Coach Rohan Smith has promised that the Leeds Rhinos will take their time in making decisions regarding players who are not under contract.
Players in the last year of their contract have been formally allowed to speak with prospective new employers since May 1. Rhinos’ David Fusitua, Luis Roberts, Corey Johnson, and James Donaldson were listed as “not yet determined” in a memo that the RFL later distributed to clubs; this indicates that Leeds hasn’t made a contract offer to any of them yet.
Players who signed elsewhere for the upcoming season or who accepted new terms are not included in that list. Rhyse Martin of Leeds fits that description.
With just four appearances between them this season, three of the players who have not yet received a contract offer have only been involved in supporting roles. The rumour that winger Fusitu’a will return to New Zealand at the end of this year has been fueled by the signing of Ryan Hall for 2025.
While Johnson made his first senior appearance of the season in Leeds’ loss at Catalans Dragons two weeks ago, veteran prop Donaldson is currently recuperating from a neck injury sustained during training two months ago. Last weekend, he played for the Halifax Panthers while dual-registering after spending a stint on loan at the Bradford Bulls.
The 22-year-old three-quarter Roberts has been a constant in the Rhinos’ lineup leading up to this Friday’s Betfred Super League matchup against St Helens. It is believed that this sparked interest from opposing parties.
Smith stated that negotiations have begun with “some” players whose contracts are about to expire, but he refused to provide a deadline, stating that “there’s no finish line with contract negotiations.”
They are rarely very simple anymore; there are usually choices, complications, and other issues. Like we’ve been talking to some other players, we’ve been talking to Luis.
When asked if he would like to keep Roberts on staff, Smith said, “I’ve tried to bring players in that can develop.” Luis is someone I can definitely see staying at the club and continuing to grow because of the way he has changed during his time there.
This season, Roberts has started nine games as a winger, been used as a substitute once, and filled in at centre in the previous two. Harry Newman is expected to play on Friday; however, since Matty Russell, an on-loan winger, is about to make his debut, Roberts may start at centre, freeing Rhyse Martin to return to his specialty role in the second row.
“Throughout our preseason, Luis primarily trained as a centre,” Smith stated. “With the makeup of our roster, a chance presented itself. He is a competent football player with good game awareness and wing play experience, but right now he is a better centre, and we’d like to investigate that further, especially as players are more available on the wing.”
Two years ago, Smith noticed Roberts playing in the second tier Championship alongside James McDonnell, who is in the second row. After making nine appearances in the previous season, the former player for the Salford Red Devils, Swinton Lions, Leigh, and Widnes Vikings was praised by his coach for his “really good” performance as a young player still figuring things out in Super League.
“He is improving his yardage carries out of his own end, has been dependable as a centre and winger, and has been very consistent with his edge defence. He is one of those guys that teammates enjoy playing with because he blends in, gets the job done without any problems, and makes a decent teammate.
With his conversation and overall football awareness, he assists others. He’s a guy who, as a young kid, you’d say has had a good season for where he is at in his development.
