Ranking the last 20 Leeds Rhinos signings from Croft to Sezer via Austin and Ackers

Leeds Rhinos’ success – or rather failure – where recruitment is concerned has been a talking point for a number of years now with the club having not been crowned Super League champions since 2015.

As things stand, only one deal has been officially confirmed to bring a new player to Headingley for 2025, and that’s the return of veteran winger Ryan Hall.

We know Hall achieved great things with his boyhood club before heading for the NRL and now onto Hull KR, but in terms of being a new signing, what does Hall have to live up to when he walks back through the doors at Headingley next year?

We’ve taken a look at the Rhinos‘ last 20 permanent signings, with loan excluded from this list, and simply ranked them from worst to best.

For the record, this list spans from the off-season just gone back to mid-January of 2021. In that time, the two head coaches of Leeds were Richard Agar and Rohan Smith.

Australian Smith has now been replaced by former Parramatta Eels boss Brad Arthur who has signed a deal until the end of the 2024 campaign, and – for obvious reasons – is yet to make a permanent signing.

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20. Kieran Hudson

2024 💙🦏 pic.twitter.com/KsgE1UI18b

— Kieran James Hudson (@kieranJhudson) November 7, 2023

One of the recruits brought in by Leeds ahead of this season, Hudson – still on the road back to full fitness from a serious injury – is yet to make a senior appearance for the Rhinos, so automatically comes bottom of the pile. He has featured once on dual-registration for Halifax Panthers.

19. Luke Hooley

Full-back Hooley penned a two-year deal at Headingley ahead of the 2023 season, joining from Championship outfit Batley Bulldogs. Just a year and eight appearances later, he departed for fellow Super League outfit Castleford Tigers.

18. Derrell Olpherts

Olpherts is very much in the same boat. He moved to Headingley from Castleford on a two-year deal in 2023, but lasted just one season before departing for Wakefield Trinity in March. The winger notched 14 appearances during his short spell with the Rhinos, and none of which came this year.

17. Leon Ruan

Ruan is in the second year of a three-year contract handed to him by the Rhinos ahead of last season. Leeds liked the look of what they were seeing from the youngster at League 1 level with Doncaster and took a punt on him. He’s so far made 11 appearances during his time at Headingley, featuring out on loan and dual-registration for Championship clubs regularly.

16. Nene Macdonald

Macdonald signed a two-year deal at Headingley ahead of the 2023 season having helped fire Leigh – then Centurions – to promotion up from the Championship the year prior. But again, his time at Headingley ended within 12 months, seeing his contract terminated after not returning from Australia following the birth of his child having been granted paternity leave.

The Papua New Guinea international has openly said he found his time at Headingley difficult, scoring just two tries in 20 appearances. He succeeded at Leigh and is doing now at Salford Red Devils, so there was clearly something not right at Leeds.

15. David Fusitu’a

When Fusitu’a plays, he does a job for Leeds. He’s got 17 tries in 37 appearances for the Rhinos to date, but when you consider he’s been at Headingley since 2022, that appearance tally tells you all you need to know – he’s always injured! The winger was handed a one-year deal for 2024, but given his injury issues, it’s hard to see them offering him anything beyond this season.

14. King Vuniyayawa

Fiji international Vuniyayawa joined Leeds on a one-year deal for the 2021 season having made a handful of appearances in the NRL for the New Zealand Warriors. He saw out that contract, featuring 16 times for the Rhinos, but didn’t exactly make a lasting impact. Salford signed him ahead of the following season, and he’s now out on loan at Hull FC.

13. Matt Frawley

Given the hype that surrounded Frawley’s arrival in the off-season, he’s absolutely flopped so far and looked like a very bang average Super League half-back. The Rhinos have dropped him on a couple of occasions in the hope he’ll eventually find some form, but it doesn’t look to be forthcoming. He’s contracted until the end of next season.

