The 2025 Super League season is still more than two months away, but Leeds Rhinos have already begun negotiations with players and agents over plans for 2026.
Under a change to RFL rules, players entering the final year of their contract were free to talk to other clubs from December 1, five months earlier than the previous deadline. Rhinos have eight men – scrum-half Matt Frawley, props Mikolaj Oledzki, Tom Holroyd and Sam Lisone, second-rowers James Bentley, James McDonnell and Morgan Gannon and winger Ryan Hall – in that situation and sporting director Ian Blease admitted the clock is ticking.
“Everybody’s looking at 2026 now,” he confirmed. “Agents are pressing now for decisions on their players for 2026. We’ve got quite a few [beginning the last year of their deal] so there’s a bit of work to be done, definitely.”
All eight players will be in or around Rhinos’ first-choice 17, when fit and available, though Gannon did not play at all this year because of concussion and a similar issue restricted Holroyd to just six appearances. Blease stressed: “Essentially, we hope they all stay, but there will be discussions with their management – that has started already.
“It is down to those individuals and what they want to do for their careers. The likes of Morgan and Tom haven’t played for a while so we will need to have a good look at them at the start of this year. It is all about playing well each year, so we will deal with it at the right time and, as always, we will do what’s right by the club – and if any leave, I’ll find replacements.”
Rhinos announced a new three-year deal for 21-year-old prop Tom Nicholson-Watton – whose previous contract was due to expire next November – a month ago. Fourteen other young players, including several who have yet to make their first team debut, signed long-term contracts last June and retaining local youngsters who have come through Leeds’ system is a priority.
“Tom is home-grown, which is exactly what we need,” Blease added. “We’ve got a lot of the young guns wrapped up for a number of years – the likes of Alfie Edgell, Riley Lumb, Ben Littlewood and even Presley Cassell, who is going to be a star of the future, hopefully. As the next generation come through we will do the same with them.”
Edgell was a regular in Leeds Rhinos’ initial 21-man squads during 2024, scoring six tries in 16 Betfred Super League games. Lumb and Littlewood both made their first team debut and Cassell was named academy player of the year, 12 months after receiving the scholarship honour.
Coach Brad Arthur’s future is another item high on Blease’s agenda. The Australian former Parramatta Eels boss joined Rhinos last July on a short-term deal, which was extended the following month until the end of the 2025 season.
Arthur is keen to return to the NRL at some stage, but is talking to Leeds over a possible contract extension and the club are hoping for a decision before the season begins in February.
