On Friday, Rohan Smith selected a side that's average age was 26 years of age. Of those 17 players, eight of them were under the age of 24. Break it down further and six players in the squad that beat Hull FC still have less than 50 Super League appearances to their name.
It's easy to forget but this Leeds Rhinos squad is still a young side. When Rohan Smith took on the job he was tasked with overseeing a rebuild and the reality is that, despite reaching last year's Grand Final, he is still only 12 months into a long-term project.
Everyone wants immediate success and Leeds are no different. There's no saying they can't win trophies this year. Despite being inconsistent week-to-week, they've still won more games than they've lost and they'll feel they can still get much better.
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But if you can force yourself to look beyond the quench for results here and now, the framework by which Smith is trying to build the Rhinos' next great team is beginning to take shape.
Of those yet to make 50 Super League appearances, one of them, Tom Holroyd, is already in the England squad. His performances this year have been nothing short of remarkable and who knows how good he is going to be, but you'd put good money on him becoming one of the competition's leading front-rowers. When you consider the Rhinos boast not only him but fellow England man Mikolaj Oledzki too, Leeds have two British props 24 or younger that they can build around for the next decade.
The same applies to Jarrod O'Connor, whose rapid development as a hooker seemingly knows no bounds. He was very good again in the win over Hull FC and at the age of 21, Leeds have a number nine who can be a mainstay for another era.
In the back-row, the signing of James McDonnell is looking more and more inspired by the day. Some questioned the logic of signing another back-rower given the plethora of talent already at the club. Now people are asking how you can drop him. Throw in Morgan Gannon, arguably the most exciting teenage prospect on the planet, and Leeds again have two back-rowers who can not only contribute now but can also be leading performers for a long, long time.
Then there's Cameron Smith, incredibly unfortunate not to be in the England squad and still only 24. You'll struggle to find a better ball-playing loose forward in Super League and his performances have gone to another level this year.
The six pack players mentioned there are all 24 or under. They are already proving to be pivotal players in this squad and are only going to get better. It seems to have gone under the radar, but the Rhinos have assembled a pack that can dominate Super League in the years to come.
Throw in Harry Newman and you've got seven regular first-team players there all with a decade at the top ahead of them. It's way too early to be talking about dynasties or anything like that. But Leeds Rhinos now have a core of players that can lead this club into a trophy-laden future. Some might argue they've heard it all before. False suggestions of a new Golden Generation have been touted before. The difference this time is that this group aren't doing it on potential, they're already performing at the top level and given their age, they're only going to get better.
The next phase of this rebuild is adding the right players to complement the ones that are the club's future. That does throw focus on the spine. Richie Myler, Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer are all playing their part this season. But ultimately, Myler and Austin are both 32 and Sezer turns the same age in two months. They aren't going to be around forever and you'd have to think it's an area of focus for Smith given the two halfbacks are off-contract at the end of the season.
If Leeds do decide to recruit the challenge is finding players exactly like their young players now, good enough to contribute weekly but also provide some long-term continuity. That's not easy to do.
But that's the challenge now and, while there's no saying Leeds can't achieve anything this year, they've put the groundwork in place for a long period of success moving forward.
House of League returns with Warrington Wolves CEO Karl Fitzpatrick, who discusses the remarkable resurgence of the Wire, TV deals and recruitment insights. You can listen on Spotify, Amazon or Apple, or alternatively by using the link below.
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