Leeds United are in Australia as they continue their preparations for the new Premier League season. The Whites got their pre-season tour off to a bang on day one with a host of events as they engaged with those fans Down Under with a visit to the beach, a supporter Q&A and an open training session.
Day two has been a lot more business-like, with Leeds working away ahead of their friendly with Brisbane Roar on Thursday night. Jesse Marsch also held a press conference ahead of the game, which is the first of three scheduled to be played in over the next few days, with clashes against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace to come.
Here’s Leeds Live’s round up of what’s happened on day two.
Read more: Junior Firpo ruled out as Jesse Marsch discusses left-back options and Liam Cooper issue
A quieter day
Fresh from handing out free t-shirts and signing autographs in the pouring rain, some members of the group could be seen walking on Surfers Paradise beach this morning, soaking up the sunshine ahead of another training session. This time, though, the Whites worked in private at the Gold Coast sports and leisure centre, which is in the shadow of the rather spectacular Metricon Stadium, the home of local AFL side Gold Coast Suns.
The press and fans were kept away from the training pitch, but from the café in the main building the players could be seen being put through their paces by the club’s fitness and coaching staff. Leeds will hold more open training sessions over the next week at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium and the Fremantle Oval in Perth.
However, they do have a Premier League season to work towards and it’s not unreasonable to expect some work to be done away from prying eyes.
Aussie press out in numbers
After watching his side train for an hour, Marsch was taken upstairs for his first press conference Down Under. The head coach will make a habit of speaking to journalists over the coming days with pre-match and post-match press conferences to be held with regularity.
Of course, Leeds Live was in attendance, but there was also a dozen or so local reporters, who were all eager to hear of the American’s experience of Gold Coast so far. Marsch spoke highly of the city Leeds will call home until they travel up to Brisbane on Friday, while he also spoke about Brisbane Roar boss Warren Moon and the challenge he expects from the A-League side.
Attention then turned to recruitment and injury matters with the head coach speaking insightfully about Raphinha’s impending switch to Barcelona, Junior Firpo’s injury and a handful of other matters.
Recuperation
The Whites will be worked hard during their trip to Australia, but it’s also important that they have some time off to rest up and recuperate. As such, they have been given time off this evening to head out into the town and soak up their surroundings.
It’s understood that several members of the squad will be heading out to watch the State of Origin on TV, which seems to be dominating the sports headlines Down Under. For those that don’t know, Origin is a rugby league competition played out over three matches between New South Wales and Queensland.
The squad won’t be given the freedom to have an alcoholic drink given they take on the Roar tomorrow, but they will be given some free time before they start their game day preparations.
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