NextGen: The Leeds Rhinos Talent Who Brad Arthur Has Tipped To Star In 2025

NextGen: The Leeds Rhinos Talent Who Brad Arthur Has Tipped To Star In 2025

NextGen: The Leeds Rhinos talent who Brad Arthur has tipped to star in 2025

Ben Littlewood Leeds Rhinos Alamy

Ben Littlewood in action on his Leeds Rhinos debut against Wigan Warriors

 

Just over 20 have passed since Leeds Rhinos’ so-called Golden Generation won the club’s maiden Super League Grand Final.

 

The 2004 success over Bradford Bulls at Old Trafford marked the Loiners’ first championship since 1972 and was achieved with a homegrown heart.

‘Trophies fade, friendships never do’ |…

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Although that glorious era has now passed, with the Rhinos having failed to win a Grand Final since 2017, the club’s vaunted Academy continues to produce plenty of talent.

 

Promising second-rower Ben Littlewood made his senior bow in Leeds’ stunning 30-4 victory over Wigan Warriors at Headingley on August 10.

 

Here, Love Rugby League assesses the 19-year-old forward’s potential as he looks to further establish himself in the first-team environment in 2025.

 

Background

A Leeds lad and boyhood Rhinos fan, Littlewood hails from a sporting family.

 

His brother Joe played as a defender for Leeds United under-18s and spent time on trial with Sunderland. Littlewood first played rugby union at school before friends persuaded him to take up the 13-a-side code.

 

The teenager played for Oulton Raiders and then moved to Castleford Lock Lane before catching the eye of Simon Bell, Leeds’ Head of Academy Recruitment and Operations, and joining the Rhinos in 2022.

From there, Littlewood made his first Academy appearance for the Rhinos’ Under-18s off the bench in a 30-16 win at Warrington Wolves in the second game of the season.

He later moved into a starting role at loose forward in victories over Huddersfield Giants and Castleford Tigers. By the end of the season, Littlewood had recorded 12 appearances and two tries for the Under-18s and one appearance for the Reserves.

He was also part of the Academy side who won the 2022 Grand Final against St Helens.

The 2023 campaign saw Littlewood split his game time across the Academy and Reserves teams, featuring at second-row and prop and notching plenty of tries.

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