PENRITH, NSW – The Lions have cut the following players, in order to comply with the league’s mandated 53-man roster prior to the opening game of the regular season.

FB Crash Bandicoot, DT William Nettleton, LG Charley Coleman, DT Willie McFarland, FS Juan White, SLB David Torres

The whole organisation thanks these players for their service and contribution to the team and wishes them all the best in the next phase of their careers.

The preseason has been over, and the teams are all but prepared for the upcoming season, the Lions face a tough test, up against the Bullfighters to begin the new season, who themselves are coming off an impressive 4-0 preseason and a massive 50-point shutout of the Slamhounds last week. It is going to look like a tough way to start the season, but the Lions look to be in top shape and despite the loss to Cape Town, they finish with a respectable 3-1 record in the preseason and look to keep their home field advantage going, having lost only once at home so far.

The Lions return most of their starters from last season, with Napoleon Whitmore once again named as the starting quarterback for the season, with newly acquired backup, William Brown, coming in to replace Raymond Crawford who was traded during the preseason to the Elders. Most of the offensive line has also returned this season, with rookie Steven Robbins, being the only new face on the offensive line, as the Lions look to stick with consistency rather than a total overhaul. Speaking to the media this week, offensive line coach Thomas Evans talked about how the preseason was good for the Lions and how having a consistent line, with almost everyone returning has made it easier to get right into the swing of things for the new season:

“We have taken it quite easy; the boys all know each other; they have spent the last season working alongside one another and are ready and raring to go, they know what is expected of them, and the rookies and new players who have joined have been able to quickly get into that same mentality, and I think it will put us in a good position to contend early on, and hopefully find a way to bring that as a strength each week to the opposition”

It is on defense where a lot of changes have been made in the offseason, with new faces, but the crux of the defense has remained, with Luis Walsh leading the cornerback room, alongside Richard Ballard, as well as Keith Gannon and Andrew Robertson at defensive tackle leading the line, and despite losing Robertson to a nasty foot injury that looks likely to keep him out for at least the first two months of the season, the defense looks to be making improvements, and coming off a team last season that was ranked third in sacks per game, but 24th in yards per interception, and only 0.7 INTs per game, it is a worrying stat for the Lions to look at, but as some have said to this reporter; “2022 is in the rear view mirror, we are looking squarely at 2023”

The Bullfighters are also coming into the game with some new stars, including star running back David Fodor, who was traded to the Bullfighters from the newly renamed Batman Robins (formerly the North Miami Beach Railriders) and reports surfaced just after that trade was announced that the Lions did indeed make representations to acquire Fodor, but seemingly came up short. They will also have to come up against wide receiver Brian Lecuyer who was traded to the Bullfighters, and while he had a relatively quiet preseason (5 receptions for 40 yards, 0 TDs), the Lions are acutely aware of the performances that he can put on and will need to plan accordingly to shut him down effectively if they are to hold up against the Bullfighters and avoid a 0-1 start to the season.

Game Prediction: Lions to win by 7

It wasn’t the start that the Lions wanted, going down to the Bullfighters in a 38-14 defeat at home, only the second time a team has won at The Lions Den. It was a poor performance all round, with the Lions struggling even more on the ground, and while some may say that they came up against the best running back in the league, that being David Fodor, seeing 16 rushing yards to 212, it just showed how far the Lions still have to come, and would have to be a worse feeling for the organization who had in the offseason wanted to sign Fodor in a trade with the Robins.

It wasn’t any better in the air, with Napoleon Whitmore struggling as well, a 25.81 QBR, the lowest of his career so far, to go with the three interceptions, and only 125 yards. The Lions would also be regretting the decision to let Lecuyer go to the Bullfighters, as he put up a very respectable 60 yards on 7 receptions. Many would say that the Lions have a lot to look at, and a lot to analayze, with the only bright spot being Troy Yang, who got a handy 103-yard kick return to open the third quarter, which actually did put the Lions up 14-11, but the 27 unanswered points were all that she wrote, and the game was gone.

Speaking after the game, Head Coach James Jennings was not impressed with the quality of the performance and basically put the entire playing squad on notice that things would change very quickly for them if the playing effort was not improved next week.

