'We're getting beasted': tough pre-season boosting Leeds Rhinos 2025 chances says James McDonnell

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Second-rower James McDonnell has revealed how getting “beasted” in training is putting Leeds Rhinos on course for better things in 2025.

Rhinos have under-performed in the past two seasons, finishing eighth - and failing to qualify for the play-offs - twice after their Grand Final appearance of 2022. As a result, coach Brad Arthur kept them at work for a couple of weeks following their final competitive game of this year and the full squad have been in pre-season training since November.

Arthur warned the players three months ago they would be expected to dig deep as they prepare for the new Betfred Super League campaign and McDonnell confirmed: “We are getting pretty beasted.”

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But he stressed: “We are feeling the benefits. Week-on-week we are building and we are getting better. The ball in play is getting longer, because there’s less errors.

James McDonnell, left, seen at Leeds Rhinos pre-season training with teammate Jarrod O'Connor. Picture by Tony Johnson.James McDonnell, left, seen at Leeds Rhinos pre-season training with teammate Jarrod O'Connor. Picture by Tony Johnson.
James McDonnell, left, seen at Leeds Rhinos pre-season training with teammate Jarrod O'Connor. Picture by Tony Johnson.
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“There’s consequences to having the errors, where we go into conditioning drills for a minute to replicate a defensive set in a game, but week-on-week we are building how much time the ball is actually in our hands. The more we get the ball in our hands, the better we are getting - so it is looking promising.”

Rhinos made more errors than any other team in Super League last term and McDonnell reckons being fitter will bring that number down. He said: “The fitter you are, the more you can handle what people call the washing machine - the cycle of back and forth, consecutive sets.

“That really takes its toll on you, but the more conditioned your body is to that, the more you can concentrate. That’s the biggest thing really. Errors are made when people are fatigued and concentration slips a little bit and the basics aren’t quite there. But the more you do it under that pressure and that intensity, the more second nature it becomes.”

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Coach Brad Arthur is working Leeds Rhinos hard at training, James McDonnell says. Picture by Tony Johnson.Coach Brad Arthur is working Leeds Rhinos hard at training, James McDonnell says. Picture by Tony Johnson.
Coach Brad Arthur is working Leeds Rhinos hard at training, James McDonnell says. Picture by Tony Johnson.

Rhinos will field a strong side when they face Wakefield Trinity at AMT Headingley on Boxing Day in the first of their two warm-up games ahead of the season. On a personal note, McDonnell - now heading into his third year at Leeds after joining them from hometown club Wigan Warriors - is keen to get off to a strong start.

The 24-year-old has become a regular in the starting side, but second-rower Rhyse Martin’s departure to Hull KR is an opportunity to strengthen his hold on a place in the first-choice 13. “I am really trying to step into it and make it my own and put a stamp on it,” he said. “I think me and Rhyse are very similar players, but very different in some respects also. In our workrate, we are very similar, but he has a lot of attributes to his game that I admire and would like to build on.

“That’s something I have worked at in this pre-season, but mostly I’ve just filled in on the stuff I had already laid down. The stuff I bring to the team, I am just trying to bring more of that and be the best version of me, physically and technically, I can.”

McDonnell made only six first team appearances for Wigan, so was a Super League novice when he joined Leeds. He now feels at home in the competition and insisted: “I don’t feel like a rookie, which is a positive.

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James McDonnell in action for Leeds Rhinos in last season's Headingley win against his hometown club Wigan Warriors. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com.James McDonnell in action for Leeds Rhinos in last season's Headingley win against his hometown club Wigan Warriors. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com.
James McDonnell in action for Leeds Rhinos in last season's Headingley win against his hometown club Wigan Warriors. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com.

“I feel like the squad we’ve got, I can have a bit more authority and seniority about me and really try and kick on and bring people with me - some of the younger lads and lads who have come into the environment for the first time. I can show them the standards and really try to set an example.”

McDonnell played for Ireland at the World Cup in 2022, but was called into England’s squad ahead of this year’s mid-season Test in France. He didn’t play in the game, but the experience was invaluable, he believes.

“It definitely gave me a confidence boost,” McDonnell stated. “It was unexpected at the time, but made me aware I was on the radar and brought me into that environment. That’s the pinnacle you want to be aiming for and after getting a taste of it I am hungrier to try and get in there again.

“Although I didn’t play in the end of season series [against Samoa] me and Shaun [Wane, England’s coach] have still been in contact and he’s telling me stuff I need to work on in my game. I think he still sees me in and around the picture at some point. It is down to me to put the performances out there and be what he wants me to be at that time of the year.”

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