Field joins York Knights on permanent deal

Oli Field has joined Betfred Championship side York Knights on a permanent basis having spent time at the club on loan from the Rhinos this season. 

Field, who came through the Academy ranks at the Rhinos, will move to the LNER Community Stadium with immediate effect on a contract until the end of the 2025 season. 

Field joined York on a one-month loan deal from Leeds at the end of March and has quickly established himself as a regular for the Knights.

The 20-year-old has made five starts, featuring in the Betfred Challenge Cup wins over Sheffield Eagles and Newcastle Thunder as well as the most recent Betfred Championship victory over London Broncos.

The back-rower joins permanently from the Rhinos, having been part of the Betfred Super League side’s youth set-up since 2019, going on to captain the Club’s Under-19s side and represent England at junior level.

Head Coach Andrew Henderson said: “I’m really pleased to have signed Oli on a permanent deal. We identified Oli as a young player with lots of potential and we had the opportunity to bring him in on loan and have a closer look at him and see where he’s at.

“I’ve been very impressed by him. He’s come into the group and fitted in incredibly well. He’s a good person first and foremost with a good attitude about him.

“And his performances have been really solid for us. Given that he’s not had a huge amount of experience at senior level, he’s acquitted himself really well for us in the games that he’s played.

“I’ve seen a lot of really good qualities in Oli and at 20-years-old, he’s got a bright future ahead of him.

“He’s still in his development stage as a player. Physically he’ll only continue to develop and also from a playing point of view, he’s only going to get better with more exposure at this level. Hopefully with the coaching team here, we can get the best out of him.”

Field said: “When the opportunity came to stay here permanently, until the end of 2025, I jumped at it. I’ve loved it here so far. The team and the set-up here is great. I feel like I’ve really settled in here now and hopefully from a personal perspective, I kick on now and push towards a big finish at the end of the year.

“For me, the most important thing in my career is playing regularly and Hendo has allowed me to do that here. I feel like playing regularly is getting the best out of me as a player and I really want to make the most of the opportunity that I’ve been given."

Leeds Rhinos Head Coach Rohan Smith said, "We would like to wish Oli all the best with the next stage of his career at the Knights and thank him for his efforts at the Rhinos. He has always given his absolute all in training with the first team squad and the chance to play regular senior rugby is a great opportunity for his development in the Championship."