Leeds Rhinos' Kallum Watkins talks improving next year, harsh lessons and making most of career twilight
Leeds Rhinos veteran Kallum Watkins has pledged to make the most of the final years of his glittering playing career.
The three-time Grand Final winner starred for Rhinos from 2008-2019 before moving to Australian side Gold Coast Titans in the southern hemisphere NRL. He joined his home city club Salford Red Devils in 2020 and featured in that year’s Challenge Cup final against Leeds at Wembley.
With Salford in financial crisis, Rhinos were quick to re-sign him in April, initially on a deal until the end of the season which was subsequently extended for the whole of 2026. His outstanding form over the remainder of the season earned him a place in England’s Ashes squad, though he won’t feature in Saturday’s first Test against Australia at Wembley.
Watkins is expected to be offered an off-field role at Leeds when he retires from playing. He described his return to Leeds as everything he hoped for “and more” and insisted he is keen to add to his silverware, which includes two Challenge Cup winner’s medals, before he eventually hangs up his boots.
The centre turned second-rower said: It was a tough situation at Salford and being given an opportunity to come back to Leeds was something I wanted to take with both hands. We had a good year and we want to go a bit better next year. We feel like we could have done a lot more in the play-offs, but unfortunately we didn’t get the result we wanted. That’s part of the learning process for players and the club.”
This year’s fourth-place finish was Rhinos highest position on the table since they were runners-up to Castleford Tigers - and went on to win the Grand Final - in 2017. After they were eighth in 2023 and 2024, Watkins is confident Rhinos are now heading in the right direction, despite an agonising last-gasp loss to St Helens in the first round of the play-offs.
“It’s good for Leeds because I think it is a progression from what has been going on in the past,” he stated. “For Leeds, I think it’s about building and keeping doing more. For me, I am happy with how things have been going and that’s probably reflected in how I’ve been playing. Getting an opportunity to be with England, obviously I am doing something right. I know I am at the latter stages of my career and I just want to try and make the most of it.”