Luke Hooley has set himself a target of playing “at least 10 games” for Leeds Rhinos in 2023. The highly-rated full-back has moved to Headingley on a two-year deal from Batley Bulldogs, where he emerged as one of the most promising young talents outside of Super League.
The switch from Batley to big-city Leeds has reunited Hooley with Rohan Smith, who he worked with briefly at Bradford Bulls in 2016. Smith sees the 24-year-old as a player with significant potential but Hooley will initially play second fiddle to Richie Myler, who enjoyed an outstanding campaign in 2022 as Leeds reached the Grand Final.
Hooley, a boyhood Rhinos supporter who grew up idolising Danny McGuire, told Leeds Live: “When I first spoke to Rohan about coming to Leeds, I was going to be third choice. Richie Myler was obviously first-choice and Zak Hardaker was also still here at the time.