New Rhinos Scholarship cohort announced for 2023

Leeds Rhinos are pleased to announce that 15 players from around the community game will be joining the club’s Scholarship programme in 2023.

The cohort of Under-14s players now take the next step in their development by coming into the Rhinos environment where they will work with the Rhinos scholarship coaches and staff, whilst continuing to represent their own clubs and playing games next season for the Rhinos Under-16s.

The club has a long tradition of developing homegrown stars with club legends Danny McGuire and Rob Burrow coming through the Academy system and current players Mikolaj Oledzki, Harry Newman and Jack Walker among those who have developed through the Rhinos pathway. Today’s announcement sees a new generation of players begin their journey towards a potential professional career in Rugby League.

Eight community clubs are represented across the new intake. Leeds side Stanningley has the most with four and Halifax’s Kings Cross Park have three. Luke Fagan, James Rowney, Dacx Jones-Buchanan and Harvey Butterworth have all signed from Stanningley and Thomas Richardson, Hughie Tinkler and Kai Irvine joining from Kings Cross.

Caleb Rhodes and William Wilkinson come in from Birstall Victoria and Jacob Hardy has signed from Lock Lane. Oulton Raiders has two players represented in Daniel Stelfox and Logan Staveley-Carr. William Hunters signs from Shaw Cross Sharks, Zak Lloyd from Siddal and Cobi Ellis from Dewsbury.

Speaking about the new group of players, Leeds Rhinos head of youth development Simon Bell said: “It’s another talented group of players joining at the Scholarship. They’ll really add to the programme and we are looking forward to seeing them develop under the Scholarship coaching staff over the next two years.

“It’s great that we’ve got a different spread of players from clubs, it’s a credit to all the community clubs that these kids have received scholarships because if it wasn’t for the community coaches putting loads of time into them, we wouldn’t identify them and they wouldn’t get this opportunity. All the people that have been involved in these players’ development deserve recognition for the work they have done.”

Leeds Rhinos Scholarship head coach Mark Butterill added: “I’d like to thank the community clubs for the hard work they’ve done with these players and we are really pleased to welcome them into our Scholarship for 2023. It’s the next generation of talent that’s coming through and myself and the other Scholarship coaches can’t wait to start working with them and helping them progress over the coming two years.”

The players that have signed are as follows: