A Leander would have filled the old second-class protected-cruiser role exceptionally well if that category had continued into the 1930s. The formal role had disappeared, but the designers and admirals behind the new cruisers had learned their trade while it still existed. Their professional habits could survive the change in labels. That earlier experience helps explain the Leander's intermediate position among newer light cruisers.
Chapter · 0:50-1:16
Why the Leander retains an older cruiser role
The Leander is an excellent fit for the old second-class protected-cruiser role in this interpretation, even though that formal category had disappeared by the 1930s.