An ultimate 13 of rugby league players born in Leeds, including 8 Rhinos stars past and present

Throughout the summer at Love Rugby League, we’re going to be taking a geographical tour of some of rugby league’s most famous towns and cities and compiling some dream line-ups comprising of active players.

Some places will unsurprisingly throw out star-studded sides with some of the best players in the world included. But some may surprise you about the quality of stars the area has produced.

So far in this feature series, we’ve taken a look at Halifax, Widnes, Warrington, Wigan, Huddersfield, Oldham, Bradford, St Helens, Hull and the county of Cumbria.

Next up? Leeds. The West Yorkshire city is home to eight-time Super League champions Leeds Rhinos, who are renowned for their ability to produce phenomenal talent.

Here’s our ultimate 13 of currently active players born in Leeds…

1. Jack Walker (Hull FC)

There are eight Rhinos players past and present in this 13, and having come through the youth ranks at Headingley, Walker is one of those. He made his senior debut for the club in 2017, and come the end of that season, starred at full-back as they won the Grand Final against Castleford.

Now 25, one-time England Knights international Walker departed Leeds on a permanent basis at the end of the 2022 season, joining Hull KR. He then made the switch across the city to Hull FC ahead of this year having already donned a shirt for the Black and Whites as a loanee in 2022.

2. Ben Jones-Bishop (Sheffield Eagles)

Seven-time Jamaica international Jones-Bishop, 35, won two Grand Finals, a World Club Challenge and a Challenge Cup during his time as a Rhinos player. Departing at the end of the 2014 season, the winger spent a year with Salford before moving on to Wakefield.

Over a century of appearances in five seasons for Trinity followed as well as a year with York before he joined current club Sheffield in 2022. Jones-Bishop, who featured three times for England Knights, recently made his 350th senior career appearance. He has scored an impressive 216 tries to date.

3. Tom Lineham (York)

32-year-old Lineham is one of the few in this team who haven’t donned a shirt for hometown club Leeds, at least not yet. Growing up in South Milford, the utility back has so far played for six different teams in his career, including all loan stints, but the Rhinos aren’t one.

A three-time England Knights international, Lineham won the Challenge Cup with Warrington in 2019, playing 133 games in total for the Wolves before he departed permanently for Wakefield in 2022. Having began his career with them, the veteran re-joined Championship outfit York ahead of this season, and has now made 286 senior career appearances all in.

4. Liam Sutcliffe (Hull FC)

Utility Sutcliffe made his senior competitive Rhinos debut in May 2013, and went on to make a total of 223 appearances – earning himself an England cap in 2018 – for the Headingley outfit before his departure at the end of the 2022 season. During his time with Leeds, he won a Grand Final and two Challenge Cups.

Hull FC were the 29-year-old’s next destination upon leaving his hometown club, and he has recorded 37 appearances for the Black and Whites to date, taking his career try tally to 85.

5. Ash Handley (Leeds Rhinos)

One of two current Rhinos players in this XIII, 28-year-old Handley progressed through the youth ranks at Headingley to make a senior competitive debut for his hometown club in August 2014. A decade on, the winger has now scored 127 tries in 211 appearances in a Rhinos shirt.

Winning the Challenge Cup in 2020, Handley has three full international caps for England to his name, scoring five tries in those three games.

6. Luke Gale (Wakefield Trinity)

Born in Leeds, Gale is a product of his hometown club’s academy, but didn’t make a senior appearance for the Rhinos before leaving to start his senior career. Instead, after two loan stints at Doncaster, he joined Harlequins (now known as London Broncos).

The playmaker also donned a shirt for Bradford and Castleford, crowned the 2017 Man of Steel, before returning to Leeds in 2020 and winning the Challenge Cup for them that year with his drop goal against Salford at Wembley.

The 11-time England international went on to play for Hull FC and Keighley before joining Wakefield at the start of this year following their relegation to the Championship. Currently 15 shy of 400 career appearances, the 36-year-old has announced that he will hang up his boots at the end of 2024.

