Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur has named his starting lineup and squad for the Boxing Day clash against Wakefield Trinity.
It was previously confirmed by Ian Blease that the club would not hand out squad numbers until after the Boxing Day friendly as the club looked to encourage players to earn their shirts.
That prompted the suggestion that head coach Arthur would name a strong squad and that has been the case with five of the club’s new signings named, four of whom will feature in the starting thirteen.
Leeds Rhinos will take on Wakefield Trinity in the first all-Super League pre-season friendly of the year with the game slated for an 11:30 am kick-off.
The Rhinos are aiming to bounce back from two consecutive seasons outside of the top six with their last appearance in the play-offs coming under former coach Rohan Smith back in 2022, when they made it all the way to the Grand Final.
Leeds Rhinos name five signings to strong Boxing Day squad
Leeds Rhinos Head Coach Brad Arthur has named a strong side for the Wetherby Whaler Festive Challenge on Boxing Day against Wakefield, kick off 11.30am.
Tickets are available now at https://t.co/5Ly9s1IdTg to see our five new signings in action— Leeds Rhinos (@leedsrhinos) December 20, 2024
There had previously been confirmation that a number of first-team players would not feature on Boxing Day due to injury with full-back Lachlan Miller among those.
As such, youngster Alfie Edgell is set to start in a backline that features three new signings with wingers Maika Sivo and Ryan Hall both getting the nod. There had been questions about how the Rhinos would fit in Sivo, Hall and co-captain Ash Handley and Arthur has answered by naming Handley at centre alongside new recruit Jake Connor.
Brodie Croft and Matt Frawley will feature in the halves whilst Andy Ackers gets the starting nod over Jarrod O’Connor at hooker to complete the spine.
The forward pack features Gold Coast Titans signing Keenan Palasia with off-contract Mikolaj Oledzki serving as the other starting prop. James Bentley and James McDonnell start in the second-row with co-captain Cam Smith at loose forward.
A very strong bench and reserves features the likes of Jarrod O’Connor, Sam Lisone, new recruit Cooper Jenkins and Harry Newman among others.
Plenty of young stars also feature including Riley Lumb, Jack Sinfield and Presley Cassell among others.
Leeds Rhinos squad to face Wakefield Trinity
1. Alfie Edgell
2. Maika Sivo
3. Jake Connor
4. Ash Handley (CC)
5. Ryan Hall
6. Brodie Croft
7. Matt Frawley
8. Mikolaj Oledzki
9. Andy Ackers
10. Keenan Palasia
11. James Bentley
12. James McDonnell
13. Cameron Smith (CC)
14. Jarrod O’Connor
15. Sam Lisone
16. Jack Smith
17. Cooper Jenkins
18. Jack Sinfield
19. Tom Nicholson-Watton
20. Riley Lumb
21. Harry Newman
22. Toby Warren
23. Presley Cassell
24. Jacob Stead
25. Tom Holroyd
Rugby League News
Super League legend Adrian Morley lands new role in the sport
