Ex-Leeds Rhinos ace in Super League Dream Team as Hull KR, Leigh, St Helens, Wigan Warriors men selected

Catalans' former Wakefield winger Tom Johnstone is in the 2023 Betfred Super League Dream Team. Picture by RFL.

The selection, voted for by the Man of Steel panellists, includes six debutants, alongside seven players who have featured in previous Dream Teams.

Four of the new faces - Tom Amone, John Asiata, Edwin Ipape and Lachlan Lam - come from promoted Leigh Leopards and the others are Warrington Wolves prop Paul Vaughan and Wigan Warriors centre Jake Wardle.

Wardle is included alongside teammates Liam Farrell - named in the squad for the sixth time - and Bevan French, who is chosen at stand-off having previously been selected at full-back (2020) and wing (2022).

Former Leeds centre Kallum Watkins, now of Salford, has been named in the 2023 Dream Team. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com.

Leigh winger Josh Charnley returns to the Dream Team for the first time in 10 years, having previously been included in 2012 and 2013, when he played for Wigan.

Former Wakefield Trinity flier Tom Johnstone, now of Catalans Dragons, is named on the other wing for the second time.

St Helens’ Jack Welsby has been chosen at full-back, after being last year’s Dream Team full-back. The 22-year-old is the youngest player, with Hull KR’s Shaun Kenny-Dowall being the oldest at 34. He is the only inclusion from a Yorkshire team.

Salford Red Devils’ Kallum Watkins is named in the second-row, having previously been chosen at centre while with Leeds Rhinos in 2014 and 2015.

Three-time Man of Steel Ellery Hanley is chairman of the Dream Team selection panel. He said: “Every year the Dream Team selection asks as many questions as it answers and this year is no different.

“Just as the battle for the League Leaders’ trophy went down to the wire, so too did the Dream Team selection process. We could have picked a second Dream Team to rival this one.

“Ultimately, every one of these 13 players deserves recognition for what they’ve delivered on the field during 2023.

“These are the players who have entertained us, eaten up the metres, provided the assists, defended like Trojans and scored some unbelievable tries.

“The selection of five Leigh players is a measure of what that club has achieved in 2023 and Liam Farrell’s selection reflects what he has delivered week in and week out for the past five seasons. He’s the kind of Mr Consistent who would grace any Dream Team in any era.”

Betfred Super League Dream Team 2023: Jack Welsby (St Helens), Josh Charnley (Leigh Leopards), Jake Wardle (Wigan Warriors), Shaun Kenny-Dowall (Hull KR), Tom Johnstone (Catalans Dragons), Bevan French (Wigan), Lachlan Lam (Leigh), Paul Vaughan (Warrington), Edwin Ipape (Leigh), Tom Amone (Leigh), (Kallum Watkins (Salford Red Devils), Liam Farrell (Wigan), John Asiata (Leigh).