LEEDS RHINOS, St Helens and Warrington Wolves have the strongest representation in the squads that have been selected for the 2025 Academy Origin series – which kicks off at Castleford on Saturday May 10.
The Rhinos have 11 players in the 21-strong Yorkshire squad including Joe Diskin, a hooker who is following in the footsteps of his father Matt, and Marcus Qareqare, the younger brother of the Castleford wing Jason.
St Helens and Warrington each have eight players in the Lancashire 21, while Saints have a ninth representative in Chris Matagi, the son of the veteran Doncaster forward Suaia Matagi who started his Rugby League journey with Siddal and is in the Yorkshire squad.
Hull FC have three players in the Yorkshire squad including Lloyd and Callum Kemp, the twins who have both made senior debuts for the black and whites.
Archie Sykes is included after making his Super League debut for Huddersfield Giants at Leeds on Good Friday, with Alfie Lindsay and Alfie Salmon from Castleford Tigers and Robbie Brook, Ellis Lingard and Rowan Stephenson from Wakefield Trinity.
In addition to the 16 from Warrington and St Helens, Lancashire have selected Austin Daniel, Shea O’Connor and half-back Finlay Yeomans from Wigan Warriors, plus hooker Fin Walker from Salford Red Devils, and Cameron Bate from Bradford Bulls – who is from Widnes.
Wigan’s Shane Eccles will be head coach of Lancashire with assistants Ryan O’Brien of Warrington and James Simpson MBE – a member of England’s Wheelchair World Cup winning squad in 2022 who has been head coach of Leeds Rhinos Wheelchair team for the last two seasons since retiring as a player, and who will break yet more new ground with this appointment.
Castleford’s Rob Nickolay will be head coach of Yorkshire with Huddersfield Giants stalwart Leroy Cudjoe again assisting alongside Matt Nicholson of Wakefield.
Each squad will also have a distinguished former player in a new role as mentor – Luke Gale for Yorkshire, and Gary Wheeler for Lancashire.
There are two Origin fixtures this season, with the second to be played at Hull KR’s Sewell Group Craven Park on August 2.
The squads will prepare at Leeds Beckett University.
There will be live coverage of the first Academy Origin fixture on the RFL’s YouTube channel on Saturday May 10 – kick-off 12 noon.
