Sam Stone (rugby league)

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

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

Background
Stone was born on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia and is of Maltese descent. 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.

Early career
In 2015 and 2016, Stone played for the Newcastle Knights' NYC team.

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

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

2019
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. Stone made eight appearances for the Gold Coast in 2019 as the club finished last on the table.

2020
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.

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

2022
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. On 7 November, Stone signed a contract to join Salford ahead of the 2023 Super League season.

2023
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. 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.