Brad Arthur makes admission on Leeds Rhinos youngster’s future

Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur feels teenage sensation Presley Cassell is not far away from making his Super League debut for the club, after cracking the wider 21-man match-day squad again this weekend. 

Cassell, who only graduated into the first team this off-season after impressing in the u18s, has impressed for the club’s reserves and been dipped in and out of the first team throughout the 2025 season.

Brad Arthur lauds emerging starlet

His inclusion in the wider 21-man squad suggested he could be primed for a top-flight debut, particularly following the six-week layoff for Morgan Gannon, but Arthur confirmed he would be the 18th man for the Rhinos’ upcoming game against Leigh Leopards.

“He’s not in the team this week, he’ll be 18th. Before you throw him in, just get him training with the boys and the whole gameday preparation to settle his nerves so that when he does get his first opportunity, it’s not new to him.

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But, while that shot might not come this weekend, Arthur insists he’s getting closer to cracking the 17: “We’re trying to prep him for an opportunity that might present itself in the future. He’s getting closer, though.”

Arthur added he would also be confident that Cassell would do a good job within the Leeds side if given the chance.

“I would be (confident), because of what’s around him. I wouldn’t be throwing him to the wolves because we’d put him around players who know what their job is and what their standards and expectations are, and that’ll only help with his transition.”

When is the right time?

Cassell is one of a number of incredibly promising prospects at Headingley, alongside the likes of Fergus and Ned McCormack, Ben Littlewood and Jack Smith, and Arthur broke down the key process in getting them ready for first-team minutes.

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“We’ve got a lot of the young guys training now that they’ve finished their education. I’m really big on training, that’s how the young guys get better, but it gets to a stage where the only way to give them experience is by putting them out there. You can only do so much training where it gets to a point they need to play.

“There’s not really a formula to it. Where they’re travelling and how the team are travelling as well, how they’ve trained, their confidence levels, how they’ve played in the levels below, the confidence from other players in the squad and what team you’re putting them into. Once all of those boxes are ticked, it’s just the timing of when it does happen.”

“All the young guys are training well at the moment, but you just don’t know when your needs are going to be there for them. Their priority is just on training and doing that day-to-day and week-to-week, and looking forward to a full pre-season in to get ready for next season.”

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