Earlier this week, the news broke that Leeds Rhinos star Harry Newman is set to leave the club at the end of the 2026 season to join Perth Bears, and become one of their first recruits ahead of their inaugural NRL season.
Newman, who is off-contract in 12 months time, has always been vocal about his desires to move to the NRL and test himself against the world’s best. He is now reportedly going to get that chance, ending a decade-long stint in the Rhinos first team.
Making his debut in 2017, the seven-time England international has gone on to make 129 appearances in the Blue and Amber, and over recent seasons has become one of the first names on the Headingley teamsheet.
However, that could soon be coming to an end, and if he does decide to leave the club, there will be a huge gap left in Brad Arthur’s squad that will need filling ahead of 2027.
Leeds have plenty of youth options that could be given a shot in the first team, like Newman was when was a youngster, or they could decide to look elsewhere and bring someone in with equal quality to play on the Rhinos’ right edge.
Five realistic players that Leeds Rhinos could replace Harry Newman with
Max Simpson
The obvious, and perhaps easy choice, would be for Leeds to promote from within, and hand the jersey to an academy graduate that is ready for first team action.
Simpson would be that choice, and after making his return from a two-year injury earlier this year, looks to be the Rhinos’ next centre in line.
The 21-year-old only has a handful of Super League appearances to his name, but this current pre-season under Brad Arthur, as well as next year’s campaign, will be crucial for him if he is to be rewarded with the starting role.
Ned McCormack
Sticking with the Leeds youth, McCormack is another up-and-coming centre with potential. He made his debut in 2024, and has gone on to make four appearances in total, with injuries also scuppering his chances of more regular first team action.
The 20-year-old has a lot more developing to do compared to Simpson when it comes to being first-team ready, but there is no doubting either of the Rhinos youngsters’ potential. Even if they weren’t chosen as first-choice, they would be more than capable squad options so Leeds should be looking to keep them around.
Umyla Hanley
Should Leeds want to look elsewhere, there wouldn’t be many other options that are as suited to replace Newman than Hanley.
The Leigh star was a 2025 Dream Team member, and with just 12 months left on his contract, there will no doubt be eyes on his future. Leeds have already signed one of the Leopards’ talents this off-season, with Ethan O’Neill joining on a three-year deal.
Whether he would want to leave the Leopards den is a different question, given his connection with Adrian Lam, but Hanley will certainly be at the top of the shortlist if Ian Blease and Brad Arthur want to bring someone in from another club.
Oliver Gildart
Similar to Hanley, Gildart is another big name signing that could be tempted by a move to West Yorkshire. The Hull KR man may have a starting spot now, but with the emergence of both Jack Broadbent and Noah Booth, it could mean that he finds himself out of the team, given the pair are both younger and have more potential.
Should that happen, Leeds would be a perfect landing spot for the former Wigan man, with him having plenty of experience in Super League. One limitation of this potential move, though, is that he is a left-sided player, whilst Newman plays on the right, meaning it would be a slight change in position to what he’s used to.
Jake Averillo
There are a number of NRL centres off-contract at the end of next year, including former and current internationals Dane Gagai and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. However, another player without a deal beyond next year is Dolphins centre Averillo.
Whilst this move is definitely the least likely of them all, reports elsewhere have linked the 25-year-old with a move to the UK, with St Helens interested in his signature. Averillo is one of the Dolphins’ key players, and would likely take a lot of convincing to join the Northern Hemisphere, however given the club’s strong depth options in the outside backs, the increased competition for places could leave him on the outer, and a move to Leeds, albeit a long-shot, could happen once his contract expires in 12 months time.
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