Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur has provided an initial update on the four players that left the field, and it’s not good news initially for youngster Max Simpson.
The centre left the field in the second half of Leeds’ pre-season friendly with Bradford Bulls with a lower limb problem, and immediately looked in distress. After limping from the pitch, he went straight down the tunnel.
The club will have to wait for scans to see the full extent, but Arthur revealed that the 21-year-old has likely suffered an ACL injury, though it is on the opposite leg to the one that kept him out for two seasons in 2022.
“No one likes injuries, but just, that kid, he’s had a rough trot, hasn’t he? Arthur said as he sympathised with his young talent.
“You can see when he came out there, he had some good strong carries. He obviously can play… and he can’t be more more resilient than he probably is.
“He’s got a career there. Hopefully he can stay strong and push through it. He’s only young.”
The Rhinos emerged 46-16 victors over Bradford Bulls, but Simpson was not the only casualty in the victory.
James McDonnell was the first man to leave the field, after he hobbled off the pitch after 15 minutes. The 2025 Dream Team inductee was seen in a protective boot post-match.
The thought at the minute is that the future NRL player has a syndesmosis injury, in what is brutal news after such an impressive 2025.
Chris Hankinson also left the field, with his exit coming just a minute later after McDonnell’s. He was sent to the blood bin for a collision with a Bradford player.
Arthur confirmed that the utility suffered a fractured nose, but shouldn’t be on the sidelines for too long.
Shortly before half-time, Ash Handley looked to suffer a reoccurrence of the groin injury. The centre scored two tries before leaving the pitch, and before his injury looked to be one of Leeds’ better players.
The Leeds boss confirmed: ” We won’t know until the scans but [the medical team] are reasonably confident, that it’s a different area.”
Handley missed the final four games of the regular season in 2025 with a groin injury, and in the off-season has had surgery on the same problem.
As with the others, the extent won’t be found until later in the week, but injuries to four senior players just two weeks before the season begins is a huge concern to the Rhinos, particularly with Maika Sivo, Keenan Palasia and Jeremiah Mata’utia on the sidelines, too.
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