If you’d asked Leeds Rhinos star James McDonnell 12 months ago if he’d be an NRL player in 2027, he’d probably say it was hugely unrealistic. However, his dream of playing down under will soon become a reality.
McDonnell will be part of the inaugural Perth Bears squad, who enter the Australian competition in 12 months time. One of a dozen signings the club have made so far, he will exit Headingley after four seasons, and will hope to make his final campaign in Blue and Amber a memorable one.
Having already made 80 appearances in a Leeds jersey, this year will be his final one, and whilst a move to Australia had always been a lifelong dream for the back rower, he never thought it would be a possibility.
Speaking to Serious About Rugby League at the Leeds Rhinos media day, McDonnell explained how the move came about, and how Perth boss Mal Meninga was a huge factor in him making the move.
He revealed: “It’s not exactly been a dream of mine to go to the NRL. Well, it has been a dream but it wasn’t really one I was committed to. I didn’t think it was going to be a prospect for me.
“The interest came about, I heard a couple of whispers at the back end of last year. I was speaking to my agent, and I had a call with Mal which sold it.
“He’s a great guy and a great figure of the game and to speak to him and for him to show interest and for him to want me to go and play for him was a massive sell.”
Meninga, who was the Australian national team head coach before the move to Perth came around, is one of the most iconic figures in the sport, on both sides of the world. To be able to work under him, in McDonnell’s eyes, is a brilliant step in his career.
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James McDonnell makes “minimum standard” Leeds Rhinos trophy claim
In the three years he has been at the club, McDonnell is yet to win silverware, with the St Helens play-off defeat the closest they have come to any sort of semi-final, let alone final.
After being part of Leigh Leopards’ promotion winning squad in 2022, the back rower knows what it takes to lift the trophy, but doing in the top flight is a whole other level.
Regardless, both boss Brad Arthur and the players are confident that they can add something new to the trophy cabinet this year, and doing so would avenge their last minute defeat to St Helens in September.
Asked about his ambitions for the upcoming campaign, he said: “They’re the same as the years before. It’s pretty simple, we need to go and win something this year.
“I think that’s the minimum standard for me, and I think to go out on a high there, that’s what it has to be, to leave Leeds and to feel like I’ve achieved something at Leeds, I want to be winning something this year.
Leeds Rhinos star reveals Harry Newman conversations as duo confirmed for NRL exit
The news of McDonnell’s departure came over a month after Perth confirmed that fellow Leeds star Harry Newman would be joining the club.
The pair, who have played 66 games together at Leeds, will both make the move to Western Australia, and the recently-turned 26-year-old believes that having a familiar face there will do him and Newman a heap of good, especially when settling in.
He said: “It makes [the move] easier. Me and him have had quite a few conversations about it. My partner is good friends with his partner, so that makes it a little bit easier as well,
“It’s obviously a big pull to have him there, I think I played every single game with him at the side of me last year, so hopefully we can continue the partnership in the NRL.”
