YEP Super League Dream Team: Leeds Rhinos and Wakefield Trinity players among season's best
The official 2026 Super League Dream Team will be announced on Sunday. Here’s who the YEP would have picked.
If selection was on the last couple of games there wouldn’t be any Rhinos representation, but it’s not. Wigan Warriors and Rhinos have been the two best teams overall and that’s reflected here.
Wigan’s Jai Field is a fantastic rugby league player and just gets the nod ahead of Lachie Miller at full-back. Leeds powerhouse Maika Sivo’s tally of 29 Super League tries in 19 games speaks for itself and he’d have smashed the competition record but for a broken arm. Zach Eckersley has been really impressive for Wigan and will top the chart plenty of times in the future. They are the two wingers.
Umyla Hanley, of Leigh, seems to be getting better year on year and he’s joined in the centres by Rhinos’ Ash Handley who is just two years into the role and already one of the best in the business.
Both Rhinos’ halves are in. Brodie Croft gets the nod at stand-off. Bevan French of Wigan may be the best player in the competition when he’s fit and available, but Croft has played most weeks, been a key figure for Leeds and his 28 tries is a remarkable achievement. At scrum-half, Jake Connor tops Super League for goals, points, try assists, attacking kicks, 40-20s and kicks in general play.
Joe Ofahengaue has had a big year for Leigh and he’s their second inclusion, getting the nod at prop alongside the ever-impressive Caleb Hamlin-Uele of Wakefield. Wigan’s Brad O’Neill is clearly the best hooker in the comp at the moment while James McDonnell of Leeds and Wakefield’s second pick Isaiah Vagana have been really strong in the second-row. Only one Warrington inclusion might be controversial considering they are third in the table, but Ben Currie sneaks in at loose-forward.
YEP 2026 Dream Team: – full-back Jai Field, wingers Maika Sivo and Zach Eckersley, centres Ash Handley and Umyla Hanley, stand-off Brodie Croft, scrum-half Jake Connor, props Joe Ofahengaue and Caleb Hamlin-Uele, hooker Brad O’Neill, second-rows James McDonnell and Isaiah Vagana, loose-forward Ben Currie.