Bradford Bulls have added to their squad with the addition of overseas back-rower Phoenix Steinwede.
The Australian has penned a deal with the Bulls until the end of the 2026 Super League season and he significantly bolsters Kurt Haggerty’s pack options.
Steinwede has spent time at Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast Titans in the NRL, but the 23-year-old makes the move to Super League having never made a first-grade appearance, with his only previous experience coming in second string competitions.
He has represented the Roosters’ reserve side in the New South Wales Cup, but he has spent this year and last season representing Tweed Seagulls in the Queensland Cup. He has made eight appearances for the Seagulls, but notably he has scored three tries which certainly serves to underline the threat he carries.
He scored three tries in 14 NSW Cup appearances for the Roosters, where he played alongside the likes of Ethan Clark-Wood, Xavier Va’a and former Catalans Dragons man Dylan Napa.
It remains to be seen whether Steinwede will make his debut for the Bulls this Thursday at Castleford Tigers.
“He’s young, he’s big, he’s athletic and he suits how we want to play so we’re really happy to get him over the line,” Haggerty said on his latest recruit.
“Phoenix was actually brought to my attention when I first came to the club but because things happened so quickly, we just had to get so many players over the line in a short space of time. I knew who he was, I was aware of who he was but now the more I’ve watched him, as I’ve gone back and studied him a little bit more, I have also had some great feedback.
“I’ve seen him play for the Titans in the trial game against St George and there are a lot of things that he did in that game that showed to me that he’s potentially a really good player for the Bradford Bulls.
“He’s done a little bit of the training session today so we’re all really confident in what he can do, so he could be in action pretty soon. I’m just glad we’ve done it now, I don’t want it to look like a reaction to something as we needed to strengthen anyway. We’re going pretty well at the moment and we have some wins under our belt but we need to keep strengthening to take that next step so it wasn’t a reaction to us not being in form and not picking up some wins.
“I’ve been actively looking, but I was so hesitant in bringing the right person into the club because the group is so special but Phoenix fits the bill he is a great character, he is a fantastic young man and he’s a very good rugby player. He’s versatile. He can play back row, he can play both sides and he can also do a spot in the middle so he brings versatility in the forwards for us.”
Steinwede added: “I am really excited, I landed this morning and have met the boys and the staff and for me this is a really exciting career opportunity because of what the club are building here having watched their style of footy. I am excited to be a part of it, learn from Kurt and jump on the back of what the boys are doing and hopefully have a good year.
“For me, this is about challenging myself now, getting into full-time and seeing where it can take me and develop my game in the best ways I can. I feel like for me, the opportunity here, under Kurt and the rest of the staff, I feel like this is the best leap forward in my career and the opportunity was in front of me so I jumped at it.”
