Newly appointed Leeds Rhinos co-captain Ash Handley has addressed fan questions, including one about the upcoming Super League rule change introducing the Captain’s Challenge.
The Captain’s Challenge, a feature in the NRL since 2020, is set to debut in the Super League in 2025 following approval at an RFL Council meeting last week. The rule will apply to all televised games, extending to select Challenge Cup and Women’s Super League fixtures.
Acknowledging that referees are human and errors are inevitable, the Captain’s Challenge allows team captains to request a review of a decision within a specified time frame.
As co-captain alongside Cam Smith, Handley will be among those able to use the challenge starting in 2025. He recently shared his thoughts on the new rule during a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), where Leeds and Super League fans asked him a wide range of questions, from his proudest career moment to his pick for which Super League mascot would win in a fight.
While Handley humorously backed Ronnie the Rhino as the top mascot, his views on the Captain’s Challenge and the lessons he’s gained under coach Rohan Smith provided deeper insight.
Leeds Rhinos’ Ash Handley discusses the Captain’s Challenge, his experiences with Rohan Smith, and his pick for Super League’s most underrated player.
Among the many questions posed, a few stood out, including Ash Handley’s thoughts on the introduction of the Captain’s Challenge.
When asked for his perspective, the Leeds Rhinos winger shared: “I’m thrilled about the Captain’s Challenge coming in. It’s going to improve the game overall and bring some accountability to the refs. They have to make split-second decisions, which can sometimes be wrong and impact the outcome of the game. Hopefully, this will allow us to review those calls for the benefit of everyone.”
He was also asked to pick out his favourite try in his career, naming two against St Helens as his favourites, whilst also ruling Shaun Johnson as the best player he’s faced when recalling the ‘freakish stuff’ the Kiwi can do.
Asked about a rival player he’d love to play with, he answered: “Jack Welsby, I have played with him at England, he is a quality player who knows how to find players and put his winger in space.”
Comments from Leeds forward James McDonnell in the club’s Spirit of the Rhinos documentary noted the ‘complacency’ and ‘divide’ under Rohan Smith, but Handley revealed some of the things that he learned from the Australian coach.
He explained: “Rohan liked to broaden your mind and think in different ways and I took a lot of things about how to live my life away from the field. He had different ways of playing, being unorthodox and that was definitely a string I was able to add to my bow.”
McDonnell was mentioned by Handley as well with the winger noting the recent England call-up when asked about the most underrated player in Super League, a title he gave to a Hull KR man.
“I think Dean Hadley at Hull KR is underrated and James McDonnell at our club.”
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