OLI ENDICOTT believes this season will be the hardest yet in terms of Leeds Knights trying to win the NIHL National regular season title – even though he thinks it will require less points to pull it off.

With teams around the league stepping up their attempts to improve rosters and provide a greater challenge to the back-to-back second tier champions, there will be no shortage of candidates keen to take the Knights’ crown away from them.

Yorkshire rivals Hull Seahawks and Sheffield Steeldogs are among those to have upscaled in terms of depth and quality, as have the likes of Milton Keynes Lightning, runners-up to the Knights last time around.

But because the threat to their regular season dominance is likely to be more widespread, Endicott feels more teams will take more points off each other in and around the top of the standings.

CHALLENGE: Leeds Knights' forward Oli Endicott believes the 2024-25 NIHL National campaign will the toughest yet for the back-to-back regular season champions. Picture: Jacob Lowe/Knights Media.

placeholder image — CHALLENGE: Leeds Knights' forward Oli Endicott believes the 2024-25 NIHL National campaign will the toughest yet for the back-to-back regular season champions. Picture: Jacob Lowe/Knights Media.

In their two championship-winning campaigns, the Knights have posted 97 (2022-23) and 93 (23-24, playing two fewer games).

The only other fully completed NIHL National campaign was the first after the pandemic in 2021-22 when Telford Tigers won the regular season title with 70 points, albeit from 48 games.

“Everyone seems to be flying at the moment, training has been good, everyone has been doing their work over summer and we look like a fit, fast, strong team again,” said Endicott. “And we want to go again and win this league three times in a row.

“But I think this year will be the hardest yet. We say every year that the league is getting better and I really think it is.

BRING IT ON: Leeds Knights complete their pre-season preparations at Hull Seahawks in the Yorkshire Cup on Sunday evening. Picture: Jacob Lowe/Knights Media.

“If you look around the league and who is picking up different guys throughout the summer, teams are getting stronger, so it will be harder to win the league this year in one way

“But, in another way, it could be easier because I feel there are more teams at the top end who can take points off each other - you might not need as many points to win the league.”

The Knights continue their pre-season preparations tonight against Sheffield Steeldogs, Aldridge’s team having edged to an 8-7 victory in overtime against Ben Morgan’s team at Ice Sheffield last Friday.

Sunday sees them complete their Yorkshire Cup schedule with a visit to Hull Seahawks, who won 7-6 in overtime at Elland Road six days ago.