Leeds United are in Brisbane for the second leg of their pre-season tour of Australia and the games are starting to come thick and fast. The Whites will take on Aston Villa in the early hours of Sunday morning at the Suncorp Stadium and Jesse Marsch has been his side himself for what is expected to be a challenging outing against Premier League opposition.
Saturday has been an eventful one in Queensland, here’s what’s gone on.
Squad surf
Before packing their bags and boarding their bus to Brisbane, Leeds took the opportunity to sample what Surfers Paradise is best known for. Members of the group, including Jesse Marsch, Brenden Aaronson and Adam Forshaw, made the short walk to the beach early on Saturday morning and paddled out into the ocean on surfboards.
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By all accounts there was some success, too, as players and coaches managed to haul themselves up onto two feet and ride some waves, if only for a few seconds. It was hardly gruelling pre-season work, but memories were certainly made and bonds created as they bobbed up and down in the Gold Coast water.
The trip to Australia has already been hugely beneficial for the squad off the field, with the trip helping those new signings to settle in and they’ll return to England as a tighter unit, ready to do whatever it takes for each other on the field.
Dorigo’s childhood friend
The first event for supporters came in Brisbane’s Pig and Whistle pub as club ambassadors Tony Dorigo and Michael Bridges held a Q&A session for supporters. Tales of injuries, goals, the Champions League and the Whites’ title win in 1992 were regaled for the large crowd in attendance, while the pair also glowingly spoke about the club’s current crop.
However, the moment of the day came when a man stood up and revealed himself to be a childhood teammate of Dorigo’s having played for the same State side together as schoolboys. He then produced a couple of squad photos from the late 1970s showing the pair lined up together before hugging his old pal.
Caxton crowd
Around 1,000 Leeds fans attended the club’s open training session on Saturday afternoon to watch Marsch put his side through their paces and get ready for Sunday’s clash against Villa. They were in superb spirits as they sang songs, watched training and collected an autograph and a selfie or two at the end.
After leaving the Suncorp, many of those supporters made their way around the corner and onto Caxton Street, a road chock-full of bars and pubs to sing more songs and drink schooners. The street was busy on Saturday night but it’s expected to be heaving on Sunday as Leeds and Villa fans head to the stadium for the game.
Following their training session, a handful of players made tsheir way to JD Sports in the middle of Brisbane for a meet and greet.
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