Zak, who finished his Sport Coaching course only a few weeks ago, came off the bench in the final quarter of his side’s 46-0 win over Toulouse Olympique at Headingley.
He mentioned his delight about making his debut, saying: “It was amazing to find out a couple of days before that I was being selected for the squad.
“Once I got out there, I managed to get involved in the match almost straight away, which helped settle my nerves.”
When talking about his goals for the rest of the Super League season, Zak added: “My main aim is now to keep training hard and get more minutes for the Leeds Rhinos first team. “
Throughout his time at the college, Zak impressed everyone with his work ethic, successfully managing to navigate his studies and also the start of his Leeds Rhinos career as he regularly played for the club’s reserve side.
In January, Zack McComb, Gym Manager at Kirklees College and a semi-professional Rugby League player, was witnessing first-hand the progress that Zak was making He said: “I have really enjoyed seeing how Zak has progressed at college and on his Rugby journey. He has the talent and personality to go and have a fantastic career.”
At the same time, Kevin Donovan, Sports Academy Coordinator at Kirklees College, added: “Zak has shown great potential so far and has the personality to really thrive in the exciting world of Rugby League. I can’t wait to see how his journey with us and then his career progress.”
In June, Zak was named ‘Principal’s Choice Winner’ at the College’s Outstanding Learner Success Awards (COLS) and was recognised for the contribution that he had made to life at Kirklees College.
