Departing Luis Roberts predicts bright future for Leeds Rhinos young guns
On the move three-quarter Luis Roberts has tipped Leeds Rhinos’ young guns to give the club a bright future.
Roberts is one of six players in Leeds’ 2024 squad who will not be at the club next year. His place in the pecking order is likely to be taken by a youngster from Rhinos’ own system and he reckons the likes of Riley Lumb, Ned McCormack and Alfie Edgell, who all featured in the senior side this year, are capable of going on to big things.
“It shows the pathway they have at Leeds and how they develop kids so well,” Roberts - who played alongside some of Rhinos’ best youngsters in the reserves - noted. “That’s something I missed out on and I am glad I came here and learned how they’ve all learned.
“The club is in really safe hands with all these kids coming through. I’ll be a Leeds fan when the young kids play, because they are some of my best mates. I have made friends for life here and I’ll definitely have a little tear in the corner of my eye if some of those young lads do well.”
Roberts , 22, made his first Betfred Super League appearance since May when Rhinos’ season ended in a 26-16 defeat at Hull KR last Friday. That was his 22nd senior game for Leeds and he finished with five tries.
The winger or centre was in Rhinos’ 17 for the first 13 matches this season, including once as an unused substitute, but lost his place because of injury towards the end of Rohan Smith’s time as coach and didn’t feature under new boss Brad Arthur until last weekend, when he stepped in for the injured David Fusitu’a.
Roberts, who signed a two-year contract when he joined Rhinos from hometown club Leigh ahead of last season, revealed he hopes to have a deal completed with a new club before pre-season begins in November and has no regrets about his time at Leeds. “I’ve loved it,” he reflected.
“The people here are amazing and I have really enjoyed it. I have learned so much as a player, but also as a person outside rugby. I have matured so much, I can’t thank everyone enough.”
Roberts was this week called into Wales’ initial squad for a Test against Jamaica in Neath on October 15 and a must-win World Cup qualifier with Serbia at Carcassonne, in France, the following week. He had just two Super League games, for Salford Red Devils, to his name when he joined Leeds, having also featured with Swinton Lions (20 appearances), Leigh (six) and on loan at Widnes Vikings (eight).
He admitted: “I’ve played more first team than I expected at Leeds. When I came here, I wasn’t expecting much. I came here to progress myself and if I got a game, that’s good. But I started with Rohan throwing me straight in and it went on from there.”