't regard that as a major concern.
He said: "We have got to focus on what we can do and how we can play.
"It is really important that we test ourselves and see what sort of performance we can come up with.
"Our focus has got to be directly on ourselves and generally is is anyway. Yes, we'll preview other teams, but most of the focus is still on what we can do.
"If you take that way of looking at it, it is not as hard to prepare for Crusaders as some people may think."
New faces included in Crusaders' squad are ex-Leeds duo Gareth Raynor and Jamie Thackray, plus Tommy Lee, Frank Winterstein, Nick Youngquest, Vince Mellars, Michael Witt and Rocky Trimarchi.
Their 19 includes a third former Rhinos in Peter Lupton.
CRUSADERS: from Youngquest, Mellars, Raynor, Witt, O'Hara, Withers, Bryant, Chan, Trimarchi, Dyer, Lee, Winterstein, Peek, Thackray, Flower, White, Kear, Lupton, James.
LEEDS RHINOS: from Webb, Donald, Delaney, Senior, Hall, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Diskin, Burgess, Jones-Buchanan, Ablett, Sinfield, Buderus, Lauitiiti, Bailey, Kirke, Eastwood, Watkins.
REFEREE: Ben Thaler (Wakefield).
KICK-OFF: Tonight, 8pm.
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
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