Owen Trout reveals NRL ambitions following ‘shock’ England call-up with Ashes acid test

Owen Trout set his sights on playing for England as he signed on the dotted line at Leigh, and with that ambition potentially being fulfilled this weekend, he has a new target: the NRL.

Versatile forward Trout joined Leigh ahead of the 2024 campaign from fellow Super League outfit Huddersfield Giants, and put pen to paper on a three-year deal.

In 2025, he established himself among the Leopards’ most pivotal players and was a standout in Super League, so much so that he earned himself international recognition for the first time.

Named in Shaun Wane’s 24-man England squad for this autumn’s historic three-Test Ashes Series against Australia, there’s every chance his first international cap could come against the best in the world.

But that doesn’t faze Trout, who – one day – wants to head Down Under himself.

‘I’m really looking forward to it… when you start playing against the best, it brings out the best in you as well’

Off-contract come the end of 2026, Leopards star Trout could officially sign a deal with another club from December 1, should he desire.

Speaking to LoveRugbyLeague about his career ambitions, the Leopards star said: “I’d love to go over there (to Australia) and have a crack.

“I’m contracted with Leigh next year, so that’s my main focus, but it’ll be a good step in the right direction if I do get a chance to play against the Aussies (in the Ashes).

“I suppose I’ll know how I’d fare really in the NRL (after the Ashes).

“I’m really looking forward to it.

“When you start playing against the best, it brings out the best in you as well.

“I’m really excited to see how I go against them and hopefully this can help me to keep improving in my performance, and keep moving up in my career.

“I don’t really have a vision (for my career), but I want to keep playing for my country and have a nice, long career.

“I want to be able to make some good investments and some good money to sort out that things will look after themselves later on in life.

“I want to make sure I work hard enough in this part of my life to be able to relax a little bit more in later life.”

‘I didn’t really know what to say… he asked me, ‘are you happy?’, but I just couldn’t put it into words!’

Wakefield-born Trout – who turned 26 last week – has 107 Super League appearances on his CV now, with the first of those coming for Leeds Rhinos back in 2019.

It has not been a straightforward path to reach the heights he has now, and while international honours are something he’s had on his radar for a while, he didn’t necessarily expect England head coach Wane to make the call this autumn.

The towering forward explained: “It’s always been a goal of mine, especially after signing a three-year contract at Leigh.

“Breaking into the England squad was one of my main goals, and I obviously had my first year of settling in at Leigh which was the first time I’d moved out, so it was about finding my feet within the group.

“I’ve kicked on this year and I’m really grateful to have got the recognition for that.

“It wasn’t so much being surprised (when Wane told me I was in the official 24-man squad), it was more shock, really.

“I didn’t really know what to say… he asked me, ‘are you happy?’, but I just couldn’t put it into words!”

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