With the start of the new season, the league has released the full schedule to the teams and media, and we are here to analyse how the Lions fared in the schedule, and what this means for you... the fans as we head into the 2030 season. Let’s get started!

OK. We have to know, what is preseason like this time around?
We honestly didn’t fare that well with the preseason, as we will be facing four teams who all had winning records last season, but three division champions and one of those is also the defending league champions. That’s right. We have to head off to Stockholm to play the North Stars in preseason. Our last matchup against them didn’t go so well, but let’s hope for a better result this time. We also have to face off against Pozzallo and Derry, both of whom are coming off division titles. The fourth team is the Hurlingham Herons, who just missed out on the postseason last season and will also be looking for another victory over us.

So, that’s preseason... but what does the opening month of games look like for when it comes to the regular season?
It’s going to be a tough start to the season, we face off against the Forbidden City Dragons, and we will be hoping for another remarkable victory like we did in 2027. We then get a rematch against the Compton Catastrophe in Week 2 and hope we can avenge what happened in Week 16 last season and get another one over them. Week 3 is the final run of this opening road trip stance that we have, and we have to face off against the defending Fail Brigade Champions in the Zena Rumberos, who will be a tougher task than the team we faced back in 2028. Game 4 is our first home game of the season, and it will be against the Tokyo Revolver.

Being a defending division champion, we must have picked up some tough matches throughout the season?
Yes, we did. Adding the game in Week 3 against Zena, we also facing seven other teams who had winning records last season, including both teams in Zena and Heliopolis who made it to the conference championship game last season. We also face off against Paris in Week 11, who are one of only six teams in the league who we are yet to taste victory over. As part of the rotation, we will face the entire FB North and BC East divisions this season, and that presents some tough opponents as well.

When are our division games, and can we finally get that monkey off the back and clean sweep the division this season?
Only time will tell if we can achieve a 6-0 division record this season, we can really close last season, so anything is possible. In addition to facing off against Compton in Week 2, we will have our home fixture against them in Week 6, which begins a three-game run for our division hopes, as the very next week we will face off against Florence at their home, before coming back home to face off against the Wildcats. Our final two games in the division then don’t roll around until Week 13 (away to North York) and Week 15 (home against Florence). It’s going to be a tough season in the division.

Did we get any crazy away trips this season?
Sort of, but the good thing is that it’s at the start of the season, and to compensate, we are finishing off with three home games to end the season. Starting away from home will be a very big task for us, more so that our away record of late is not the best that it could be, but this will be a good chance for us to start squaring up the ledger when it comes to travelling away for games, and especially with the opponents we have on the schedule. To finish the season with three straight home games will be a good way to end the season and hopefully will be the momentum we need heading into maybe another postseason berth.

What do you think this season will be for us?
Without any trading or wheeling and dealing throughout free agency at the moment, it’s a tough read on how the Lions will fare this season. The opening stanza will be tough, a couple of tough games there and some solid improving rosters there in the opening month, so if the Lions can achieve a 0.500 split in that opening month, it should be considered a solid victory and a good stepping stone for the remainder of the season. It’s tough to sit again on the fence and easily say that the Lions should look towards a 8-8 record this season, but I think the honest opinion has to be that nothing less than 9 wins this season will be a failure.

PENRITH, NSW – The Penrith Lions have made their first trade of the 2030 off-season, as they make a trade with the Szczecin Pomeranians for a new defensive starter.

The Lions have traded away a sixth-round selection in next years’ draft as well as a third-round selection in the 2032 draft to bring across cornerback Aaron Downwind to the Lions, as the Pomeranians not only begin life after their relocation from Batman, but also begin what looks like a rebuild under their own ownership. Downwind, who was drafted in the second round of the 2027 draft finishes his career with the Pomeranians with 218 tackles, including a bumper year last season in which he managed 85 tackles in 1036 plays throughout another season in which he managed to play in all sixteen games for the Robins, whilst also adding his first career interception, picked up in the Week 3 victory over North York. Downwind, along with the trade, signed a six-year extension to his contract to keep him at the Lions until at least 2035.

