'Super-talented' teenager Daniel Stelfox signs Leeds Rhinos contract as 'step up' prediction made
Teenage prop Daniel Stelfox has signed a new contract which will see him move up to Leeds Rhinos’ first team squad in two years’ time.
The 17-year-old made his Rhinos’ academy debut this season after stepping up from their scholarship. He will spend a second season with the under-18s in 2026 before becoming a full-time player with the senior team the following year.
Stelfox, whose contract enables him to go to university in Leeds after completing his A-Levels next year, was spotted by Rhinos’ talent identification team playing for Oulton Raiders and joined the scholarship in 2023. He 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 while I was in the scholarship.
“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.”
He added: “To have my education sorted too 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.”
Stelfox played nine times for Rhinos’ scholarship before signing his first professional deal to move into this year’s academy. He has scored two tries in four appearances for the under-18s and featured twice in Rhinos’ reserves. He made his Yorkshire academy debut as a substitute in a 42-10 defeat of Lancashire at Castleford Tigers last month.
Rhinos head of youth John Bastian said: “I’m really pleased for Dan and his family and the club. We want juniors that can perform consistently and have got so much potential for the future and Dan certainly has that.
“He has 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.”
Rhinos transition coach Chev Walker described Stelfox’s deal as “a reward for all the hard work Dan has done this season”, hailing him as “a promising front-rower and middle that can step up when the time comes”.
Walker said: “It’s great for us as a club we've got a super-talented and super-intelligent lad on board. He’s very athletic and the way he has stood up and played in the middle this year - and really made that position his own - has impressed me.”