We are pleased to confirm the signing of former Leeds Rhinos, Hull FC and Huddersfield Giants centre Liam Sutcliffe on a deal until the end of the 2026 season.
Liam, 31, will be best-known to fans for his 11-season run at current Super League leaders Leeds Rhinos between 2012 and 2022, where he would be part of the squad that won the 2015 Challenge Cup Final (against Hull KR) and Grand Final (against Wigan Warriors), and would feature in the 17-man squads that won the 2017 Grand Final (against Castleford) and 2020 Challenge Cup (against Salford).
Outside of brief stints on loan at Bradford Bulls (in 2014) and Featherstone Rovers (in 2020), Liam was a mainstay in the Rhinos squad, playing 223 times and scoring 72 tries. He would also be known for his goal-kicking ability, scoring 258 goals and three drop-goals. His time at Leeds would also earn him international honours with England Knights (against Papua New Guinea) and England (against France).
Sutcliffe would leave the Rhinos for Hull FC ahead of the 2023 season where he would feature regularly for the Airlie Birds, playing 38 times and scoring eleven times, as well as scoring 14 goals. He would then depart the black and whites to join Huddersfield Giants ahead of the 2025 season.
Unfortunately injuries hampered Liam’s time at the Accu Stadium, limiting him to just five appearances during the 2025 season (where he would also score nine goals). Whilst he has not featured for the Giants this year, he is back to full fitness and featured on a short-term loan basis for fellow Championship side Halifax Panthers last week against Dewsbury Rams prior to his release.
Liam will now be aiming for a consistent opportunity at Avery Fields, as the Canes enter the business end of the season in the hope of securing a first ever Championship playoff place at the first attempt.
We spoke with Liam about his decision to sign for the Canes:
I’m really exciting to get started and meet everyone. I’ve heard nothing but great things about Midlands and speaking to Mark made my decision to sign for the club a lot easier.
I can’t wait to get going for the remainder of the year and help the Canes push for a place in the Championship playoffs.
We also spoke with Men’s Head Coach Mark Dunning about landing Sutcliffe:
I’m delighted to welcome Liam and his family to the club and our wider Canes family.
With our injury list currently in double figures, we were on the lookout for the right person to come in and add quality to our group and that is certainly something Liam will bring.
Liam has hundreds of senior appearances under his belt at both Super League and international level, and his ability to play in a number of positions is going to be invaluable to us. I’m sure our fans will be delighted and excited to see Liam in a canes shirt.
Upon finding out he had left Huddersfield we had to act quickly to ensure we got our man and that is what we did.
I’d like to thank Liam’s agent Craig Harrison from Show Me The Money for his assistance in getting this deal done.
Liam goes straight into contention for Sunday’s clash with league leaders London Broncos at Avery Fields. You can get advanced tickets for Sunday’s clash by clicking HERE, saving you up to £2 compared to “on the gate” prices.
