New Leeds Rhinos captain Stevie Ward is using Rob Burrow as an inspiration

Leeds’ pre-season has been overshadowed by the news Burrow – now the club’s reserves team coach – is suffering from the terminal illness, motor neurone disease.

A fund has been launched to help the eight-time Grand Final winner and his family and the tally was boosted by a sell-out crowd for a pre-season game against Bradford Bulls which was a fund-raiser for Burrow as well as Jamie Jones-Buchanan’s testimonial.

Ward captained the side that afternoon, when members of the club’s golden generation – Burrow, Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock, Danny McGuire, Kylie Leuluai, Keith Senior, Brett Delaney and Ryan Bailey – came out of retirement for a final swansong.

It was one of the most emotional afternoons Emerald Headingley has ever experienced and Ward reckons it could have a long-term impact on Leeds’ season.

“There has been a lot of work done in pre-season with the boys,” Ward said.

“There’s been a lot of emotion and hard work gone in, then what’s happening with Rob and that game which was a physical example of the crossover from the old guard to the new.

“It was an example to the whole team of how much a team can mean to people and how much we can do good.

“Rob has been one of my best mates in rugby so I am all for doing stuff for Rob. For our own reasons we want to have a great year, but also for Rob.

“He has been so much to so many people, with being at the Rhinos for so many years, so there’s got to be an element of that.”

An early-season knee injury limited Ward to only six games in 2019.

This year will be his ninth in the senior squad and his first as captain. Now the club’s longest-serving player, he is comfortable in his new role.

“I have had a bit of time to prepare myself around the boys,” he said.

“Some of the stuff I did last year has worked itself into this year as well, but I am a presence on the field as well now.

“Hopefully we get better and I have just got to focus on playing my best game and leading by example. That’s the main thing.”

From a team perspective, Ward insisted Rhinos are in a “better place” than 12 months ago.

He said: “We have got to know each other better and we’ve got that work ethic for each other too, which is always important in a game of rugby league when you’re relying on a full team performance.

“That’s really good, we have done a lot of good work in that aspect, but also we’ve had some really good players come in.

“Galey [Luke Gale] has come in and really lifted us, Alex Mellor’s looking really sharp and Kruise [Leeming] will be really sharp when he gets back [from injury].

“Some of the young boys are really stepping up too. Cameron Smith has really improved his defence in the middle of the park, so it’s looking

good.”