Batley Bulldogs and Dewsbury Rams both keen on playing two friendlies next month

Batley Bulldogs and Dewsbury Rams are both hoping to play two friendly games before the season kicks off next month. Picture: SWpix.com.

Clubs have been informed that they will be allowed to play a maximum of two pre-season games in March before the campaign gets underway with the first round of the Challenge Cup.

By the time the Rams and Bulldogs will kick off their 2021 campaigns, it will have been over one year since they last played competitively.

From a safety point of view, Bulldogs chief Craig Lingard wants to play as many friendly games as he can as more pre-season outings would give his players the time to adjust to the physical demands of returning to action.

“From a coaches’ point of view, we want as many friendlies as we can safely have, with the players having not played for almost a year,” he said.

“From a safeguarding point of view, to protect the players from injury and get them up to speed with a full contact sport, we need as many friendlies as possible.

“The RFL are conscious of the mixing of groups and want to limit that as much as possible before the season. Normally you would play four or five friendlies in pre-season.

“That is not just to safeguard the players and get them ready for the knocks they might take throughout the season but also to get a look at the new players you will have coming into the squad as well and see how the combinations are gelling.

“If that is what we have got to abide by to get back playing then that is what we will do.”

For Dewsbury Rams chief Lee Greenwood, more friendlies will give him the best idea of what his strongest squad is ahead of the 2021 campaign.

Dewsbury and Batley would normally have an early pre-season clash on Boxing Day but that did not happen in 2020 due to the impact of Covid-19.

He added: “We would normally have had a Boxing Day friendly and one or two more by now. We would be ready to start the season.

“You can judge a fair bit off what people are looking like but you still need that game to absolutely tell. Some players can smash it in training but then it doesn’t quite happen for them when you get to a game.

“Others might not show up as well in training but when it comes to a game they know what to do. We are just missing that aspect of it.

“There are some lads we couldn’t have asked anymore from in terms of their attitude and effort but I want to see them in a game. I’d like a couple of friendlies before the Cup game.”