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Quotes attributed to General Manager Leam Mark Farrar

“We identified Aaron early on in the offseason window as someone who the Pomeranians were interested in getting off their roster to help with their offseason plans and rebuilding and we felt that his skill set at cornerback was just what we were after, and with him being at such a young age, with a defence that has been getting stronger, that he can not only compliment what we already have but can be a positive influence on the room, and push everyone else around him to be better. We like what we have seen from him, and we like that he can now join us and provide that positive upgrade to our defence”.

Quotes attributed to Head Coach Roy Rodriguez

“To get someone of his caliber, for that price, it was a good deal. Some may say we gave up a lot to get him, but sometimes, a talent like Aaron’s doesn’t come along that often and you just need to pay what is needed to get him. For someone who’s only been in the league three seasons, and to rack up over 200 tackles in that time, for a side that had a down year, it really shows how competitive the league can get in any season. We feel that Aaron can come in and really keep up their high level of performance and work ethic that he has had since being drafted and that it will really help improve our defence to the next level this season and into the future”.

PENRITH, NSW – The Penrith Lions have made another trade with the Pomeranians, as they welcome back an old friend to the Lions locker room.

In another player for player trade that the Lions have made, their second in consecutive seasons, Penrith have traded cornerback Thomas Hartley to the Pomeranians in exchange for center Michael Nelson. Nelson, who was originally drafted by the Lions back in 2025, returned to the franchise after a season at Batman, having left the Lions after last season during free agency, but where he found playing time very limiting, only seeing action on six occasions. He returns to the Lions to build upon his already 23 starts (78 games played) and will look to return to his old ways, including not allowing a sack for two straight seasons with the Lions before his departure.

Hartley, who was drafted by the Porth Emmett Auctioneers back in the 2022 foundation draft, was traded to the Lions, after a two-year stint with the Derry Mean Machine and finishes his Lions career with 158 tackles, and ten interceptions across his five-year stay at The Lions Den, including a monster 2025 season where he racked up 68 tackles. Sadly, additions at cornerback to the roster over several years limited his appearances to only two starts last season, whilst he also struggled slightly with some niggling injuries, including two leg injuries in both 2028 and 2029.

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Quotes attributed to General Manager Leam Mark Farrar

“We are pleased to welcome Michael back to The Den, it’s where he belongs, and I know that he is eager and ready to get straight back to work and prove himself. He know what he is coming back into and where the team is after last season and I know that he is ready to get straight down to business. He was a great player for us when we drafted him and I know that he will be raring to get into practice and get back to his strong work ethic that can really put a positive light on the room and make everyone around him want to compete and be better than they are”.

Quotes attributed to Head Coach Roy Rodriguez

“Michael’s journey has been well known, and to welcome him back home, for what many might think is a second phase, it can be whatever it wants to be. Michael isn’t a player to be bothered by storylines like that, he just wants to get down to business, down to practice and show what he can achieve. I know, and he knows, that he is coming back into the team, and won’t be given any special treatment. He has to earn that starting spot, and he knows that he will only earn it if he puts in the hard yards and I know, he is ready for that”.

PENRITH, NSW – In a shock decision, the Penrith Lions have traded away David Haskins for a future draft selection, as well as a new addition to the offensive line.

Following the announcement earlier today that the Lions had managed to secure the signing of prize running back Antonio Rojas from free agency, Penrith have made the shock announcement that they have come to an agreement with the St Austell Brewers to trade away running back David Haskins, whilst receiving in return left tackle Christopher Skalski and a 2031 second-round selection.

Haskins, who was only drafted last year in the first round, finished the season with 492 yards rushing on only 97 attempts, along with three touchdowns to his name, third most for a rookie last season (but with the best average yards per run at 5.1, and the second most touchdowns for a rookie running back last season) and will look to be the starting running back for the Brewers as they look to improve on their rushing performances, with only four touchdowns on the ground.

Skalski joins the Lions after three years with the Auctioneers/Brewers, after being drafted in the second round of the 2027 draft, and joins with 23 starts under his belt, along with 1435 plays to his name, having seen a slight decrease in his games from 2029. He also joins the Lions after signing a long-term contract extension to see him stay with the Lions until the end of the 2035 season.

