16 new Rhinos unveiled at 2023 Scholarship launch

Leeds Rhinos are pleased to announce that 34 players have committed to the club’s Scholarship programme for 2023, including 16 new Under-15s players.

The annual event, which was hosted by Leeds Rhinos Commercial Director Rob Oates, was attended by the players’ parents and families. They also got to hear from 2022 Academy Grand Final winners Alfie Edgell and Riley Lumb, who spoke about their experiences coming through the Rhinos’ pathway, as well as club CEO Gary Hetherington, Player Pathway Development Manager John Bastian and the newly appointed Head of Culture, Diversity & Inclusivity Jamie Jones-Buchanan on a night that celebrated Leeds’ continued development of local talent.

Jones-Buchanan saw his two sons Lore and Dacx welcomed into the Rhinos family along with six other Stanningley talents. Castleford’s Lock Lane have the most representatives in the cohort with ten, while four of West Bowling’s Under-16s (Jayemm Oladipupo, Harry Smith, Presley Cassell and Jacob Stead) make the step up in their second year at the club.

Halifax’s Kings Cross Park is represented by three players (Kai Irvine, Thomas Richardson and Hughie Tinkler) out of the new intake, plus there are players from Hunslet Warriors (Mason Peach), Birstall Victoria (Caleb Rhodes, William Wilkinson) and Shaw Cross (William Hunter). In total, eleven community clubs are represented in next year’s cohort.

Bastian was proud to welcome the next generation of talent into the club and emphasised what his aims were for next year’s group. “We really value youth development at Leeds Rhinos,” he said. “It has been part of our DNA for nearly 50 years. Hopefully we’re going to have a really strong contingent over the next few years.

“The aim is to get more players through to first grade and keep improving them. The fans love homegrown players and they have always been significant at Leeds Rhinos. Events like this support that enormously and all the staff will come out and show their support.

“These players can’t do it without their parents. They’ll be training at their community clubs, training with us twice week, they’ll be playing games, so parents, guardians and family members are all significant in the outcomes of the long term development of these players.”

Mark Butterill continued, “We are always grateful for the tremendous work that the community clubs do for our young people. It’s massive for them that they get the recognition that they deserve. That journey for them has not really finished, but they’re vital and we can’t thank them enough.

“I’m really excited about getting the guys in. They’re coming in to test before we can then start next week full on so it’s exciting times. By receiving coaching from my team as well as they’re community coaches, the players are not hearing the same voice throughout their junior development so it keeps it fresh, keeps it relevant and different.

“Having a new crop come in is always exciting but also the hard work that we’ve done this year with the older group allows us expand on their development. There’s plenty to go at at this age.”

Zach Lloyd and Harvey Butterworth both couldn’t hide their excitement at joining their dream club. Butterworth said, “I’m very excited, it’s a dream come true. I’m excited to work with Mark too as I work on getting to that first team dream.

Lloyd added, “My dad told me in October that Leeds Rhinos were wanting to offer me a Scholarship and I’ve never thought of any other club since then.

“I’m over the moon and really happy to be at this club and hopefully I have a bright future ahead here at the Rhinos. To see people like Morgan Gannon come through from Siddal makes me really happy. Siddal is a big community club for everyone so for me to come through and represent them is a really nice feeling.”

The full scholarship squad for 2023 is:

U16s

U15s