Leeds Rhinos news: young half-back joins Halifax Panthers on pre-season loan

Morgan could feature for Halifax in Reece Lyne’s testimonial game at Wakefield Trinity on Sunday.

The 18-year-old goal-kicking half-back, who has trained within Rhinos’ first team squad on a part-time basis, has been in Leeds’ youth system since 2018 and played in last season’s academy Grand Final win over St Helens.

He scored 53 points in 12 appearances for the under-18s in 2022 and also played three times for Rhinos’ reserves.

He was a try scorer in a first team trial game at Bradford Bulls last January.

Halifax coach Simon Grix - whose brother Scott is on the backroom staff at Headingley - told his club’s website: “We are grateful to Rohan [Smith, Rhinos’ team boss] and Leeds for lending us Kai for a couple of weeks.

“He’s a local lad, Siddal junior, of an age where he needs to have a look at men’s rugby to see where he is at.”

Of Morgan’s future, Grix added: “He meets a need for us in the next couple of weeks, in terms of thickening us up in the halves.

“Right now that’s all it is, but he is a talented player so I’m excited to see how he goes and down the track you never know.”

Morgan, who was born in Halifax, impressed at youth level for Siddal, winning three division one titles, three Halifax cups, two Yorkshire Cups, two Challenge Cups and a National Cup before signing an academy contract with Leeds.