Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Leeds Live
Leeds Live
Sport
William Jackson

Leeds United Australia diary day three: Leeds fans take over, Michael Bridges and Tony Dorigo

Leeds United are in Australia and we’ve made the trip to bring you all updates from Down Under. Thursday was day three of the Whites’ pre-season tour and they played the first of three scheduled friendlies, with a 2-1 win coming over Brisbane Roar at the Cbus Super Stadium.

Jesse Marsch’s side will take on Aston Villa and Crystal Palace over the next few days as they move on to Brisbane and Perth. Here Leeds Live explain what happened on United’s last day in Gold Coast.

Taking it in

The Whites have had the opportunity to get out and about in the local area over the last couple of days to take in their surroundings and make the most of what Queensland has to offer. Liam Cooper, Dan James and Rodrigo made the short trip to the Suncorp Stadium, where Leeds will play Villa on Sunday, to catch the State of Origin decider on Wednesday night and the next morning members of the group could be seen milling around Gold Coast.

Read more: Andrea Radrizzani sends message to Leeds supporters after Brisbane Roar victory

A staff member was seen jogging up the beach from Surfers Paradise to Main Beach and Southport Spit, while head of medicine and performance Rob Price was also spotted in the city centre. The players will be keen to see Brisbane, too, over the next couple of days and perhaps get out on one of the spectacular golf courses situated in this part of the world.

Leeds take over

Club ambassadors Michael Bridges and Tony Dorigo had a busy day on Thursday. The pair were up early to meet with the local council, who temporarily renamed a street to Elland Road on the day Leeds played in the city for the first time.

They then made their way to Broadbeach Tavern, where they were greeted by hundreds of Leeds fans, who had travelled from far and wide to watch the game against the Roar. Plenty were based in Australia, but it was clear that a host of those inside the pub had made the trip over from the UK, too.

Bridges and Dorigo held a question and answer session with those supporters before calling for a rendition of Marching on Together.

One game, one win

By the evening it was down to business for Leeds as they made their way to the stadium for their first outing Down Under. Jesse Marsch picked a strong side for the game and made sure most members of the squad got game time as he took the opportunity to make changes and rotate throughout.

Dan James and Joe Gelhardt got the goals in a 2-1 win and when Marsch sat himself down alongside Pascal Struijk in front of the Australian press, he revealed he was relatively happy with the performance. However, a jaded second half shows there is clearly still work to do when it comes to their Premier League preparations and he’ll be keen to have more time on the training pitch with his side.

READ NEXT:

Leeds United supporters single out summer signing for praise following Brisbane Roar victory

Leeds United 2-1 Brisbane Roar highlights: James and Gelhardt net as all six summer signings feature

Leeds United transfer news LIVE: Raphinha opens up on Barcelona dream ahead of imminent move

Every word Jesse Marsch said on Klaesson vs Meslier, Forshaw's midfield battle, James's new role

Leeds United's pressing transfer chase only gathered momentum vs Brisbane

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.