Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur has revealed that as it stands he looks set to have a fully fit squad to choose from come round one of Super League.
The Rhinos open up their 2026 campaign with a trip to Leigh Leopards in just under two months’ time and they have plenty of training and at least two pre-season friendlies to get through before the competitive action begins.
However, at the time of writing, Leeds are closing in on a clean bill of health, with Cameron Smith and Maika Sivo on track to be given the all clear next month.
Smith had surgery on a back issue at the back end of the 2025 season and is yet to make a full return to training. However, Arthur has confirmed that he should be ready to take part in his testimonial game against Bradford Bulls.
Sivo, on the other hand, hasn’t been seen since rupturing his ACL in a pre-season clash with Wigan Warriors in January, but Arthur has established that he should be ready for round one as well.
Leeds Rhinos injury latest
“Touch wood, we’ve had a good pre-season and that’s a credit to our performance staff, they’ve done a really good job of looking after the guys, working them hard and building resilience, not just this year but over the last 18 months,” Arthur said when asked about injuries during this afternoon’s press conference.
“I think at this stage come round one, as it’s looking right now, I’ll have a full squad to choose from, but unfortunately you just don’t know in our game what happens between now and then. Fingers crossed that we keep working hard and for all the players’ sakes, hopefully they’re all nice and healthy.
“Cameron is training really well, he’s in full contact. He’s not available for the Boxing Day game but he’ll certainly be available for his testimonial and Maika is tracking well so everything going to plan, everyone should be available for round one.”
Leeds haven’t confirmed Arthur’s squad numbers or captains for the new season just yet. Of course, Smith and Ash Handley were the club captains through 2025, but the head coach has teased an announcement on that front in the coming days.
“We’ve had a good team meeting and a discussion around squad numbers and captaincy and all that will be revealed in the next day or two,” the head coach added from the club’s warm weather training camp in Tenerife.
“Everyone in this environment right now, staff and players, knows exactly where they stand and what our plan is moving into the new year and we have an exciting day on Boxing Day to look forward to.”
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