Exactly five years have passed since Leeds Rhinos – inspired by a heroic Stevie Ward – were last crowned Super League champions. On October 7, 2017, Brian McDermott’s men beat Castleford Tigers 24-6 in Rob Burrow and Danny McGuire’s final game for the club.
The legendary duo bowed out in fairytale fashion with an eighth Grand Final winner’s ring, but Ward’s role at Old Trafford merely added to the drama. The Academy graduate played just eight days after dislocating a shoulder in the play-off semi-final win over Hull FC at Headingley.
To then win the title was a dream come true for the boyhood Rhinos supporter from Morley. “I was in A & E all night after the Hull game and they couldn’t get my shoulder back in,” 28-year-old Ward told Leeds Live.
