Leeds Knights: 'Marked' champions used to dealing with greater expectations

But head coach Ryan Aldridge says any pressure heaped on to him and his team from outside is something they are well used to.

There was a target planted firmly in the centre of the Knights’ backs throughout their first title defence in 2023-24, but it’s something they dealt with comfortably, winning their second successive crown by a similar distance to how they did 12 months previously.

Okay, so they couldn’t back it up with a second straight play-off title in Coventry, but you’re not going to come any closer to doing so, the Knights losing out in a shoot-out to Peterborough Phantoms.

The Phantoms will be one of a host of teams looking to stop Leeds from making it a hat-trick of league titles, but Aldridge and his players - who open their campaign at Solway Sharks tonight - are fully prepared.

“Because we don’t put any pressure on ourselves and it doesn’t come from management in that way, either, I don’t think there are any greater expectations on us, as a group,” said Aldridge, who is without captain Kieran Brown due to an upper-body injury sustained in the 4-1 Yorkshire Cup defeat at Hull Seahawks last Sunday.

“We know that everybody wants to beat us, we know that teams play harder against us than most other teams but we had that last year - we’ve had to deal with it before.

“As a group, we don’t talk about winning stuff, we talk about working hard and doing the little things right and that if we do that, the good times will come our way.

“For us, as a group, we set the same standards that we have done for the past two years. Collectively, we’re okay with having that target on our backs - we’re used to it.”

As was the case last year, Aldridge believes the league has got better again.

They will be pushed close again by Milton Keynes Lightning - who visit ‘The Castle’ on Sunday - while the Knights’ coach believes threats will also come from Peterborough, as well as Yorklshire rivals Hull Seahawks and Sheffield Steeldogs, who have both undergone significant roster upgrades.

Aldridge is looking forward to getting an early indication of where his team is at when they host the Lightning tomorrow.

“Having Milton Keynes for our first game at home, for us to come in and play against a team like that, it sets where the bar is very early on - it will show us where we are and what we need to improve on.

“They are obviously a good team, we always have a good games against them and it will also give us a good indication of what they are about this season.

“They’ve made some changes, they’ve brought in some good players. Rory Herrman is a massive loss for them, but they’ve obviously replaced him with other players, too. They’ve got an import D, too, so it will be a very different-looking hockey team we play on Sunday.”