Sam Stone (rugby league)

Sam Stone (born 4 August 1997) is a Malta international rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Salford Red Devils in the Betfred Super League.

Sam Stone
Personal information
Born (1997-08-04) 4 August 1997 (age 26)
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Height6 ft 4 in (1.94 m)
Weight16 st 1 lb (102 kg)
Playing information
PositionSecond-row
Club
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
2017–18Newcastle Knights182008
2019–21Gold Coast Titans2130012
2021–22Leigh Centurions38140056
2023–Salford Red Devils34100024
Total1112900100
Representative
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
2018Malta21004
Source: [1]
As of 7 November 2022

He previously played for the Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast Titans in the NRL.

Background

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Stone was born on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia and is of Maltese descent.[2] He moved to Newcastle, New South Wales at a young age.

He played his junior rugby league for the Valentine-Eleebana Red Devils and Lakes United, before being signed by the Newcastle Knights.

Stone is the son of former Huddersfield Giants and Newcastle coach Rick Stone.[3]

Playing career

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Early career

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In 2015 and 2016, Stone played for the Newcastle Knights' NYC team.[4]

2017

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In round 1 of the 2017 NRL season, Stone made his NRL debut for the Knights against the New Zealand Warriors.[5][6] In May, he played for the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis.[7] He finished his debut season with 16 NRL matches and two tries.[8] In September, he had his Knights contract extended until the end of 2018.[9]

2018

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Stone only appeared in two NRL matches for the Knights in 2018.[10] Late in the year, he played for Malta in the 2018 Emerging Nations World Championship.[11]

2019

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After round 14, Stone moved to the Gold Coast Titans mid-season on a contract until the end of 2020, after failing to make an NRL appearance for the Knights so far that season.[12]Stone made eight appearances for the Gold Coast in 2019 as the club finished last on the table.[13][14]

2020

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Stone played nine games for the Gold Coast in the 2020 NRL season as the club finished ninth on the table and missed the finals.[15]

2021

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On 2 August 2021, it was reported that he had signed for Leigh in the Super League.[16][17]

2022

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On 3 October, Stone played for Leigh in their Million Pound Game victory over Batley which saw the club promoted back to the Super League.[18]On 7 November, Stone signed a contract to join Salford ahead of the 2023 Super League season.[19]

2023

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In round 25 of the 2023 Super League season, Stone scored a try in golden point extra-time to win the game for Salford 24-20 against Warrington.[20]In the 2023 Super League season, Stone played a total of 23 matches for Salford as the club finished 7th on the table and missed the playoffs.[21]

References

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  1. ^ "Sam Stone - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. 4 August 1997. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Sammut in Malta mix for Autumn internationals". totalrl.com. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  3. ^ ROBERT DILLON1 Feb 2017, 6 p.m. (1 February 2017). "Knights rookie a chip off old Stone block | Newcastle Herald". Theherald.com.au. Retrieved 28 February 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "S". Nyc Database. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  5. ^ "Updated team lists: Warriors v Knights". NRL.com. 18 December 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  6. ^ NRL Digital Media. "LATE MAIL: Warriors v Knights - Knights". Newcastleknights.com.au. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  7. ^ "Junior Kangaroos team named". NRL.com. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Custom Match List - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  9. ^ "Luke Yates re-signs with Knights - Zero Tackle". 27 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Custom Match List - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Malta name squad for Emerging Nations World Championship opener - Rugby League Emerging Nations World Championship". 22 September 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Titans sign Knights forward". Gold Coast Titans. 25 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  13. ^ "Proctor's apology to Titans fans". NRL. 6 August 2019.
  14. ^ McMurtry, Andrew (25 August 2019). "Melbourne Storm defeat Gold Coast Titans after scare". News.com.au.
  15. ^ "Former captain Tyrone Roberts shown the door by Gold Coast Titans". www.foxsports.com.au. 12 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Sam Stone & Jai Whitbread: Leigh Centurions sign Gold Coast Titans pair". BBC Sport. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  17. ^ "Big-name Gold Coast playmakers Ash Taylor, Tyrone Peachey among off-season Titans discards". wwos.nine.com.au.
  18. ^ "Leigh 44-12 Batley: Centurions seal Super League return with deserved win in Championship Grand Final". www.skysports.com.
  19. ^ "Salford confirm signing of Leigh forward Sam Stone". www.loverugbyleague.com.
  20. ^ "Salford get playoff boost as Sam Stone's sudden-death try sinks Warrington". www.theguardian.com.
  21. ^ "Salford Red Devils' 2023 season in review". www.salfordnow.co.uk.
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