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Leeds Rhinos signing outlines bold ambition after NRL ‘rollercoaster’

Leeds Rhinos
New signing Danny Levi has tipped Leeds Rhinos for silverware next year.

The hooker, who turns 30 on Friday, is back in England for a second spell after spending the 2022 season with Huddersfield Giants.

He was moments away from winning the Challenge Cup that season, only to have his heart broken when Wigan Warriors snatched a last-gasp victory in the final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

And he revealed the prospect of going one better with Rhinos was what tempted him back to the European game.

Levi, who was close to joining Leeds Rhinos for the 2024 campaign before agreeing a new deal with NRL outfit Canberra Raiders, said: “We had a pretty successful year; I absolutely loved my footy when I was over here, it was good fun and I am excited to be back.

“It was always in my plans to come back to England; when I first came over I was a bit younger, my family were missing home a bit and when an opportunity came to go back, I took it. But I am at that stage of my career where I want to win a championship and I see that opportunity here.

“With the team we have got and what they did last year, I think we can definitely win it – I don’t think it’s a two- or three-year plan thing, I think it can happen now, this season.

“Where I am at in my career, I want to win some silverware and I think we can have a real go at it.

“The forward pack is unreal and we’ve got some class outside-backs. Our spine has got to be one of the best in Super League at the moment. I am really excited to be part of it.”

Levi has represented New Zealand and Samoa at international level and played in the NRL with Newcastle Knights, Manly Sea Eagles and Brisbane Broncos before three seasons at Canberra.

After featuring only twice in the NRL last year and spending most of the season  in the second-grade New South Wales Cup, he’s determined to prove he still belongs at the elite level.

Reflecting on his time with Raiders, he said: “The first year I was there I was pretty unlucky, I broke my jaw twice so I was out most of the year.

“The second year, I played the whole season and last year was a rollercoaster, but that’s how footy goes sometimes.

“I guess they thought I was getting a bit older and wanted to blood some young fellas, but I know I have still got heaps to give and I know what I can bring.”

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