Leeds Rhinos’ 13 greatest academy graduates in Super League era and the incredible team they’d form

Leeds Rhinos are one of British Rugby League’s most historic clubs, and they proudly boast one of the best academy’s in the sport as a result.

From the golden generation of Kevin Sinfield and Rob Burrow through to the present day, the Leeds Rhinos academy has produced some of the finest talent in Super League, and even the wider world of Rugby League too.

But, with so many players coming through the youth system over the years, what would a combined 13 look like? Well, here is our best bet at just that.

1 Francis Cummins

Kicking things off at fullback is Francis Cummins, who made his senior debut for the Rhinos back in the 1993/94 season. After making his debut, Cummins became a mainstay in the Leeds side, and made 350 appearances for the club before hanging his boots up in 2005. Over his career with the Rhinos, he won one Grand Final and one Challenge Cup.

2 Ash Handley

One of only two players contracted to Leeds for the 2025 season in this side is Ash Handley, who has recently been named co-captain too.

After coming through the ranks of the academy, Handley made his professional debut in 2014 and has gone on to amass 212 appearances for the club, scoring 127 tries in the process. He has also helped win two Grand Finals and one Challenge Cup.

3 Chev Walker

Current assistant coach Chev Walker also made his way from the academy to have a decorated career.

After making his debut in 1999, Walker made 183 appearances for the club over his seven-year spell and won a Grand Final and World Club Challenge too. He left in 2007 to move to Rugby Union, but returned to League with Hull KR in 2008 and also went onto play for Bradford Bulls between 2011 and 2015. In total, he made 290 career appearances.

4 Kallum Watkins

Slotting into the other centre slot is current Salford Red Devils man Kallum Watkins. The former centre, who now plays in the back-row, made his Leeds debut in 2008 and made 259 appearances for the club, scoring 132 tries in the process.

He also helped the club win six Grand Finals, two Challenge Cups and one World Club Challenge. Watkins left for the NRL in 2019, but returned to Super League a year later to join Salford, where he remains today.

5 Ryan Hall

After rising through the ranks, iconic winger Ryan Hall made his senior bow for Leeds back in 2007, and went onto make 330 appearances over his 12-year spell and notched a staggering 233 tries along the way. During his time, he helped win seven Grand Finals, two Challenge Cups and one World Club Challenge.

He left in 2018 for a brief spell in the NRL, before returning to Super League to join Hull KR, where he has become a firm fan favourite with 106 appearances to his name. Hall’s time at Leeds isn’t over yet, however, as he has returned to the club for the 2025 season.

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6 Danny McGuire

He might be in the hot seat at West Yorkshire rivals Castleford Tigers right now, but Danny McGuire is another legend to come from the Leeds academy.

The half-back debuted back in 2001 and made an eye-watering 424 appearances for the club and scored a club-record 267 tries too. After helping the club win eight Grand Finals, three World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cups, he retired in 2017, however, he came out of retirement in 2018 to join Hull KR where he made 45 appearances over a two-year stint.

7 Rob Burrow

Who else could wear the number seven shirt in this side? Potentially the greatest player to ever come out of the Leeds Rhinos academy, the legendary Rob Burrow made his senior debut in 2001 and went onto play a whopping 492 games for the club, scoring 195 tries in the process.

During his 17-year career in Blue and Amber, Burrow helped win eight Grand Finals – scoring the most iconic Grand Final try too – three World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cups.

He sadly passed away earlier this year, but will forever remain an iconic name in Rugby League with the renamed Rob Burrow award for the Man of the Match in the Grand Final.

8 Ryan Bailey

Kicking things off in the pack is Leeds great Ryan Bailey. The front-rower made his debut for the Rhinos in 2002, and went onto make 313 appearances for the club, and helped win six Grand Finals, three World Club Challenges and a Challenge Cup before leaving at the end of the 2014 campaign.

He later had spells at Castleford Tigers, Hull KR and Warrington Wolves before finishing his career with Toronto Wolfpack in 2017.

9 Matt Diskin

Slotting in at hooker is Matt Diskin. After coming through the academy ranks, Diskin made his senior debut for the club in 2001, and went onto make 264 appearances for the club.

In that time, he also helped Leeds win four Grand Finals and one Challenge Cup. He later headed to bitter rivals Bradford Bulls in 2010, where he made 86 appearances before retiring.

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10 Adrian Morley

Powerhouse front-rower Adrian Morley rose through the Leeds Rhinos ranks to make his senior debut during the 1994/95 campaign, and made 144 appearances for the club over his six-season stint.

He left for the NRL in 2001, joining the Sydney Roosters, and became one of the greatest British players to play in the comp. Morley later returned to Super League to join the Bradford Bulls on a short-term deal, but came back for good in 2007 to join Warrington Wolves, where he made 173 appearances, before finishing up at Salford.

Over the course of his career, Morley won one NRL Premiership, one Super League Grand Final, four Challenge Cups and one World Club Challenge.

11 Jamie Jones-Buchanan

Another Leeds legend in this pack is Jamie Jones-Buchanan, who made his senior debut for the Rhinos in 1999.

The back-rower spent the entirety of his 21-year career at Headingley, and went onto make 421 appearances for Leeds before hanging up his boots up in 2019. In total, JJB helped Leeds win eight Grand Finals, three World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cups, and will be remembered as one of the cornerstones of the ‘golden generation’.

12 Carl Ablett

Joining JJB in the back-row is Carl Ablett, who made his professional debut for the Rhinos in 2004. Ablett made 323 appearances in the Blue and Amber over the course of his 14-year stint at the club, and helped win eight Grand Finals, two World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cups. He also featured briefly for London Broncos in 2005.

13 Kevin Sinfield

Last, but by no means least, is Kevin Sinfield. Arguably the greatest player to ever play for Leeds, Sinfield made his debut for the club in 1997 and went on to make a club-record 521 appearances for the club over his 19-year career, and also still holds the record for the most goals (1792) and most points (3967) to this day as well.

He also helped the club win seven Grand Finals, three Challenge Cups and three World Club Challenges before switching to Rugby Union in 2015 with Yorkshire Carnegie.

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