Ranking every Super League club by number of academy products fielded in 2024
Hull FC have fielded more academy products than any other club in Super League so far this season, with 17 taking to the field after 17 rounds.
One of rugby league’s strong points is the academies within the game, and the conveyer belt of talent that comes through in Super League every year.
Every club across the league has homegrown talent within their respective squads – some more, some less, in terms of the number of academy products.
Love Rugby League has taken a look at every club in Super League, and the homegrown players within their ranks in 2024. Here, we’ve ranked each club by number of academy players fielded this season, which will be updated every week throughout the campaign..
12. Leigh Leopards (1)
Frankie Halton
The Ireland international played for Leigh’s reserves at the start of his professional career before the team was discontinued at the time. Halton then went on to play for local community club Leigh Miners Rangers before getting his shot in the pro ranks with Swinton Lions. Since then, he has gone on to play for Hull KR in Super League before returning to boyhood club Leigh last year.
Leigh have kick-started their reserves team again and will also have an elite academy from 2025, so it’s likely that we’ll see more Leythers representing their hometown club in the next five to 10 years.
11. Hull KR (3)
Mikey Lewis, Sam Luckley, Connor Barley
Three academy products have played for Willie Peters’ side in the first half of the season in the shape of England international Mikey Lewis, Connor Barley and Scotland international Sam Luckley, with the latter having featured for KR’s academy before starting his professional career at Newcastle Thunder. Rest assured, the Robins have a plethora of promising youngsters in and around the first team squad who will no doubt make their mark later in the season.
NEXT GEN: Meet the razor-sharp goal-kicking jewel in Hull KR’s academy crown
= Salford Red Devils (3)
Chris Hankinson, Marc Sneyd, Nathan Connell
Three academy products have featured for Paul Rowley’s side so far in the shape of Hankinson, Sneyd and Connell. Red Devils captain Kallum Watkins also spent time in the Salford academy as a junior before moving to Leeds, where he made his first team debut. Like Leigh, Salford will have an elite academy from 2025 so it’s likely we’ll see more homegrown talent in their first team over the course of the next decade.
NEXT GEN: The Salford Red Devils youngster with the unconventional route to Super League
9. Castleford Tigers (8)
Jason Qareqare, Joe Westerman, Liam Watts, Sam Hall, Luis Johnson, Brad Martin, Cain Robb, George Hill
Craig Lingard’s side have featured eight academy products so far this season. Westerman and Watts are stalwarts of the Tigers, racking up almost 300 Cas appearances between them.
8. Huddersfield Giants (9)
Jake Connor, Olly Russell, Sam Hewitt, Leroy Cudjoe, Matty English, Olly Wilson, Aidan McGowan, Jack Billington, Fenton Rogers
The Giants have brought through several academy products in recent years, and have played nine of them in 2024. Young prop Olly Wilson came through the Bradford setup before making the switch to Huddersfield, where he played for the Giants academy prior to making his Super League debut.
7. Catalans Dragons (12)
Arthur Mourgue, Arthur Romano, Paul Seguier, Jordan Dezaria, Fouad Yaha, Alrix Da Costa, Ben Garcia, Matthieu Laguerre, Cesar Rouge, Franck Maria, Ugo Tison, Loan Castano
The Dragons have brought through a plethora of talent during the club’s short history, but more so in recent years. Steve McNamara has already played 12 academy graduates in 2024, with 17 rounds played thus far.
RANKED: The academies that have produced the most – and fewest – Super League players in 2024
= Leeds Rhinos (12)
Harry Newman, Ash Handley, Mikolaj Oledzki, Cam Smith, Jarrod O’Connor, Alfie Edgell, Tom Holroyd, Ned McCormack, Tom Nicholson-Watton, Riley Lumb, Jack Sinfield, Corey Johnson
Leeds are renowned for giving youth a chance, with the Rhinos having already played 12 homegrown players this season, including Cam Smith, who is the current club captain.
NEXT GEN: Fergus McCormack – the Leeds Rhinos half-back tipped for the very top
5. Wigan Warriors (13)
Liam Marshall, Harry Smith, Brad O’Neill, Liam Byrne, Liam Farrell, Harvie Hill, Tom Forber, Zach Eckersley, Ryan Hampshire, Jack Farrimond, Junior Nsemba, Ethan Havard, Jacob Douglas
Much like Leeds and St Helens, Wigan are another club who are renowned for having a conveyer belt of youngsters waiting in the wings for their chance in the first team. Matt Peet, formerly head of youth at his hometown club, has played 13 academy graduates so far in 2024.
4. St Helens (14)
Jack Welsby, Tommy Makinson, Mark Percival, Jonny Lomax, Lewis Dodd, Matty Lees, Jake Wingfield, George Delaney, Jon Bennison, Morgan Knowles, Noah Stephens, Sam Royle, Jonny Vaughan, Harry Robertson
It’s no surprise to see the Saints up there as one of the teams who have played the most academy graduates so far given their track record of having an outstanding academy. The Red V conveyer belt continues.
NEXT GEN: St Helens teenager Harry Robertson lifts lid on incredible debut and remarkable backstory
= Warrington Wolves (14)
Arron Lindop, Toby King, Connor Wrench, Ben Currie, Joe Philbin, Josh Thewlis, Leon Hayes, Adam Holroyd, Tom Whitehead, Cai Taylor-Wray, Jake Thewlis, Lucas Green, Nolan Tupaea, Ben Hartill
The Sam Burgess era at Warrington is well underway, and the Wire boss has played 14 academy products in the first half of the Super League campaign, one of them being 18-year-old Arron Lindop, who made his debut against Catalans in the opening round.
NEXT GEN: Meet the ‘pretty special athlete’ waiting in the wings at Warrington Wolves
2. London Broncos (15)
Oli Leyland, Iliess Macani, James Meadows, Rob Butler, Sam Davis, Will Lovell, Sadiq Adebiyi, Jordan Williams, Matt Davies, Jacob Jones, Alex Walker, Gideon Boafo, Jack Hughes, Dan Hoyes, Lewis Bienek
Given their geographical location, or in other words, being so far away from the ‘heartlands’, the Broncos kind of need to bring through their own and that’s exactly what they’ve done. Mike Eccles’ side have featured 15 homegrown players so far on their return to Super League.
1. Hull FC (17)
Lewis Martin, Davy Litten, Cam Scott, Danny Houghton, Jordan Lane, Jack Brown, Harvey Barron, Nick Staveley, Charlie Severs, Denive Balmforth, Jack Charles, Matty Laidlaw, Logan Moy, Tom Briscoe, Zach Jebson, Brad Fash, Will Kirby
Hull are at the top of the pile, having already played 17 academy products so far in 17 rounds. It’s probably fair to say they’ve played so many given the injuries and suspensions they’ve had, but let’s take nothing away from the Black and Whites, who have plenty of promising youngsters coming through, that’s for sure.
READ NEXT: Jack Charles, one of the jewels in Hull FC’s academy crown