Six Super League players who could be surprise packages in 2026 including Hull KR and Leeds Rhinos men

The start of the new Super League season is still two months away but clubs are busy preparing themselves for what is to come.

Every team is now in pre-season training and over the coming weeks, the intensity will be ramped up as the new year approaches. It won’t be long until we have some pre-season action to get our teeth into, with most Super League clubs lining up friendlies in January and early February.

We’ll get an inkling of what to expect from most teams during this period, while we’ll also get a glimpse of some fresh faces in their new colours.

With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at six players across Super League who will be looking to use pre-season to their advantage and become surprise packages during the 2026 Super League season.

Six potential Super League surprise packages

Sam Eseh – Wigan Warriors

Super League fans are more than accustomed to Sam Eseh’s talents now with the prop enjoying a fine season while on loan at Hull FC last year. However, he has returned to parent club Wigan for 2026 and on the face of it, he’ll be competing for a spot in Matt Peet’s 17-man line-up.

He’ll be determined to put his best foot forward in pre-season then with a clash against his former team lined up for February 1. And, should he impress, he will likely be given a chance a week later in the Challenge Cup.

Eseh was a crowd favourite during his time at Hull and he’ll be putting all that experience to good use in order to establish himself in Peet’s plans throughout the season.

Max Simpson – Leeds Rhinos

It’s fair to say Simpson has had to deal with plenty of adversity during his short career so far, with the young centre missing three years of action due to a series of injuries. He made his comeback in August at Hull FC, but had to leave the field on a stretcher after appearing to injure his neck in a challenge.

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Fortunately, he was cleared of serious injury shortly after and he was able to make two more appearances for Leeds over the course of the campaign.

Simpson will be keen to build on that next season then and if he can force his way into Brad Arthur’s thinking, he could well prove to be a natural successor for the NRL-bound Harry Newman.

Bill Leyland – Hull KR

Leyland probably didn’t secure the amount of chances he would have wanted last season after making the move to Hull KR from London Broncos. He made 12 appearances in total but all of those came off the bench with some outings being just a few minutes long.

He struggled to showcase his absolute best as a result but a year spent working under Jez Litten and Micky McIlorum will have done him a world of good and with McIlorum moving on, he is in a position to nail down that second choice hooker spot, spelling Litten as and when.

As such, Leyland can expect to get more opportunities in 2026 and he’ll be determined to grasp them with both hands.

Connor Bailey – Hull FC

Bailey has joined the Black and Whites from York Knights for 2026 after starring in the second tier for some time. He helped York win a double last season, scoring nine tries in 29 appearances and he’ll be determined to kick on and prove himself at the top level.

As it stands right now, it looks as though Bailey might have to wait for his chance under John Cartwright with Joe Batchelor and Jed Cartwright likely to be Hull’s starting back-rowers for round one.

But, Bailey will be given chances in Super League and he has the talent to give the head coach some food for thought and become an unexpected star of the season.

AJ Towse – Leigh Leopards

Adrian Lam is a big fan of AJ Towse and he has made that clear on numerous occasions since the winger made the switch from York last year. However, he only made four appearances in the Leigh side last season with Keanan Brand, Josh Charnley and Darnell McIntosh all being ahead of him in the pecking order.

Innes Senior has replaced McIntosh over the off-season but Towse will be confident of giving Lam plenty to think about over the winter. And, impressing over pre-season and in the third round of the Challenge Cup might just lead to Towse landing the Super League chance he has been craving.

Will Tate – Wakefield Trinity

Like others on this list, injuries have probably got the better of Tate’s time in Super League so far. The 23-year-old spent two and a half seasons a Castleford Tigers but injury prevented him from making more than just 15 appearances in black and amber.

However, he gave a reminder of his abilities in his final game for the Tigers, scoring a hat-trick against St Helens, while he also touched down twice against Wigan in June.

He has joined up with Wakefield for the 2026 season and if he can leave his injury troubles behind him, Daryl Powell could have a player on his hands.