Huddersfield Giants have beaten off competition to retain Darnell McIntosh on a new three-year contract.
The fullback has put pen to paper on a new deal in a move that sees the Giants finalise arguably their biggest retention business for the year.
The 21-year-old was off-contract at the end of the year, and it’s understood Castleford were among the clubs keeping tabs on his availability.
But the Huddersfield-born fullback has committed to the club for the long-term.
“When you’re in the last season of your contract it’s always in the back of your mind,” he said.
“To get something done fairly early on in the season has taken pressure off me. I haven’t thought about it too much, I’ve been working to take it week by week and game by game.
“There was a bit of interest elsewhere. It’s been a hard-thought decision on what to do. In recent times, Simon Woolford has shown a lot of trust in me and I felt it was right to re-pay a little bit of that. I feel like here I can be a bit more settled and I can push on. I’m still only 21 and I’ve a long way to go, so for me to be settled and focused on my game rather than moving elsewhere was the right decision for me.”
On the reported interest elsewhere, McIntosh added: “I was well aware of it for quite some time, but I’m from Huddersfield and came through the ranks here. Just because there was interest elsewhere I wasn’t going to walk away from the club. I think I’ve made the right decision.”
McIntosh recently made the transition from wing to fullback, which is another factor in his decision to stay with the Giants.
“For Simon to put the trust in me to play in that position was massive,” he said.
“In this position I think I can kick on and see what I’m made of and what levels I can get to. The longer you play, the higher you want to get.
“I’ve kicked and screamed about it. A lot of people will say I can be a handful at times. I’m just enjoying it, there’s nothing better than just going out there and playing what’s in front of you. At wing I felt like I was a bit confined at times, whereas at fullback I feel I can express myself.”