Cornwall RLFC have swooped for former Leeds Rhinos academy star Liam Whitton. 

The 20-year-old utility back began the 2022 campaign at Championship outfit Halifax Panthers before leaving the Shay side earlier this month. 

Whitton cut his formative rugby league teeth at his local club Siddal before joining the Rhinos’ academy ranks. He was a prolific try scorer at Headingley and spent time on loan at Featherstone Rovers before making the move to Post Office Road permanent in 2020. 

Due to limited game time with Rovers, Whitton moved back into the amateur game with Siddal and subsequently joined Halifax in November 2021. 

After a brief stay with the 1987 Challenge Cup winners, his arrival in Cornwall further strengthens the Choughs’ squad as we build for our maiden 2022 Betfred League 1 campaign with head coach Neil Kelly hailing Whitton’s arrival as ‘a coup’. 

“Liam is a significant signing for the club,” Kelly told cornwallrlfc.co.uk. “His DNA is exactly what we need and I really think that Liam joining Cornwall rugby league is a little bit of a coup for us. 

“We see the likes of Liam and Harry (Aaronson) as those that are young and really want to buy into our project. We absolutely want to develop the talent we already have in Cornwall but attracting talented players from the heartlands is beneficial in so many ways. 

“For our squad, having players with rugby league experience will help our team develop in an enjoyable environment and play good football. It will also give young players from a rugby league background an opportunity they may not have had before. I’m confident that Harry and Liam will be first of many young players that will tread the path from the north to Cornwall.”