Faithful One wrote:
I wonder whether friendlies count towards the number of minutes players are allowed to play with the new rules coming in this year. Could be a factor potentially?
There's also the guarantee of Super League clubs playing a lower league team in the Cup as the first competitive fixture, so clubs may look at that as an additional semi pre season match.
Not sure if the playing minute guidelines are the same as those proposed for 2024?
Those were primarily for forwards playing 25 games (totalling 80 mins) and backs 30 games, per season. Therefore, it is unlikely any player would get near those numbers when considering most forwards only play 40-60 mins per game, plus most players will miss a game or two through injury/suspension.