Rhyse Martin: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs back-rower joins Leeds Rhinos

Cairns-born PNG international Rhyse Martin made his NRL debut in the 2018 season

Back-rower Rhyse Martin has left NRL club Canterbury to join relegation-threatened Super League side Leeds.

The 26-year-old moves to the English game with immediate effect after signing a two-and-a-half-year deal.

Martin comes in to bolster the survival hopes of a Leeds side that are bottom of the table after 19 games.

"The team are in a tough position at the moment. I want to come over and hopefully play my part in getting Leeds back where we want to be," Martin said.

The Papua New Guinean international, who featured 25 times for the Canterbury Bulldogs in the NRL, said he "came close" to joining Leeds last year.

"The club have kept me in their plans and I am pleased things have now worked out," Martin told the Rhinos website.

Canterbury said Martin turned down a contract extension with them to eventually take Leeds up on their offer ahead of the 1 July registration deadline.

"Rhyse is an excellent young man and when he came seeking a release from his contract yesterday to take up a longer deal in Super League, we decided not to stand in his way," said Bulldogs chief executive Andrew Hill.