
Ahead of the 2025 season, we’ve looked at three Leeds Rhinos players who could be surprise packages in Super League.
Leeds Rhinos are looking to return to the Super League play-offs for the first time since the 2022 season in which they made it to the Grand Final.
Since that Old Trafford appearance, fortunes have taken a turn for the worse at Headingley which has culminated in two eighth-placed finishes and the removal of head coach Rohan Smith.
Brad Arthur took charge for the final ten games of the 2024 season and the ex-NRL coach will lead the Rhinos again in 2025 after signing a one-year extension with Leeds.
Reports from Headingley are that it has been a gruelling pre-season with a return to the fundamentals and fitness being the focus of Arthur’s pre-season.
We’ve picked out three players who we think could be surprise packages for Leeds Rhinos in the upcoming season, with the selected trio touted to either take Super League by storm or make a far larger impact than many would expect.
Three Leeds Rhinos players who could be surprise packages in 2025
Sam Lisone
Lisone is an established first-team player and an overseas quota player at that so he is hardly a ‘surprise package’ but we think he could become one of Super League’s most devastating impact props.
With a Brad Arthur pre-season under his belt that has seen him looking solid in pre-season per Lachie Miller, Lisone could be ready to finally impact upon Super League the way Leeds Rhinos fans wanted him to. Add into the fact that he is in a contract year so will be playing for his future and we think Lisone could be set to take it up a gear in 2025.
Tom Nicholson-Watton
One of the areas where Leeds Rhinos have lost the most players is in the forward pack and that could present opportunities for players such as Tom Nicholson-Watton. Despite signing props Keenan Palasia and Cooper Jenkins, Leeds actually lost five forwards creating room for someone to step up and after impressing during the handful of games he played in 2024, TNW could be a sleeper to get significant minutes.
Ned McCormack
After picking two forwards, we’ve gone with a back and once again we’ve examined the route onto the field. McCormack debuted last season and the young centre could play a far more prominent role in 2025 in part due to the club’s lack of centres.
Harry Newman is an exceptional talent but Ash Handley looks set to move into the other centre role, with Jake Connor as utility cover throughout the spine and centre. With just a couple of injuries, McCormack could be thrust into the first-team and as a natural centre – he may well grab his opportunity.
