Adam Clune has been named Huddersfield Giants’ new captain for the 2026 Super League season.
Leroy Cudjoe skippered the Giants last season but following the veteran’s retirement, Clune has been selected to take on the mantle and lead the West Yorkshire outfit into next season.
The half-back had his injury issues last season, with a series of setbacks restricting him to just six appearances all year for the Giants. He did manage to make his presence felt in most of those games, but he won’t have been happy with his lack of contribution over the course of the season.
As such, the 30-year-old will be feeling in a determined mood as he approaches the campaign and while he does hold the keys to Huddersfield’s attack, he’ll go into this season with a little bit more responsibility.
The decision was made through a voting process with Giants’ squad members making the selection during their pre-season warm weather training camp in Tenerife. Harry Rushton has been chosen as vice captain, while Zac Woolford, Adam Swift, Matty English and Tui Lolohea make up the remainder of the leadership group.
Huddersfield Giants skipper named
“It’s a huge honour,” Clune said on being awarded the captaincy. “For Robbo and the boys to have that faith in me to do the job is massive.
“It probably doesn’t change my role too much day-to-day, I play half back anyway so I sort of, do that within my role anyway at the moment, but to get the ‘C’ next to your name is a really nice feeling and it makes me even more excited for the year ahead.”
Head coach Luke Robinson said: “Adam Clune is really well respected within the group. The boys themselves picked a leadership group and he, by far and away, had the most votes. That proves that he’s respected by the group, by the players themselves.
“He’s struggled a little bit with injuries over the last 12 months, but he’s probably shown in that time the type of leader he is really. He’s articulate, he’s smart.
“One of the biggest things is, he cares genuinely about, the team, the group, the individuals within it. Look, he’s experienced now as well. He’s a really intelligent rugby player who’s got a lot of experience, and I just think he’ll be really good for the group.
“Harry Rushton is going to be the vice captain. He’s only young in age but he’s showing a lot of leadership qualities. We think he’s gonna be a leader of the future, and I think he can learn a lot of Cluney at this moment in time, and we’ve got lads in the leadership group, as well, in Zac Woolford, and Adam Swift, Matty English and Tui Lola, who can definitely aid them, both of them, in leading this group.”
Check out the latest episode of The Serious About Rugby League Show on our YouTube channel here.
