Leeds Rhinos have confirmed the list of Academy and Reserves players that have departed the club at the end of the 2023 season.

Out of the eleven departures, Mackenzie Turner, Bailey Aldridge, Tobias Gibson, Kai Morgan, Blake Morgan, Jack Johnson, Mark Nelson and Riley Sunderland, Neil Tchamambe all started their development with Leeds in the Scholarship and progressed to the Academy and Reserves teams.  Tom Stevens, Will Shaw and Zach McSwiney were later arrivals during the Academy's 2022 Grand Final triumph.

Leeds Rhinos Head of Youth John Bastian said: "We would like to thank all the young players that are moving on from Leeds Rhinos at the end of 2023. It has been a pleasure to see them grow as players and young people during their time in our Scholarship, Academy and Reserves and we wish them all the best in the next chapter of their Rugby League journey."

Find out more about each players' journey through the club:

Bailey Aldridge

Hooker Bailey Aldridge was a part of the Rhinos Under-18s side that lifted the Academy Grand Final trophy in 2022, after starting his journey with the Scholarship back in 2019.

He started playing junior Rugby at Batley Boys before moving to Kippax, where he was picked up by the Rhinos’ Scholarship. In his first season under Mark Butterill, he played three times, starting in wins against Newcastle and Warrington and a defeat to Castleford. After Covid suspended the 2020 season, Aldridge came back to feature for both the Under-17s and Under-19s, playing in 11 combined games and scoring five tries.

He was one of the Academy's top performers in 2022, making a total of nine appearances and scoring three tries on the way to lifting the Grand Final trophy. His try against Warrington in the semi-final in particular was a crucial score. 

His performances impressed first-team head coach Rohan Smith in particular as the youngster was given game time with the first team in the 2023 pre-season friendlies before the Reserves competition began in March. He was the only ever-present player for the Reserves last year, plus he was also one of the top try scorers with six over the course of the year.

Aldridge has joined Oldham on a two-year deal from 2024.

Tobias Gibson

Forward Tobias Gibson came through the Rhinos development pathway between 2021 and 2023 as a Scholar and then as an Academy player.

Featuring twice for the Under-17s off the back of the Covid-suspended season in 2020, the Siddal prop was brought up in to the Academy in 2022 and came off the bench three times in wins over Huddersfield, Castleford and Wakefield.

Last season, he featured in the opening two games of the year against Newcastle and Huddersfield, and also came off the bench in a 50-34 win over Bradford before leaving the club in July.

Jack Johnson

Signed from Leeds Irish Clovers for the Rhinos Scholarship in 2020, back rower Jack Johnson came right through the club's Scholarship ranks off the back of the Covid pandemic to earn a professional contract in October 2021.

He hit the ground running in his first Academy season as the Rhinos went on to lift the Academy Grand Final trophy in 2022. Johnson made 11 appearances during the campaign, scoring one try in a 30-16 win over Warrington, and although he missed the Grand Final squad, he was part of the semi final side that ran out winners against the Wolves in the home semi final. He was also given the option to play in the Reserves team too, playing in five games.

Last season, he was one of nine players to feature in ten games or more for Tony Smith's Under-18s side, notably scoring four of his five tries in consecutive games against London, Castleford and Hull FC. He was also given game time in the Reserves' win over Castleford and draw versus Hull KR.

Zach McSwiney

Stanningley product Zach McSwiney was brought into Chev Walker's Academy side midway through the 2022 season and went on to get a Grand Final winners medal at the end of the campaign.

The forward made his first appearance in a home win over Wakefield but it was his form in back-to-back wins over Warrington that earned him a place on the bench for the Grand Final win over St Helens. Although he didn't score a try for the Academy that year, his form for the Reserves saw McSwiney score three times in three games, including two on his first Reserves run out against London.

2023 saw him make five appearances (four of which came from the bench) and he posted two tries in big wins over Bradford and Newcastle Under-18s. He was also a substitute for the Reserves in matches against St Helens and Wigan Warriors.

Blake Morgan

Saddleworth Rangers junior Blake Morgan was a late arrival to the Rhinos Scholarship programme in 2021, but after only spending a season under Mark Butterill, he signed a professional contract a year later.

He didn't miss a game for the Under-16s during 2021, playing in all four games against London, Wakefield, Hull KR and Bradford, and in 2022, he played in ten out of the thirteen Under-18s matches. During the same season, he also played for the Reserves three times, including a 40-20 away win over London Broncos.

This season, he started in the Academy away win over Newcastle Thunder at the start of the year but left the club soon after.

Kai Morgan

Half back Kai Morgan only had one season in the Rhinos Scholarship ranks but when the Rhinos youth teams returned to action off the back of the Covid pandemic in 2021, he was a regular starter.

