Ranking the Championship’s 10 most best players in 2026 including Papua New Guinean trio

Next season is shaping up to deliver quality aplenty in the second tier, with the Championship set to be filled with star men young and old.

21 teams will compete at second tier level next year, with the Championship having merged with League 1 to form a sole bumper division below Super League.

From arguably the biggest signing the Championship has ever seen to teenage prospects stepping into the professional game for the first time, 2026 promises to deliver storylines across the competition.

Here, we’ve ranked the ten most exciting players in the Championship next season…

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10. Myles Lawford (Halifax Panthers)

Lawford is still only 22 and was wanted by numerous Super League clubs when Wakefield snapped him up ahead of the 2024 campaign. Having suffered an ACL injury, the youngster is still on his way back: and a season-long loan at Halifax could be just what the doctor ordered.

9. Luke Smith (London Broncos)

It won’t come as a shock that back-rower Smith isn’t the last London player in this list, not by a long way. He’s already agreed a deal to join new NRL franchise Perth Bears from 2027, so we’ll have to enjoy him in the British game while we can: fresh off the back of a 2025 which saw him make his first-grade bow for Canterbury Bulldogs.

8. Neil Tchamambe (London Broncos)

Tchamambe isn’t a complete unknown having been thrust into the deep end in Super League during a loan at Salford this year, but we’re excited to see what he can do in a London side which should be dominant. The towering forward is with the Broncos for the duration of the campaign on loan from Wakefield, and Trinity may get a much better player back in 12 months time.

7. Ollie Morgan (Goole Vikings)

Teenager hooker Morgan arrives at Goole from Warrington having formed part of the Wolves’ academy squad which went unbeaten all season this year. All being well, 2026 will bring his senior bow in the game with the Vikings, and there’s plenty of potential there.

6. Lennie Ellis (Sheffield Eagles)

Ellis joins Sheffield for 2026 having formed part of the wider squad at Hull KR during their treble-winning campaign. The 20-year-old playmaker never really got the chance to show people what he was made of at Craven Park, but he’ll be hungry to do just that for Craig Lingard’s Eagles.

5. Gairo Voro (London Broncos)

Our first Papua New Guinea representative on this list comes in the shape of half-back Voro, one of many players arriving in the capital from Queensland Cup outfit PNG Hunters. The 22-year-old’s international bow for the Kumuls came this autumn in the Pacific Bowl, and he’s tipped for big things.

4. Jordan Abdull (Widnes Vikings)

Abdull isn’t a youngster or a London arrival, like most on this list. What he is though is a vastly experienced playmaker with an England cap to his name, returning to rugby league having been shunned by Hull FC ahead of 2025, which he spent without a club. The 29-year-old has a point to prove, and Widnes could be the perfect home for him to get firing again.

3. Finley Glare (London Broncos)

PNG representative number two, Glare, makes our top three – and you won’t be surprised that the podium is entirely made up of newly-recruited London stars. The utility only turned 22 in October, and has caught the eye in the Q Cup for the Hunters over the last couple of years, earning his international debut this autumn.

2. Morea Morea (London Broncos)

Versatile back Morea Morea was sought after by Leigh at one time, and given his attacking threat, it’s no surprise. Arriving at Plough Lane from Q Cup outfit Central Queensland Capras, he has scored tries in all there of his international appearances for the Kumuls to date and will be among the Broncos’ shining stars, if things go to plan.

1. Reagan Campbell-Gillard (London Broncos)

Of all the signings made by Jason Demetriou for 2026, Campbell-Gillard is by far the biggest. He might even be the best signing in Championship history, though we’ll leave that one for you to debate. It’ll be a travesty if he doesn’t add a Championship winners’ ring to his collection next year alongside his World Cup and State of Origin accolades.