Rising Academy star Stelfox signs new deal with Leeds Rhinos

Leeds Rhinos are delighted to announce that rising Academy talent Daniel Stelfox, 17, has committed his future to the club by signing a new contract until the end of 2027.

The deal keeps the forward at the club for his second and final year with the Under-18s Academy in 2026, before he becomes a full-time player with the first team for the 2027 season. Alongside securing his immediate future on the rugby field, the deal also includes education provisions which will see Stelfox move into higher at university in Leeds after he completes his A-Levels next year.

Stelfox was scouted from Oulton Raiders by the Rhinos Talent ID team and joined the club’s Scholarship ranks in 2023. Over two years with head coach Mark Butterill, he played nine times in total, scoring one try, before signing his first professional deal to move into the Academy for 2025. So far in his first season as an Under-18s player, he has scored two tries in four appearances in the Academy competition and has played twice for the Reserves too. His impressive performances also earned Stelfox his first representative call-up to Rob Nickolay’s Yorkshire Academy squad, where he came off the bench in the 42-10 win over Lancashire in the first game of the series.

Speaking about committing to the Rhinos, Stelfox said: “Leeds have nurtured me through Scholarship and the first year of Academy and it’s the best opportunity in the league, so it was a pretty simple decision.

“I feel like my transition from Scholarship to Academy this year has been strong. My fitness was a big area I wanted to work on, having come back from injury whilst I was in the Scholarship. I’ve been injury free for all pre-season and got a good start in the friendly against Hull which has helped me put in strong performances in the season. What we’ve produced as 17-year-olds in the Academy, has been good for the past few years and I hope to continue doing that in the future. That’s what sets us apart from the different teams – we are a unit and that's why people are getting contracts here.

“To have my education sorted too, that was important. That’s what Leeds focus on, making you a better person, not just a better player. I wanted that secured as soon as possible. You don't get many clubs that are going to support you through university as well as rugby so them helping me through what I want to do in future with education is important because rugby is not forever.”

Leeds Rhinos Head of Youth John Bastian said: “I’m really pleased for Dan and his family, and the Leeds Rhinos club. We want juniors that can perform consistently and have got so much potential for the future and Dan certainly has that. We’ve looked really carefully at making sure Dan can study alongside playing at the club. After meeting with Dan and his dad it was important that he has the ability to tie education into his weekly programme going forward so once he’s completed his A-Levels, he’ll have the opportunity go onto a higher education. He's been playing some really hard, honest rugby league, he's a real presence on a rugby field and we only see him getting better. He deserves his rewards of this new contract and hopefully there's a lot more coming from him in the future.”

Leeds Rhinos Transition Coach Chev Walker added: “This contract is a reward for all the hard work that Dan’s done this season. The fact that he's chose the rugby route says a lot about his commitment to the game but it's also great for us as a club that we've got a super-talented and super-intelligent lad on board. He's very athletic and the way that he’s stood up and played in the middle this year, and really made that position his own, has impressed me. Having Dan commit stands us in good stead that we've got another promising front rower and middle that can step up when the time comes.”

Stelfox is the tenth player currently in the club’s Academy to commit to new deal in the last twelve months, after the Rhinos secured fifteen of its brightest talents on multi-year deals in June last year.