RYAN Glanville has clocked up a handful of Sleapy's Day appearances as part of Souths' first-grade squad.
However, Saturday's scheduled fixture at Townson Oval will be a little different from the rest.
Not only does the club's annual charity event help launch the Lions season for 2022, hosting Central after being washed out the first two rounds, but Sleapy's Day also returns in full flight following a COVID hiatus.
"It's the biggest day of the year for us and it's probably the only game you pencil into the calendar," Glanville said.
"So obviously the first two weeks being scratched wasn't ideal, but now having Sleapy's Day as the first game of the year is pretty exciting for everyone.
"It's been canned with COVID [recently] so 2019 was the last time, which means this year could be even bigger.
"The atmosphere is second to none and it's such a special day as players to be able to play in front of that sort of community."
Results wise it has been a rollercoaster period for Souths, finishing with the wooden spoon last year just 12 months after making the grand final of a coronavirus-impacted competition.
Prior to that the Lions won two Newcastle Rugby League premierships (2016, 2018) in the space of three seasons.
"For sure [it's been up and down] and then throw in a bit of wet weather to start the year, but there's no excuses from our end," Glanville said.
"We need to focus on the things we can control. Turning up each week, training hard and being as prepared as we can be for game day."
The 25-year-old playmaker backs the return of Andrew Ryan as coach.
"He's very enthusiastic about what he does and he's got his brother [Tim] on board as well. They bring a bit of experience back to the club," he said.
The University of Newcastle student, in his final year of primary school teaching, underwent surgery during 2021 shortly after suffering a pectoral injury in the season opener.
"I was lucky enough to get back and play a couple of games at the end of last season," he said.
"I was thrown into hooker for 70 minutes so that really tested it out straight away. It all feels back to normal now."
Glanville says Souths should now be at full strength after an unexpected delay to proceedings over the last fortnight.
"We're putting our strongest team together this weekend," he said.
"I wasn't too sure what our squad was going to be like the first two weeks with a few players having COVID and a few boys at he Knights, but I think we get most of them back.
"Not having played a game yet teams don't really know what to expect from us, the unknown is probably a blessing in disguise."
Sleapy's Foundation raises funds for people affected by cancer or adversity.
