Debut: Vs St Helens (A) 03/03/2023
Honours:
Championship League Leaders': 2022 (Leigh)
Rising star James McDonnell signed for the Rhinos on a two-year contract from the 2023 Betfred Super League and became a staple member of the forward pack with some impressive performances.
Having been handed his club debut in a one-point win over St Helens in round three, McDonnell started in the back row in every game he played in 2023. A scoring run against Hull KR, Huddersfield and Hull FC saw him touch down for three consecutive tries, plus he added another in a 54-0 home win over the Giants as he amassed 24 games.
He cemented his place in the second row in 2024 too, going on to start 24 times and come off the substitutes bench twice. He added two tries too in a high scoring 46-8 win over London as well as a 30-4 victory over his former club, Wigan, in round 21, which earned him a place in Shaun Wane's extended squad for England's mid-season international against France (although McDonnell didn't feature in the matchday squad).
The second rower, who can also play at centre, was a member of the England Academy side that defeated the Australia Schoolboys back in 2018 alongside current Rhinos Sam Walters, Harry Newman, Corey Johnson, Muizz Mustapha and Tom Holroyd. He also played for the England Knights last season with Holroyd and Morgan Gannon in their win over Jamaica.
Originally from the Wigan St Judes club, he joined his home town team whilst at school at scholarship level and enjoyed a successful career in the Academy with Wigan. He made his professional debut during the Covid-hit 2020 season before making a further two appearances in 2021 including Wigan’s final home fixture against Catalans Dragons where he scored his first try for the club, which earned him the Try of the Year award from the Wigan fans.
During the 2022 season whilst at Wigan, McDonnell was loaned to Leigh Leopards and featured heavily for the Championship side, making 17 appearances and scoring seven tries. At the end of the season, he was included in Ireland’s World Cup squad and scored a try in the Wolfhound’s opening win over Jamaica.
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