Training 'firebreak' won't extinguish Leeds Rhinos' pre-season says Richie Myler

Rhinos’ training has been cancelled until Tuesday, at the earliest, as a 'firebreak' measure after six players and one member of staff tested positive for coronavirus.

The club’s base at Kirkstall is being deep cleaned and players will only be allowed back after providing a negative test.

Ten months into the pandemic, that sort of disruption is becoming the new normal and Myler reckons everyone at Rhinos - and across rugby league - will have to get used to it.

“Until everyone is vaccinated I think it’s going to be interesting,” the half-back/full-back predicted of what this year has in store.

“It’s a case of getting through as we can and being sensible - if there’s an outbreak just shutting it down, which is what they’ve done.”

The timing could have been much worse, with the new season still two months away.

“We all want to be in training - that’s the biggest thing, but with the way it is going at the minute with Covid and everything, I think that’s just the situation,” Myler added.

“Last year was the same, this person was in, that person wasn’t in.

“The good thing now is we are missing training, but we’re not missing games like we [players who tested positive or we identified as close contacts] did last year.

“That is one blessing, there’s no games to miss out on at the minute.”

Super League was locked down from last March to the end of July , so players know what’s needed to stay in shape when they aren’t allowed to train together.

“The club are pretty good at giving us stuff to do,” Myler said.

“The lads have got pretty good set-ups at home and I think we are pretty used to it.”

Covid protocols have been tightened this year, with players being tested on a daily rather than weekly basis.

Only one Leeds player tested positive during 2020 and Myler said: “We kept it out of our place last year, but with this new variant, if one person gets it it just spreads like wildfire.”

Betfred Super League is due to kick off on March 25, two weeks later than originally scheduled and the number of fixtures is expected to be reduced from 27 to 25, but Myler insisted players are not getting caught up in the uncertainty.

“I think that’s quite a way down the road,” he said.

“Nobody knows the lay of the land at the minute and I think we have to wait and see how it pans out.

“We are preparing for March 25 - we have got a target date we’ll prepare for and if it gets out back any further than that we will just have to adapt like we did last year.”

Whatever happens, the Grand Final will be played on October 9.

The World Cup, due to start two weeks later, means the domestic season can’t be extended, so midweek matches are inevitable.

At one stage last year Rhinos played seven times - their final six league fixtures, plus the Challenge Cup final - in a 25-game period and Myler admitted: “I hope they don’t do that again.

“I think it was a bit too much last year, playing too many games in a short space of time.

“I think as a player welfare issue, I don’t think it’s feasible, but our sport is very good at adapting and taking each week as it comes.

“We will see how that plays out further down the line, but we are very fortunate we are getting well looked after.

“In the grand scheme of things, there’s a lot more serious things happening in the world than what’s going on at training at the minute.

“The boys will keep themselves ticking over and we’ll be ready to go when we get the green light to go back in.”

In the two and a half weeks’ training they have done since pre-season began on January 5, Myler feels Rhinos have made encouraging progress.

“It has been really good,” he reflected.

“Last year the young lads got a lot of exposure, with playing numerous games and that has been really good for them, to get their confidence up about playing against men and being around the first team.

“They are all chomping at the bit to go again and the club have recruited well again, which is good.

“Players who are still young but have been with us for a while, like Mikolaj [Oldezki] and Cam [Smith], you can see they’ve got the bit between their teeth and they are much further on in their development.

“It will be interesting to see how they go and I am looking forward to the year.”

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