Particularly in 2022, Morgan was one of the top appearance makers as the Rhinos were crowned Grand Final champions. Playing mostly alongside Jack Sinfield, the former Kippax youngster scored five tries, 16 goals and a drop goal, plus he provided the assist for Kyden Frater to get Leeds the match-winning try in the Grand Final.

Alongside his minutes in the Academy, Morgan played most of last season in the Rhinos Reserves, featuring in nine games. He also spent the start of 2023 on loan with Halifax Panthers.

Mark Nelson

Prop Mark Nelson began his rugby journey at Hunslet Warriors before moving to East Leeds, where he won the Challenge Cup final along with a number of his Scholarship team mates. 

He joined the Rhinos Scholarship in 2021 and featured in three out of four games during his first season, including a start at loose forward in a 32-16 result against Hull KR. In 2022, he made two appearances and earned his first professional contract to move into the Rhinos Academy for the following year but didn't make an appearance for Tony Smith's side.

Will Shaw

Hooker Will Shaw arrived at Leeds alongside former Castleford team mate Freddie Brennan-Jones and both players had instant impacts on the 2022 Rhinos Academy and Reserves side.

In the run up to the 2022 Academy Grand Final, Shaw came off the bench in a tight 24-22 win over Warrington at Headingley before starting at loose forward in the semi final and subsequent Grand Final wins. That year, he also made a sole Reserves appearance in a 26-22 loss to Hull FC.

He was only eligible for the Reserves in 2023 and played six times, scoring once.

Tom Stevens

Oulton Raiders forward Tom Stevens spent the last two years with the Rhinos Academy and Reserves sides, having been scouted midway through 2022.

He played once for both the Under-18s and Reserves in his first season at Leeds, but he saw more game time in 2023 as part of Tony Smith's Academy side. Despite starting in the home loss to Huddersfield in April, Stevens was consistently in the lineup towards the end of the year for games against St Helens, Wakefield Trinity, the Giants and Wigan as the Rhinos finished in fifth place. 

He added one appearance for the Reserves last year too when he came off the bench against Hull KR in a 19-19 draw.

Riley Sunderland

After only a season in the Rhinos Scholarship, outside back Riley Sunderland quickly signed his first professional deal to step up into the Academy for 2022.

During his time under Mark Butterill in the Under-16s, Riley played once as a substitute against Hull KR but last season, he didn't make an appearance for Tony Smith's side.

Neil Tchamambe

After being encouraged to start playing by his school rugby coach, winger Neil Tchamambe joined community club Leeds Irish Clovers before being picked up for the Rhinos Scholarship programme. At Leeds, the winger's development began under scholarship head coach Mark Butterill in 2021 when he scored two tries in a 26-12 win over Hull FC for the Rhinos' under-17s team.

Moving into the Academy in 2022, the winger had an exceptional season. Along with being one of the names on the team sheet every week, Tchamambe's scoring record went through the roof as he recorded eleven tries and was a key player in the team's Grand Final success at the end of the campaign. He also featured for the Reserves, where he scored three tries over three matches.

The 2023 Academy season saw Tchamambe sidelined with injury towards the end of the year, but not before he had scored nine tries in seven appearances. His hat trick against Bradford was a highlight performance, plus he earned the opportunity to play for England Academy in their win over France.

For the 2024 season, Tchamambe has signed for Hull KR.

Mackenzie Turner

Inspired to play rugby after watching the Rhinos with his grandad, Turner signed for Leeds’ Scholarship from Stanningley and wowed the coaches with his speed, footwork and ability to go past defenders with ease. He scored some spectacular tries in 2019, including one against Newcastle Thunder that won Scholarship Try of the Year.

In his first year with the Academy, he played just once against Newcastle before the season was suspended due to the Covid pandemic. Returning in 2021, his performances replicated his work ethic as he played eight consecutive games and recorded tries against London and two against Castleford.

Moving into the Reserves in 2022, he finished the season as the top try scorer with eleven tries in eleven games, notably recording a hat trick against London Broncos on the road in a man-of-the-match performance. Although he suffered a long-term injury in the 2022 Boxing Day clash with Wakefield, he made his return to action against Wakefield Reserves in June and was quickly back among the try scorers with two in a 36-22 win over Salford. 

Alongside playing for the Rhinos, Turner has also had the opportunity to further his experience on dual registration in the Betfred League One over the last two years. His time at Hunslet in 2022 saw the winger score four times in five matches, plus he also featured twice for Cornwall. This season, he featured for Midlands Hurricanes twice, scoring a hat trick in the penultimate game against London Skolars.

Turner signed for Oldham on a two-year deal.