“That performance was terrible, just plain terrible. We had no answer for them at all, all game and frankly; we deserved to lose that one. We had not a single chance where we made anything actually work. It was simply like the gameplan was ignored and they tried to be magicians out there, because frankly; that did not work. I wonder whether they had the heart out there to play for the team, to play for the uniform, to play for the city because I didn’t see it out there for the last 60 minutes and the whole team better be prepared for a tough week, because it is time that they had some tough love, and I would not say to a single one of them that they have their starting job secured, because I will fix that very quick”

The Lions head into Week 2 with another divisional matchup, this time against the Florence Fools, who head into the match on the back of a convincing 27-10 victory of Seattle last week, and look to be in a solid position this season, despite a winless preseason, but as many say, preseason is not worth a look in when it comes to form, it’s the regular season that counts and right now, the Fools are looking strong, with new starting quarterback Hmmm Goodenough being a bright spark to the offence that last season saw the Fools with the eight worst completion percentage (62.2%) and already have jumped up to 80.6% in the first game, and despite a game where Goodenough failed to throw a touchdown, the Fools seem to have the run game on fire, with three touchdowns, including two to Leeroy Jenkins.

If the Lions are to win, they need both the air game and the run game to start firing again, like they did last season. They need both Frank Bell and Steven Martelli to get going and to show that the Lions can be the force that they were last season, while they need the likes of veterans such as Tony Lockett and even Franklin Adkins to get moving as well, and get the yards after the catch to give the Lions a chance, while they also need the defence, led by the likes of Luis Walsh, Keith Gannon and even Gavin Blair and Douglas Dunham to get the stops that they were seemingly so good at last year, otherwise, this is going to be a very long year for the Lions and could see some major changes coming at the end, or even during the season.

INJURY REPORT

The Lions look to head into the game with only a few injuries to focus on, with the most serious being rookie defensive end Paul Buckley, who looks likely to be on the return path and could be ready for light training in a few weeks, with medical staff projecting a return around the middle of the season, as well as guard Patrick Shepherd who is set to return around the same time.

The good news is that fullback Robert Seibert looks likely to return next week, ahead of schedule, which will be good news and may provide an additional body in the run game heading into the final two games of this opening home stand for the Lions. The injury to Andrew Robertson was not as severe as first thought, and he looks set to return in about a months’ time, with the only other concern being that of safety Brad Bourque, who is also on track for a return in 4 weeks.

Luis Walsh, Steven Robbins, and Keith Gannon have been passed fit and will dress for the game, despite a small injury cloud over those three this week.

Game Prediction: Lions finally get a win on the board, by 3 points this time

It was tough, but the Lions finally got the first win of the season, a tight 19-17 victory, which could have been a whole lot different, the Lions only getting the margin to 1 with just under 8 minutes left in the game, and with the Lions having to go 79 yards in the space of about 6 minutes to try and put the game away, it took a massive 11-drive attempt to get a field goal, that finally put the Lions ahead for the first time in the game, and it was all they needed.

The Lions seriously have problems on the ground this season, a paltry 56 rushing yards to 106 for the Fools, with many questioning if the combination of Bell and Martelli is not working as some thought and that a chance needs to happen sooner rather than later, but it seems that the air game has picked up some pointers over the week, with 234 yards from Napoleon Whitmore, to go with 2 touchdowns and a much better 101.37 QBR this week, it could just be that one little blip on the radar for the season. The Lions again did struggle to contain the offence of the Fools, and many may question if this was just a fluke victory, or if this is the beginning for the Lions to take charge of their season.