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Quotes attributed to General Manager Leam Mark Farrar

“While it’s tough to say goodbye to a superstar in the making like David, we felt that he would be better off playing in a role that was for him. It’s all well and good to have the likes of David on our roster, but we felt, along with his management that with the additions of Rojas and the return that we have seen from Salas, as well as our backup options that David was really going to be seeing very limited action on the field, something we have and were always up front and honest about with him, and we all agreed that it was in his best interests for his career if we were able to find the right home for him and I think for what we have received in return, that we found that and both sides can put their best foot forward on this one”.

Quotes attributed to Head Coach Roy Rodriguez

“It’s tough losing the likes of David from our roster, he breathed new lift into a run game that frankly speaking, was stale and useless in previous seasons. The combination that we had with David and Jon [Salas] last season was incredible, and we can’t thank David enough for all of the effort and commitment that he put into the team and his work ethic over last season. It’s going to be tough to see him playing against us and we just hope that he finds his feet as quickly at St Austell that he did here, because if he does, then there really is no stopping him. He’s going to be great, just hopefully not against us”.

PENRITH, NSW – The Penrith Lions and Cheesy Philly have made a draft-day trade regarding selections in the upcoming rounds of the draft.

The Penrith Lions have traded away the 86th overall selection in the draft to Cheesy Philly in exchange for the 154th overall selection as well as a 2032 third-round selection. The Lions, after having selected in the first and second rounds, now hold picks 117, 154 and 213.

PENRITH, NSW – The Penrith Lions and Cheesy Philly have made another draft-day trade regarding selections in the upcoming rounds of the draft.

The Penrith Lions have traded away the 117th overall selection in the draft to Cheesy Philly in exchange for the 140th overall selection as well as a 2031 fifth-round selection. With this, the Lions will not be selecting on Day 3 of the draft and will head into the final day of the draft tomorrow with picks 140, 154 and 213.

PENRITH, NSW – The Penrith Lions and Santiago Chiles have made a draft-day trade regarding selections in the upcoming rounds of the draft.

The Penrith Lions have traded away the 154th overall selection in the draft to Santiago in exchange for the 173rd overall selection as well as the 204th overall selection within the draft. Penrith now will make three selections on the final day of the draft, holding picks 173, 204 and 213.

PENRITH, NSW – Following the draft, the Penrith Lions and Minnetonka Timberwolves have made a trade, which has now been approved by the league office.

The Penrith Lions have secured the draft rights to rookie running back Bret Archer from Minnetonka in exchange for a sixth-round selection in the 2032 draft going to Minnetonka. This brings the Lions up to their seventh trade this offseason, the most they have made in several seasons now.

Archer, drafted in the fourth-round of the draft by Minnetonka out of Nebraska will now join what could look to be a crowded running back room at the Lions training facility, but with rumors that the Lions are trying out several undrafted rookies and other players in the wide receiver grouping during training camp and the preseason, there could be talk that Archer will join that group and try to make a name for himself in the league as a wide receiver, rather than as a running back. He finished his college career at Nebraska with over 800 yards in each of his four seasons, culminating in a both a Rose Bowl victory in 2028 and an Orange Bowl victory last season.

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Quotes attributed to General Manager Leam Mark Farrar

“Early on in the draft throughout the second and third day, we had identified Bret as a possible draft target. We liked what we saw on the tapes, we liked what we saw when we went to his pro day and we had him quite high on our board during the second day of the draft, however, we knew that we had some other areas to fill and improve on so we went in another direction but kept an eye on Bret throughout the draft and we were happy to see him get drafted, and when Minnetonka said that they were considering a possible trade for him as they had other plans in the running back area, we felt that this would be our opportunity to bring Bret to the Lions as we had planned. It did force us to give up a future draft selection but we can live with that if he lives up to the potential that we saw”.

Quotes attributed to Head Coach Roy Rodriguez

“I like the passion that Bret brings to the table, he is young and he will help out where he is needed. He knows that he is coming in with nothing to show for his efforts, college is one thing, the pros are an entirely different ball game and he needs to prove himself wherever he is placed and make sure that he comes in with the attitude that he needs to earn his spot on the roster. Nothing will just be given to him just because we traded for his draft rights and he's joining us and not Minnetonka”.