7. Sam Walker (Sydney Roosters)

Walker was born in Leeds back in 2002 while dad Ben was playing for the Rhinos. The following year, after his dad had left the club, the family returned Down Under.

Now 22, the youngster made his NRL debut for the Roosters in 2021 and has now made 74-first grade appearances among Australia’s elite, scoring 24 tries and kicking 216 goals as well as six drop goals. He also featured for the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII against a Papua New Guinea equivalent in 2022.

8. James Harrison (Warrington Wolves)

Prop Harrison is a lifelong Leeds United fan, and is a season ticket holder at Elland Road, so will live out his childhood dream as Warrington take on the Rhinos there at Magic Weekend. Dad Karl never got to don a shirt for his hometown club during his playing days, but 28-year-old James already has done with four appearances for the Rhinos as a loanee in 2020.

With two England caps to his name, Harrison joined Warrington in 2022, and has now made 53 appearances for the Wolves. As well as that loan stint with Leeds, his previous clubs include Oxford (loan), Batley and Featherstone.

9. Micky McIlorum (Catalans Dragons)

Veteran hooker McIlorum hails from Leeds, but has never played for the Rhinos. He was snapped up by Wigan’s academy at under-18s level, and went on to make almost 250 senior appearances for the Warriors, winning two Super League titles with them as well as two Challenge Cups before departing for Catalans at the end of the 2017 season.

In his first year with the Dragons, McIlorum added another Challenge Cup winners’ medal to his collection, and has so far appeared on 129 occasions for them. With 11 caps for England to his name on the international front as well as six for Ireland, the 36-year-old has agreed a one-year deal with Hull KR for 2025 – and will likely surpass the milestone of 400 career appearances!

10. Robbie Mulhern (Leigh Leopards)

Mulhern, 29, also has caps to his name for both England and Ireland, and the prop started his career with hometown club Leeds, making five senior appearances for the Rhinos having progressed through their youth ranks.

Moving on to Hull KR, where he was named the ‘Young Player of the Year’ in 2018, Mulhern also donned a shirt for Warrington before linking up with Leigh ahead of the 2023 campaign. In his first season with the Leopards, he lifted the Challenge Cup. The forward has now amassed 239 senior career appearances.

11. James Bentley (Leeds Rhinos)

The second – and final – current Rhinos star in this Leeds-born XIII is Bentley, who joined his hometown club in 2022 and has so far made 48 appearances during his time at Headingley, recently returning from a lengthy concussion-related injury lay-off.

Prior, having started his career with Bradford, eight-time Ireland international Bentley had amassed exactly 100 senior appearances at club level between the Bulls, St Helens, Sheffield (dual-registration) and Leigh (loan). While with Saints, he won the Grand Final – featuring in their 2020 triumph against rivals Wigan played behind closed doors at the MKM Stadium in Hull.

12. Luis Johnson (Castleford Tigers)

A hot prospect during his youth, Johnson was taken in by Castleford at 15 and had a transfer fee paid for him by Warrington before he’d even played a senior game. It was with the Wolves that the back-rower eventually made his Super League debut in September 2018.

Skip forward just shy of six years and he’s now donned a shirt for seven different clubs, including all of his loan appearances – but hometown club Leeds aren’t one of them. At 25, Johnson has 71 senior appearances to his name and looks set to be let go by the Tigers at the end of this year having featured nine times for Craig Lingard’s side so far in 2024.

13. Sam Hall (Castleford Tigers)

Tigers team-mate Hall rounds off our Leeds-born 13 having joined the development system at The Jungle as a 14-year-old and progressed through to make 37 appearances at first-team level for Cas to date, now aged 22.

Making his senior debut in February 2020, the youngster is able to slot in at prop or loose, and scored his first senior try last September against Warrington. Hall – who has scored one try in 15 games for Lingard’s side so far this term – also has loan/dual-registration appearances for both London Broncos and Midlands Hurricanes on his CV.