Speaking after the game, Offensive Coordinator Edward White spoke about the dynamic that is going with the offense and how they are taking it, heading into a strong matchup with the Soneros next week:

“We know that many are saying we are struggling, and we are the first to see that and we won’t shy away from the fact that we have some issues, but we aren’t going to stand here and cry about it, we are going to be honest with ourselves and within the team about these struggles and how we can, as a team, rectify as many of them as possible and keep taking it game by game. We have to work hard in the rooms, and on the practice field to make sure that we have fully, and 100% prepared for each game, regardless of what the media says or what the stats say, we will keep pushing forward”

The Lions need to keep the momentum going, but the schedule sees them playing an undefeated Zena team that is yet to concede a single point all season and is coming off a 35-0 shutout win over the Anarchy, where the game, much like Week 1, was over after half time. The Soneros are in the top ten for passing yards per game, and have a top 5 run game, with the highest rushing yards per game, whilst giving up the least amount as well, so this game if not already hard enough for the Lions, has gotten even harder, and with the struggles on the ground, it is going to be all up to the air game to keep the Lions in touching distance, for honestly, as long as possible.

The Lions need to shut down the run game, with both Dennis Briones and Joshua Donahue accounting for five touchdowns already this season and almost 150 yards together. The Lions will need the receivers group to step it up another notch and make something happen, but with the Lions seemingly struggling, it is going to be quite a tall order, sitting around 73% pass completion and the lowest rushing yards per game this season, a paltry 36 yards per game, the task is there for the Lions and if they are wanting to salvage anything from this season, these opening four games, this will be the test that they need to kickstart the season.

INJURY REPORT

It looks likely that safety Brad Bourque will return next week, with him beginning light training, medical staff confirming that he has recovered from his ankle injury but will take some precautions with him and allow him to return next week, rather than risk further aggravation this week.

The only other concern from last week was with defensive tackle Charles Beckman who had an arm sprain but has been passed fit by the medical staff to play against the Soneros.

Game Prediction: Sorry Lions… we can’t see a win here, Zena to win this by 14 points, but not to shut the Lions out at least.

Many expected it, and many predicted a much worse result, but the Lions did lose the game, but it wasn’t the scoreline that many thought it would be, a tight 14-10 loss to the Soneros. In probably a better display in a losing game, the Lions held the Soneros scoreless in the second half but came up agonizingly short when their final two drives of the game resulted in punts, with Napoleon Whitmore getting sacked on both drives, when the Lions were looking to make something out of nothing. It drops the Lions to a 1-2 record for the season, and another tough loss at home.

The Lions came up against a strong side, an undefeated side and, while some will say that they held their own and should hold their heads high, even after taking the loss on their record, there was some small improvements. Head Coach James Jennings spoke after the game and how they approached this one and what is coming for the team moving forward in the season:

“We knew this one was going to be tough, the Soneros are a stronger side this season, and they had a lot of momentum heading into the game, keeping their opponents so far scoreless, so to put 10 points on the board against them, restrict them to only 14 points, some might put that as a win for us, but we understand that it was a loss, we respect that and the game that we just played, we take it on the chin and make sure that we are better off for it, that we put even more work in at practice this week and come out stronger and better and the results will come”

The Lions head into Week 4, the final game of the opening home-stand against the Harnosand Harbourmasters, who are also at 1-2 on the season but more importantly, come into the game on the back of a resounding 23-0 shoutout victory over Seattle last week, so for the second time in as many weeks; the Lions will face a team coming into the game after a shutout victory. It could not be any more difficult, with some saying that this game could go either way. The Harbourmasters come in with Jason Crowe finally getting his first touchdown of the season, and a solid 79.46 QBR, meanwhile, Whitmore will be looking for a performance more like what he showed against Zena, than against Florence and Balsicas. Again, the run game will be important here, with Bruce Martin showing why he is the second highest rusher this season with 278 yards, meanwhile the Lions have struggled, and still sit at the bottom of the stats when it comes to all aspects of the run game.

The Lions need to get something going on the ground, they can’t solely rely on the aerial game to keep them in the games, despite Whitmore having an alright start to the season (66.7% pass completion, 683 yards in three games), it’s important to have all aspects covered, but the Lions just seem to forget that the run game exists, or they are just not able to get the run game moving, opposition teams are able to anticipate the run and are getting better at it, basically halting the Lions from moving anything on the ground. If the Lions are to win this one and again, get back to 0.500 on the season, they need to have a better run game moving forward, it is that simple.