The off-season is done, the preseason is finished, and now the focus can be on the next sixteen games and another push for the Penrith Lions to make the postseason and compete for that elusive championship that all 32 teams have a chance of winning now that the season is all new and getting started. The Lions head into the 2030 season off the back of a solid 10-6 record last season, good enough to secure their second divisional title in franchise history, and while the postseason was not something many fans will want to remember for too long, having been defeated in the wildcard round, the expectations are still there to try and not only repeat the efforts of last season but hopefully go one better.

With a 2-2 record this preseason, suffering two tough defeats to both Hurlingham and Derry, but securing wins against not only two division winners from last season but a remarkable victory over Stockholm, who won the championship last season by a solitary point. The Lions do also face quite a tough start to the season, facing off against the recently relocated North London Cannoniers (formerly the Forbidden City Dragons) to start, followed by a divisional matchup against Compton followed by the defending league champions in Zena, all away from the confines of The Lions Den. The Lions really need to look at taking one or two of these games if they are to get their divisional title defence off to a good start, or they really do risk being behind the 8-ball from the very beginning.

The Lions do welcome back a good portion of their offensive players this season, with quarterback John Decaro again leading the way under center, as he enters his third season in the league, and his second full season as QB1, many will be looking to him to take that next step in his career and push even harder for another solid season. Decaro concluded 2029 with 14 touchdowns to 25 interceptions, many will be looking for that number to come down and the other one to come up. That being said, he was tied for 8th in touchdowns last season and ranked as the eight quarterback with the most passing yards with 3,323, however, being the eight most, there was only 11 quarterbacks who threw for more than 3,000 yards so take that with a grain of salt if you will.

Penrith also welcome back their running corps of Jon Salas, Ursula Cruz and Jerry Surge whilst also adding in the free agent addition of Antonio Rojas, who comes in off the back of a poor 2029 season with only 24 rushing yards on 7 attempts, compared to his 2028 season where he rushed for over 600 yards and 7 touchdowns in the championship (and undefeated) winning season for the then Zena Soneros. Many are hoping that Rojas can replicate that 2028 form and produce the same results, if not better, for a team that actually took a step in the right direction when it came to their rushing attack last season, going from a poor average of 76.68 yards per game in 2028 (and a single touchdown for the whole season) to an average of 96.93 yards per game (and 10 touchdowns, the most the team has ever had in franchise history). The hope is that with this addition and the stability, that the Lions can produce even more on offense. Adding in the addition of rookies such as Bret Archer and Reed Lutz in the receiver corps, that a young offense (the projected offensive lineup has an average of 3.5 years) that this team can begin to produce a better offensive display than has been seen in seasons gone by.

The defence has also seen some updates and changes throughout the offseason, with a few new additions, namely cornerback Aaron Downwind and a few rookies including undrafted rookie linebacker Edward Roach, who looks to have secured the backup role there, along with free agent pickup in Andrew Meeks. The concern is that the defensive end positions have not seen any improvements over the last two seasons, with Ernest Delcambre and Gavin Blair both seasoned veterans and both in the conversations of retirements, the lack of investment in finding younger replacements or even drafting in those areas may be a concern that could come back later on in the season to hurt the Lions defence, but it is a defence that limited opponents to the fifth least passing yards last season (151.7), the sixth least rushing yards (74.8), the fifth least yards per carry (3.3) and the second least yards per attempt at a low 4.6 yards, only beaten by Paris (3.8). This is a defence that has been in the top 6 in many defensive categories for the last two seasons now (baring passing yards per game in 2028) and has also limited opponents to lower scores, giving up an average of 10.93 points per game in 2028, and 11.62 points per game last season.

If the Lions are to make a serious push towards another postseason berth, or even another divisional title and become the third team out of the division to make it back-to-back divisional titles, they need to produce the next step of their offense and defense that they showed last season. Resting on the laurels of last season won’t do this team any good, they need to take that next step and they need to come out of the gates swinging with everything that they have. Penrith are the ones with the targets on their back this season, it’s all about defeating the Lions, it’s all about taking away the crown from Penrith. It’s all about finding that one weakness and exploiting it for all that you can get from it. Penrith only has to get it wrong once, for the opposition to pounce and take the advantage away from the Lions.

Prediction: Up against a newly relocated team, but a team that we haven’t beaten since 2027, going to be a tough ask, especially on the road. I think the Lions will put up a valiant fight here, but sadly, will come up just short. North London to win this one by 3 points.