New club for former Leeds Rhinos has been revealed

On Tuesday Rhinos confirmed that James Donaldson will leave the team at the end of current season where he will pursue his career on the new field.

Donaldson will end his six years relationship with Rhinos but he will continue to play in the Championship next season and might rejoin his boyhood club he started his career at few years ago.

Donaldson started his professional career with the Bulls in 2009 and stayed five years with the club and registered100 appearances during that time.

When he left the club it was back in 2014 season where he signed with Hull KR and he has since had a successful and cherished career at the elite of the Rugby.

He turned to be a darling at the Rhinos ever since joining the club at the beginning of the 2019 season. It remained unclear about whether or not he would be offered a new deal but Donaldson want to be a quantity surveyor, meaning he will end his full-time professional.

The Bulls might secure the service of Donaldson back to Odsal in what will be another major signing for Eamon O’Carroll’s side before the start of 2025.

Donaldson went on to point that Leeds will always have a special place in his heart and highlighted that the club has done soo many things in his life.

He said “This has been a tough decision but Leeds will always be my club and I will forever be grateful for the opportunities I have had as a Rhinos player. Since I’ve come to the club, it’s changed my life in so many ways, whether it’s on or off the field.

“We have got a big end to the season ahead and I will be doing everything I can to make sure we finish the season in the best possible manner. I will always be available to support the boys but this is an opportunity to start the next chapter.

“During my career, I’ve always tried to let my hard work do the talking. I moved away from home at 16, dedicated all my life to rugby. I’m really proud that I stuck in there and feel like the achievements I have enjoyed have been on the back of that hard work.

“When I first joined Leeds, I found out that the Rhinos have a great connection with Leeds Beckett University. When I was younger, I never envisioned that I’d go to university, never in a million years, but it is something I’m really proud of.

“When the opportunity came to go to uni while playing, I immediately made the most of it. I had found out the hard way that you have to have a plan for life after rugby. I decided to do a three year degree in quantity surveying but I wanted to do it full time whilst still training so I could get it done as quickly as possible.”

BY LUCKY SEANEGO