Leeds Rhinos’ future in safe hands amid new golden generation potential

A new golden generation could be emerging at Leeds Rhinos after a dominant showing by the club’s youngsters.

Eleven Rhinos players featured in the Yorkshire team which crushed Lancashire 42-10 at Castleford in the opening match of this year’s Academy Origin series.

Leeds winger Harley Thomas crossed for two tries and kicked five goals, while club mates centre Marcus Qareqare, hooker Joe Diskin, stand-off George Brown and second-row Zac Lloyd were also among the try scorers.

Rhinos’ other representatives were centre Jacob Hardy, prop Joe Butterfield, loose-forward Presley Cassell and substitutes Harry Smith, Daniel Stelfox and Jacob Stead.

Rhinos’ academy have won all four of their games this season, scoring 200 points and conceding only 22.

Diskin, Thomas, Qareqare, Brown, Stead and Cassell all had a taste of first team rugby in pre-season after training with the full-time squad. The latter could be the first to break through into Super League after featuring several times in Leeds’ initial 21-man squads.

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Rhinos insiders believe the current crop of young players is the club’s best since the golden generation – which went on to win eight Grand Finals from 2004-2017 – began to emerge a quarter of a century ago.

One of those players, Chev Walker, is now mentoring Rhinos’ under-18s in a new role as transition coach.

His responsibility is to ensure a smooth pathway from the youth system into the senior ranks and sporting director Ian Blease reckons there is now a common threat running through the club at all levels

Leeds Rhinos’ Ian Blease on Leeds Rhinos’ youngsters

“They did really well,” Blease said of Rhinos’ cohort in the Academy Origin opener. “I am so pleased for them and the work they and the coaches are putting in.

“Chev working in the transition role we created for him last year is paying dividends now and the Rhinos way is being filtered down from first team, to reserves, to academy to scholarship. There’s a great bunch of kids coming through there.”

Blease admits there are no guarantees, but feels the current group could be the bedrock of Leeds’ team into the 2030s, if they continue to progress.

“It’s great, absolutely fantastic,” he said of the potential in Rhinos’ youth ranks. “It’s not a given they are going to come through the systems, but we have done everything we possibly can as a club to line those guys up to come through and be future stars.  I am very excited at the prospect of all that to come.”