Brodie Croft on song, kids shine & positive pre-season: Leeds Rhinos talking points ahead of Leigh Leopards

Leeds Rhinos face a tough opening fixture in Betfred Super League, away to Leigh Leopards on Friday. Here’s five talking points.

1: Making progress. Rhinos are going into the new Super League season in good shape. Injuries marred the pre-season matches and there was another against Widnes Vikings in the Cup last weekend, but several players will return on Friday and Leeds will field a strong squad.

The mood in the camp seems good, there have been no major dramas since the end of the 2025 season and Rhinos have a relatively settled senior group, backed by a crop of exciting youngsters who are waiting for a Super League chance. After two pre-seasons under Brad Arthur, the players know what’s expected of them and preparations this time have been focussed on fine-tuning things and, in particular, improving decision-making under stress and fatigue.

Crucially, unlike the 2025 pre-season when Lachie Miller was injured and Jake Connor wasn’t first-choice scrum-half, the spine has been in place since training began. At this stage, there’s no clear reason why Rhinos can’t build on the progress made in 2025.

2: No-win situation. The Challenge Cup third round is a no-win situation for Super League clubs who are seeded to play away to Championship or community opposition. If they rattle up a cricket score, it’s expected and their performance is criticised when they don’t.

Rhinos thrashed amateurs Wests Warriors 92-0 last year and were beaten by Wakefield Trinity in their Super League opener a week later. The hard-fought 25-12 win at Widnes wasn’t a particularly good display, but it was better preparation.

Mikolaj Oledzki’s rib injury was a setback, but players got valuable minutes into their legs against solid opposition and Arthur will have learned more about his side than he would in a 60-point victory.

3: Gambling before Vegas. With eight senior players ruled out through injury, it was a gamble to rest full-back Miller and scrum-half Connor against Widnes, but credit to Arthur for having faith in Leeds’ next generation. He’s a six rather than a one, but debutant George Brown, scored two tries on debut and responded really well after an early error.

The 18-year-old got a chance to play his preferred role midway through the second period when substitute Fergus McCormack, also a specialist half, came on at full-back for his first senior appearance. The game was in the balance at that stage, but Arthur obviously likes what he’s seen in the 19-year-old whose only rugby league year was 40 minutes in a reserves match in April. He impressed under some testing kicks and with winger Riley Lumb, 21, scoring a wonder-try, centre Ned McCormack having a blinder the day before his 22nd birthday and 19-year-old Presley Cassell playing 80 minutes in the pack, it was a good day for Rhinos’ rookies. And it’s worth pointing out 13 of the 17 on duty came through the club’s academy.

4: Getting the Bird. That said, youngsters need experience around them. Rhinos haven’t yet completed the signing of Australian Jack Bird, who has been released from his contract at Wests Tigers, but it’s expected to be done over the next few days.

The former State of Origin player has more than 170 NRL appearances to his name, including 17 last season. He can play more or less anywhere - outside-backs, halves and in the pack - and individuals of his quality don’t become available very often, particularly not on the eve of a new season. He’ll be an excellent signing if and when it’s all sorted.

5: Brodes well. Brodie Croft appears in the mood to have a big season, in what is the final year of his current Rhinos contract. He hasn’t faced top-quality opposition yet, but looked good when scoring a hat-trick in Cameron Smith’s testimonial match against Bradford Bulls and was influential at Widnes as, for most of it, effectively the lone half-back.

His late drop goal was jeered by the home fans, but it was smart play to open a three-score gap and it’s better to practice situations like that in a competitive match than on the training field.