Who is Keanan Brand? The latest rugby league player to head to the Love Island villa

Last year it was Castleford Tigers’ Jacques O’Neill who left the Super League competition for the Love Island villa and now another rugby league player has done the same in the shape of Keanan Brand.

Like Jacques, Keanan is a young player with top potential and some experience of top flight rugby league in the UK in the shape of Super League.

Born in Lancashire in 1999, Brand started his career with then Super League club the Widnes Vikings debuting in 2018 against Hull KR.

Unfortunately, the Vikings suffered relegation that year to the Championship but that opened the door for the then 20 year old to shine in 2019.

He played 32 games that season helping Widnes to Wembley for the 1895 Cup Final as he was nominated for the Championship Player of the Year and all of this earnt a move to one of Super League’s top teams in the shape of Warrington Wolves.

After three appearances for the Wolves, Brand joined the newly promoted Leigh Centurions on loan in 2021 where he would impress despite Leigh’s relegation.

At the end of the 2021 season he made the move permanently and helped Leigh return to Super League with the best ever campaign in Championship history.

The Centurions are now rebranded as the Leigh Leopards and back in Super League with a bang but will have to do without Brand for some time as he chases love in the Love Island Villa.