The venue for this year’s Betfred Premier League Magic Weekend is as close to home as Leeds Rhinos can get without actually being there – even if they are nominally the ‘away’ team against Warrington Wolves.
Elland Road, home to the city’s Leeds United Football Club and just four miles south of Rhinos’ AMT Headingley Stadium, has been familiar to them over the years.
It hosted Leeds’ World Club Challenge wins over the Canterbury Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm in 2005 and 2008, as well as two Super League games in the 2018 season. For another generation, it will be remembered that nearly 23,000 spectators watched Mul Reilly’s side beat Castleford in the 1988 Old Yorkshire Cup Final, which was unparalleled for a club of that era. is a rare trophy.
So while the decision to move Magic Weekend from Newcastle’s St James’ Park to Elland Road may not have been universally welcomed, there will be no complaints from anyone associated with the Rhinos, with captain Cameron Smith relishing the opportunity.
“I can’t wait, it feels like a home game,” Smith said. sky sports. “We’re not too far from Headlingley and with the links between Manchester United and Leeds Rhinos, the people of Leeds will want to come here and support us.
“A lot has happened but our preparation is still the same, it’s just another game.
“We are the last game and we are used to playing late but we will focus on our game and not other things.”
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Warrington Wolves’ George Williams and Leeds Rhinos’ Cameron Smith look forward to magic weekend at Elland Road
Adding to the excitement for Leeds United is the fact that they go into this game on the back of a surprise 30-4 win over defending champions Wigan Warriors last week.
Saturday’s game against Warrington is the final game on day one of Magic Weekend 2024 (7.30pm, live on Sky Sports Action) and comes just five weeks after the two teams last met, with Wolves at Harry Weir Jones Stadium won 30-18.
It was during that game that Brad Arthur also got his first look at the team, having been appointed head coach following the departure of Rohan Smith until just after the end of the season. Arrival in the country.
Results have been up and down since the 50-year-old coached NRL side Parramatta Eels for more than a decade – two wins and two losses. However, Arthur believes the stunning win against Wigan was a sign of the progress he has seen since joining the team.
“We were looking for an 80-minute effort and I thought we got it,” Arthur told us sky sports.
“I’m disappointed that we leaked an attempt because I feel like we’ve done enough. Sometimes we lack a little bit of detail, but we’re getting better at it and you can see some signs of it.
“It’s hard for me to criticize them because they tried their best.”
Even after beating the Warriors, who swept last year’s rugby league competition, at Magic Weekend, the Rhinos remain four points adrift of a play-off spot with six games remaining in the regular season.
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Highlights from last Saturday’s Betfred Premier League match between Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors
In Smith’s first season in charge in 2022, the team made an incredible run to the finals, failing to finish in the top six for the second consecutive year, almost unthinkable for the eight-time Super League champions, although the last The championship came out in 2017.
Defeat at home to Wigan and Warrington with title ambitions will go a long way to boosting their play-off hopes, and loose forward Smith has every reason to be confident of the Magic weekend.
“I thought we were really motivated and I felt like we should have had a good win over the last few weeks,” Smith said.
“We had some good performances but we almost beat ourselves.
Brad Arthur signs new contract with Leeds United until the end of the 2024 season
“We came into the game with some confidence and momentum.”
Regardless of what happens on Saturday night, Arthur’s long-term future beyond this season remains up in the air.
The Australian has been adamant Rhinos players need to show they want him still at the helm in 2025.
“They need to show me that again this week and the week after that,” Arthur said.
Catch every game from Betfred Premier League Magic Weekend 2024 on 17-18 August on Sky Sports.
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