12. Aidan Sezer

Leeds brought Sezer in on a two-year deal from fellow Super League outfit Huddersfield Giants ahead of 2022, and that season, he helped the Rhinos to reach the Grand Final. 2023 was a different story all round though, with his performances – and that of the entire team – not at the same levels.. He departed at the end of last season and is now back in the NRL with Wests Tigers.

11. Justin Sangare

Sangare is in the final year of the two-year deal he signed at Headingley ahead of last season having impressed for Toulouse Olympique during their sole campaign in Super League in 2022. Over the 18 months he’s been a Leeds player so far, we’ve seen little to suggest they’ll push to keep him. You seem to always be left wanting more out of the big Frenchman.

10. Luis Roberts

Roberts has managed 21 appearances for Leeds to date since his move to Headingley in 2023, and had been a regular starter this season up until around the end of May. The Wales international is off-contract, and is attracting interest from fellow Super League clubs, as revealed by LoveRugbyLeague.

9. Lachlan Miller

Miller has been a real let down when you compare what he’s delivered so far this season since his move to Headingley, and what Leeds fans thought they were getting in a full-back from Down Under. Few of his 18 appearances for the club so far have been memorable, and the Australian is on a three-year deal. Improvement needed and fast.

8. Sam Lisone

Samoa international Lisone joined Leeds on a two-year deal ahead of 2023, and has featured 39 times in a Rhinos shirt to date. He’s a constant presence because of his size, but the prop is another you just want more from more or less every time you watch him.

7. Blake Austin

The way Austin‘s time at Headingley ended, a fallout behind the scenes and being shipped out on loan to Castleford, doesn’t paint the full picture of his 18-month stint with the club. He played a pivotal role in getting the Rhinos into the Grand Final in 2022 and wasn’t exactly one of their worst performers in a dreadful 2023 campaign while he was around.

6. James Bentley

We’re now firmly into ‘successful recruitment’ territory with Bentley, who joined Leeds in 2022 and helped them to a Grand Final that season, but come the end of that year made the decision to become tee-total and improved aspects of his life both on and off the field.

The Rhinos have missed him in recent months while he’s been sidelined due to concussion-related issues, and the fact they’ve missed him is among the biggest compliments we can pay.

5. Paul Momirovski

We’re yet to see the best of Momirovski, but we think Brad Arthur may well get it out of him in the next few weeks. It’s evident there’s a lot of quality in there somewhere, and the six tries he’s managed in his first 15 appearances for the club suggest that. In the long-term, contracted until the end of next season, he could prove a valuable pick up.

4. Andy Ackers

Hooker Ackers was involved in Leeds’ highest-value transfer for some time when he made the move from Salford alongside team-mate Brodie Croft ahead of this season. The England international has continued to perform as he has done for the Red Devils over the last few seasons despite being in an underperforming side at Headingley. A consummate professional.

3. Mickael Goudemand

Frenchman Goudemand has also impressed since his move to Headingley from Catalans Dragons, only losing his ever-present status due to a shoulder injury. He has been one of the standouts in the forward pack for the Rhinos so far this term, and it’s inevitable that while he’s sidelined they’ll be missing him.

2. James McDonnell

Recruitment wise, we’d have McDonnell narrowly ahead of Goudemand because of how much his game has come on since joining Leeds. The Rhinos picked him up from Wigan on a two-year deal ahead of last season, but when he joined, he’d only played six games for the Warriors. Now, he’s consistently performing like a seasoned pro. He’s been tied down until the end of 2025.

1. Brodie Croft

As we mentioned above, Croft was involved in Leeds’ highest-value signing for years, and it was his acquisition which took up the largest chunk of the fee paid to Salford. Despite having that price tag putting pressure on his shoulders, and being in an underperforming side, he’s still managed to perform at an incredibly high level for the majority of the campaign so far.

Leeds will be glad to have him on a contract for another two years beyond this term, particularly if he keeps on delivering for them. A real shining light amid a lot of mediocrity.