Ranking every Super League club’s starting 17 by age with Hull KR second-oldest

Who has the oldest average age of their starting 1-17 in 2025?
All 12 Super League clubs have now declared their squad numbers for the 2025 campaign and while it doesn’t guarantee who will start on the opening night, it gives supporters a fair clue as to who their preferred 17 is.
Granted, there will be some players who have been given a squad number between 1 and 17 who aren’t available for the opening round due to injuries, but we can now start to assume how everyone may well line up.
And of those given a number in the first 17, how does the average age of every group stack up? There is a real difference from youngest to oldest this season: almost four years, in fact.
Here’s every Super League club and the average age of their top 17.
Note: Two clubs have lost players from their originally-named 1-17: Willie Isa at Wigan Warriors, and Jordan Abdull at Hull FC. In their cases, the average age is of the 16 players remaining in their players with squad numbers 1 to 17.
10. Castleford Tigers: 26.47
Castleford officially have the youngest 1-17 across the whole of Super League going into 2025. And we’re sure they won’t mind us saying that the average age of their top 17 is beefed up by the addition of a couple of players!
Liam Watts is 34 going into the new Super League season, while Joe Westerman is 35. In fact, only two more of their first 17 are 30 or over: Alex Mellor (30) and George Griffin (32).
It’s clear theirs is a squad built for the longer term.
9. Wigan Warriors: 26.93
Wigan have been Super League’s dominant force for a couple of years now: and the average age of their squad suggests that isn’t likely to change any time soon.
Only Castleford have a younger 1-17 than the Warriors do. Incredible, at the time of writing, they have only one player – Liam Farrell – over the age of 30.
8. Wakefield Trinity: 27.11
Super League’s newest side for 2025 come next, with a large crop of their recruitment based around players with their best years still ahead of them.
That includes the likes of 20-year-old Seth Nikotemo, 22-year-old Corey Hall and 25-year-old Jake Trueman.
7. Leeds Rhinos: 27.52
Leeds are another club who have undergone a major off-season rebuild, and their average age is also one of the lowest in Super League.
That figure of 27.52 across their 1-17 is beefed up by 32-year-old Maika Siva and 37-year-old Ryan Hall, but the likes of Cooper Jenkins, Jarrod O’Connor and Harry Newman are still under 25.
6. Leigh Leopards: 27.76
Leigh have made a concerted effort to reduce the average age of their squad, which was over 28 across their whole group last year. This year, it is around 25.
Their first 17 is slightly older at 27.76 but a lot of their new signings, headlined by 23-year-old pair David Armstrong and Tesi Niu, are clearly still some way away from their peak.
=5. Huddersfield Giants/Warrington Wolves: 27.88
Two clubs level with an average age of just under 28 for their first 17, next.
Just three of Warrington’s first 17 – Sam Powell, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Paul Vaughan – are over the age of 30.
4. Hull FC: 29.18
The final five clubs on this list all have an average age of over 29: starting with Hull FC.
The Black and Whites’ recruitment has been heavily focussed on experience, which has bumped up the average age of their 1-17. 35-year-old Jordan Rapana, 33-year-old Zak Hardaker and 33-year-old Aidan Sezer are among their big name arrivals.
3. St Helens: 29.58
The Saints are another side who have brought in plenty of experience as they aim to banish the memories of a disappointing 2024 campaign.
2. Hull KR: 29.64
Another club in that bracket, but with a different rationale behind it, is Hull KR. They have gone with experience as they look to get over the line and secure a long-awaited trophy.
37-year-old Michael McIlorum and 36-year-old Jared Waerea-Hargreaves certainly ramp up their average age, but they will be hoping the experience they provide is vital.
=1. Catalans Dragons/Salford Red Devils: 29.88
The two oldest starting 1-17s in Super League are on opposite sides of the Channel, with Catalans and Salford just a fraction under 30.
The Red Devils have brought in experience in the likes of 37-year-old Chris Hill, and plenty of their big names are also well into their 30s.