Leeds Rhinos risk losing more players to NRL as Perth Bears & others scout for English talent
Leeds Rhinos are at risk of losing more players to the NRL.
At least three former Rhinos will be in the southern hemisphere competition next year, after the new Perth Bears club announced the signing of Leeds second-rower James McDonnell on a two-year deal beginning in 2027. Centre Harry Newman penned a similar deal in December and back-rower Morgan Gannon joined New Zealand Warriors when his Leeds contract expired at the end of last season.
Other English-based stars, including Leeds’ Australian former Man of Steel Brodie Croft, are also believed to be on Perth’s radar. Croft has an NRL clause in his Rhinos deal, but - like Newman and McDonnell - is out of contract at the end of this season and free to negotiate with other clubs.
It’s a concern not only for Rhinos, but also Betfred Super League as a whole. The NRL is set to expand to 19 sides by 2028, with a new Papua New Guinea team joining the fray the season after Perth. Dolphins, based in Brisbane, became the competition’s 17th club in 2023 and there’s speculation it will be a 20-team league by the end of this decade.
These new clubs will have to recruit from somewhere and Super League is an obvious source of potential players. That’s not ideal, particularly at a time when the European elite competition is increasing from 12 to 14 sides.
Super League has been recruiting from Australia since it began 30 years ago, but while the majority of NRL players heading to England are at the back end of their career, those going the other way have their best rugby still ahead of them. Gannon, for example, is 22, Newman and McDonnell 26.
Their departure shows Rhinos - and other clubs such as Wigan Warriors and St Helens who have suffered similar losses in recent years - are doing things right and the English game is producing top-quality players. But a competition with a shallow talent pool, like Super League, can’t afford to keep losing its best rising stars.
NRL clubs have far greater spending power than teams in this county and it is inevitable top players will want to play in the best competition. Newman and McDonnell have done the right thing by giving Rhinos a full year’s notice. England international Newman made no secret of his desire to play in Australia and though McDonnell’s exit is a surprise, the Dream Team star has the attributes to thrive in the NRL: hard-working, with a big engine and rock-solid in defence.
It’s not a crisis. Rhinos sporting director Ian Blease was in Australia last month on a scouting mission for 2027 and McDonnell’s exit could open an opportunity for some home-grown youngsters, with Ben Littlewood, Zak Lloyd and Presley Cassell among those who could step up.
Leeds have a posse of very promising teenagers awaiting a chance and most of them are contracted for the next few years, which will become increasingly important. Rhinos are strong enough to cope with NRL raids, but the English game as a whole will have to find ways of retaining its best talent.