Leeds top Super League after 66-16 win at York as NRL investment talks remain unresolved
Leeds moved to the top of Super League after a 66-16 victory at York on Sunday afternoon, ending Wigan’s brief 48-hour spell at the summit with three rounds remaining before the playoffs; at the same time clubs continue to debate a potential NRL investment into the competition.
The Rhinos are now embroiled in a two- or three-way fight for the League Leaders’ Shield, sitting level on points with Wigan, while Warrington remain a possible contender for a top-two finish if either slips up. The fixture list offers high-stakes encounters in the run-in, and matches of major significance are arriving ahead of the playoffs.
The scoreline was emphatic: Leeds 66, York 16. York were promoted to Super League this season at short notice and received half the central funding of other clubs — £650,000 — because the competition expanded to 14 teams, a situation the article says will need correcting whoever is in charge next year. A full house attended the game in summer sunshine.
Leeds’ attack was dominant from the outset, with Lachie Miller, Brodie Croft and Jake Connor repeatedly breaking York down and the Rhinos leading 30-0 after 25 minutes. Riley Lumb scored a hat-trick as Leeds ran up the total. “We didn’t come here expecting to score 66 points so I’m happy with that,” Leeds’ coach, Brad Arthur, said. “I think the mentality of the team drifted a bit in the second half but it does become hard when you’re ahead by so many points. But the spine players like Jake and Lachie did a great job.”
Off the field, clubs rejected an initial NRL offer on Thursday that would have provided £7m for each of the next five years in return for equity in Super League. The article reports division among clubs: some are keen to secure the NRL’s expertise and funding for relatively little additional cost, while others argue Super League should hold out for far larger, transformational sums.
Broadcaster arrangements are also at stake. Sky Sports will no longer take exclusive rights next year, opting to show only three games per round, and the destination for the remaining four fixtures hinges on the outcome of the NRL discussions; Premier Sports have expressed interest, while a deal backed by the NRL would make DAZN the favoured partner, a move described as yielding little immediate income but potentially more further down the track. Clubs are due to meet again this week and Peter V’Landys is reported to be travelling to the UK in the next fortnight to negotiate; the piece states, "It is now or never; if the NRL walk away this time, they will not return."
Leeds and Wigan are scheduled to meet at Headingley on 5 September in what the article describes as a likely decider for top spot, a fixture that arrives as club leaders and the NRL continue to negotiate whether external investment will reshape the competition’s future.