ONE thing that Wharfedale will hopefully not be lacking when they play their first pre-season friendly on Saturday at Kirkby Lonsdale is energy.

Head coach Jon Feeley, who has been involved in several Julys and Augusts at The Avenue, said: "This is the fittest Wharfedale squad that I have known in my time here.

"It has certainly been a different pre-season, but one of the great things is that Chris Black, who has joined the coaching team this summer, specialises in fitness and conditioning, so I have been able to leave all of that to him and just concentrate on the rugby.

"All of the lads have bought into the fitness side of things, we have also had Jon Skurr looking after the defensive side of things and now we are just looking forward to seeing them out on the field against Kirkby Lonsdale.

"In addition, hooker Ben Sowrey, who won't be available to play until Christmas due to injury, is hosting a specialist line-out and scrum session tonight."

Feeley added: "We are still four weekends away from the first league match, so we still have a way to go, and last Saturday was the first weekend that the lads have had off since we started on June 28.

"All of them will get a chance on Saturday and what we have asked of them is to make an impact.

"Errors will be made but we don't believe that it will descend into a messy match from our point of view as all of the players have been coached in the same way in terms of basic skills."

Wharfedale's latest signing is 20-year-old former Skipton and Keighley scrum half George Marshall.

He follows props Sam Booker and George Martin, Sowrey, back-rower Chris Walker, lock Ben Leacock and winger of full back Kristian Sharples in joining the Greens.