Huddersfield Giants head coach Rick Stone has been handed a big bonus with Ollie Roberts signing a new five-year deal.

The 23-year-old Ireland international, who made a huge impact in the Rugby League World Cup last year, has committed his future to the Giants and Stone said: “I think it’s a good thing for us and for Ollie.

“Good quality players are hard to find and when you’ve brought someone of that quality through from a young age then we would obviously like to keep them.

“He’s still got a little bit to learn and he’ll be the first to admit that but he’s a prospect that can hopefully be a great player here for a long time.”

Stone is delighted to have Roberts, who signed for the Giants from Bradford Bulls in 2014, in his attack.

“Ollie brings a line-break ability, he carries the ball well, he’s hard to put down and can score a try,” added Stone.

“He’s a handful to the opposition but he’s still working on becoming an 80 minute back-rower and is becoming better every week.

“I’d like to think that we’ll continue to see improvement in him for the next couple of years.”