Leeds Rhinos centre Harry Newman sets 2024 target after showing faith in vision

The England centre this week signed a new contract that will keep him at Headingley until at least the end of 2026 amid interest from the NRL.

A product of the Rhinos' youth set-up, Newman made his Super League debut in 2017 but is still waiting for his first appearance in a final.

The 23-year-old was an academy player when Leeds won the title in his debut season, while he missed the 2020 Challenge Cup final and 2022 Grand Final through injury.

Rohan Smith's side endured a miserable 2023 campaign but there is fresh optimism following a successful recruitment drive that featured the signings of Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers, who have joined a core of homegrown players at Headingley.

The starting point for Leeds has to be to end the club's seven-year wait for a top-four finish, according to Newman.

"Everyone is expecting us to do better than last year and we are as well," he told The Yorkshire Post.

"It takes a lot to win a title but we definitely want to be in the big games.

"The top four is a minimum for us. We've got the calibre of squad to do that.

"The past is the past and it's about leaving our legacy. When someone else takes over, how do we want to be remembered? We want to create our own history."

Newman has enjoyed his first full pre-season in three years but the stress of his contract situation weighed heavy on the youngster.

Having made no secret of his desire to resolve his future before the start of the new season, Newman feels like that weight has been lifted after coming to an agreement with the club.

"It's taken some time and went from being a 50/50 to 'Bang, let's get it done', which has worked out perfectly with the season starting next week," said Newman, whose original contract was due to expire at the end of this year.

"It was playing on my mind. In the back of my head, I was thinking about injuries and didn't want to go into the season not knowing what I was doing.

"I wanted to take that stress away. That's something I spoke about with Rohan. He was pretty keen on doing that, too.

"I'm still only 23 and three years takes me to 26. I just want to get settled in life and take the stress away so I can focus on staying on the field.

"I'm a Leeds lad for the next three years. I will give my all to win some trophies."

Patience has been required on both sides since Newman broke through, with injuries restricting the talented outside back to 75 appearances.

After showing their commitment to one another, Newman is optimistic that they will share success in the coming years.

"I've been at the club since I was 14 and it would always be tough to leave," said Newman, who was speaking at the Super League launch ahead of next Friday’s opening game against Salford Red Devils.

"I feel like I owe the club. They stuck by me through some tough times.

"Last year was probably my most consistent year for a while. They've always believed in me and I can see the vision of the club.

"The players we've brought in, it's exciting. I think the club realised that they needed to do that because we haven't been good enough the last few seasons.

"We've got the squad and now it's about delivering next week."