'What you’ve got to do': how Leeds Rhinos' Nicole Kennedy combines rugby with career as London paramedic
Players have to go the extra mile to succeed in top level rugby league and Leeds Rhinos’ Nicole Kennedy is certainly doing that.
The Australian-born centre/second-rower works full-time as a paramedic in London and commutes to Leeds for training and match days. Signed from London Broncos this year on dual-registration, she has made an impressive impact with five tries in nine appearances so far.
“Sometimes it is a struggle, but it’s just a matter of making it work,” Kennedy said of combining rugby with a demanding career 200 miles away. “Obviously I can’t commit to being at training twice a week. That’s something I had lots of conversations with Lois [Forsell, Rhinos’ coach] about from the beginning.
“It was agreed I’d come up on dual-reg, see how I got on and in my mind it was ‘if I play, that’s great and if I don’t, that’s also great because I’m getting the experience of being able to train with a Super League club’.
“I have managed to play most games this year, but sometimes it is hard, especially doing shift work. It is a lot on my body and on me mentally, but it is what you’ve got to do if you want to play good rugby.”
Kennedy has been in the second-row for Rhinos’ past two games after previously playing at centre. A Dutch international, along with sisters Jessica and Claire, she insisted: “I am really enjoying it at Leeds. It is the rugby I want to be playing.
“Coming up from London, it is a different level and standard. The girls are really lovely and the coaching is amazing. That’s made it a really easy and smooth transition.”
Kennedy was born in Australia and began playing rugby there before moving to England. She spent three seasons with Broncos and was top try scorer and player of the year in 2025. That was in the second-tier of the women’s game and Kennedy admitted: “The expectations are obviously a lot higher and the facilities are a lot better as well to facilitate that.”
Rhinos are second in Betfred Women’s Super League and on a six-game winning run since a narrow defeat to Wigan Warriors in their opening match. They travel to York Valkyrie tomorrow (Sunday) on the back of a dramatic 34-24 victory at St Helens, sealed with two tries in the final five minutes after they trailed 24-22.
“That was a tough game,” Kennedy reflected. “As a team, we were able to pick up the pieces we lost half way through. I think we slacked off a little bit, but we were able to pick ourselves up and fight to the end and we came away with a win.”
Sunday’s game kicks off at noon and is a curtain-raiser to the sold-out men’s Super League showdown three hours later. Rhinos have beaten York twice already this year, both at home, including a 38-16 victory two weeks ago.
Kennedy said: “I feel like we are on track and peaking as a team at the right time. We’ve played York twice now, both quite good results. They are still a very competitive side and there’s definitely things we need to improve on going into this game, things that could let us down if we don’t execute them properly.
“They will go into it knowing what those things are and will definitely try to use that against us, so we’ve got to make sure we are super-clinical in all those areas and don’t take our foot off the pedal when things get tough.”
England international Bella Sykes, who has returned to Rhinos from a spell playing in Australia with Cronulla Sharks’ second team, is included in tomorrow’s squad, but Lacey Owen is unavailable and Ella Donnelly, Sophie Nuttall and Caitlin Beevers remain on the injury list.
Leeds Rhinos women (at York): from Enright, Stead, Cousins, Whitehead, Howard, Walker, Bennett, Glynn, Murray, Brown, Bruce, Boyd, Short, Bryer, Sharp, Naidole, Seal, Wambalu, Elliston, Kennedy, Sykes.
Kick-off: Tomorrow (Sunday), 3pm.