They seemingly have gone the other way this week, releasing Ricky Hall and not bringing in anybody else, so they will be going in with again, Frank Bell and Steven Martelli, and one has to wonder how long they can keep this going before someone has to say to the coaching staff that enough is enough and it’s time for a change, and it may not be the personnel on the field that changes, it could be somewhere else in this team.

INJURY REPORT

Coming out of Week 3, the Lions have concerns with Andrew Robertson, who is likely to miss an additional week to his already growing injury lay-off, after a mishap during a routine recovery session. Medical staff are assessing and look to provide an update in due course.

The Lions are also looking at being without wide receiver Paul Townsend for up to a month with a neck complaint, but after a second look, it looks likely that no lasting or major damage has been done, and he will make a full recovery. Troy Yang also limped off with a foot sprain, but has been passed fit, while tackle Brian Fernandez will miss at least the next two weeks with turf toe.

Game Prediction: The Lions will again, bounce back and win this one by 3 points.

If things couldn’t get any worse, they did and it resulted in another loss or the Lions, this time a dreary 3-0 loss to the Harbourmasters. Not too much could even be said about the game, but to add once again that the Lions dropped everything once again, a pathetic 54 yards on the ground, leaving the Lions plum last when it comes to rushing yards per game, a lowly 41.8, with Portland being the next lowest at 47.8, but the aerial game seems to be sitting fine, with the Lions inside the top 10, with an average of 205.5 yards per game (9th best in the league). The “advantage” that the Lions have is that they are coming up against a winless Cape Town side, who are giving up the 3rd worst passing yards (239.5 yards per game). The so-called advantage Penrith have is that the Rhinos too are struggling, with their only close game coming in Week 3 against the Bullfighters.

The bigger question on everyone’s lips is whether or not Head Coach James Jennings will survive the year, or even the next couple of games, it has been a question asked almost ad nauseum this week, with Team Owner Leam Mark Farrar even having to come out and make his intentions clear:

“James is our coach, there is nothing to say that he will be sacked. We are in a slump, it’s understandable that everyone would be questioning the motives of the board and whether or not James should stick around, or if we need to make a change now, but the board is adamant that James is our guy, that he can turn it around, that his staff can turn it around. It may and won’t be a one week turnaround, it’s going to take some time, but I have faith that he is the right man for the job. We aren’t at all interested in having these discussions every single week about his future. He has a contract, end of story”

When asked at his weekly press conference, Head Coach James Jennings was also saying the same words as the owner, so either they both have had the time to get their answers straight, or this really is the stand that the Lions are taking when it comes to the future of the Head Coach:

“I have regular communications with the board and Mr. Farrar, and we are all on the same boat. There are some struggles at the moment, there are some issues that need addressing and we are working through them, we are looking at where we can make solid improvements and make changes to what we are doing here at practice and in the game, our gameplans are flexible to the point where we can still play our brand of football, but we are also assured that as of right now, I’m the Head Coach. The buck stops with me, and the board are confident that we can turn things around”

In short, the Lions need a win, otherwise, this season can be well and truly written off. If they lose to a team that is yet to score a victory and a team that also beat them in the preseason, then there is something seriously wrong with the Lions this season and things need to change very quickly, because without change, the season is all but gone 5 weeks in. At the moment, the Lions still have a chance to maybe salvage something from it. Another loss, meaning the first time the Lions have lost three straight, and the questions about the future of not just the head coach, but maybe the whole coaching staff and even some of the senior players on the roster may just be under more pressure.

INJURY REPORT

In some good injury news, both Brian Fernandez and Andrew Robertson have been passed fit to travel and play against the Rhinos, with both seemingly ready to get back into it, especially Robertson who has been out since the preseason with a serious foot injury. Linebacker Paul Buckley looks to be very close to being ready, but medical staff have opted to give him at least another two weeks before reassessing his condition to play.

The bad news has been Paul Quick, who has suffered a nasty arm injury and will miss at least the next three weeks, his third injury this season. Questions will certainly be raised as to his physical condition and whether or not he can keep playing on. The only other concern is with Donnie Daugherty who looks set to be on the sidelines for the next month with a leg injury.

Game Prediction: The Lions sadly, can’t see them winning this. Rhinos to win it by 7