Leeds Rhinos star Morgan Gannon won’t be the only person in his family to be moving to the other side of the world next year, with his brother, Jacob, joining him Down Under after his release from York Knights.
The Rhinos back rower will join the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL for 2026, having signed a three-year deal with the club back in April. Making 73 appearances for Leeds since his debut in 2021, Gannon has a heap of potential that the Warriors will hope they can unlock as he progresses in their ranks.
But, he won’t be the only Gannon making the switch to the Southern Hemisphere, with brother Jacob agreeing terms with a club in Australia.
A product of the Warrington academy setup, J Gannon moved to Leigh Leopards in 2023, ahead of their first year under the Leopards branding. He failed to make a competitive appearance there, though, and after several loan spells joined York Knights for 2025 on a permanent deal.
Despite making just eight appearances for the Knights, one of those came at Wembley, as he formed part of the 1895 Cup-winning squad.
Now, Gannon will turn out for the Townsville Blackhawks, who play in the Queensland Cup – the NRL’s reserve grade competition.
The Blackhawks have plenty of links to Super League, with former Leigh man Tom Nisbet playing for them, as well as ex-London duo Jack Campagnolo and Robbie Storey. They are also coached by former Hull KR man Terry Campese, who played for the Robins in 2015 and 2016.
The brothers are the sons of former Super League player, Jim Gannon, who originally hails from Australia. Gannon Sr played for a range of clubs in a UK career that lasted over 15 years. Most notably, he played for Widnes Vikings and Huddersfield Giants, before rounding off his career with Halifax Panthers.
