Ronan Costello: Huddersfield Giants academy player had 'every attribute needed'

Ronan Costello had all the qualities needed to be a top-level player, according to his former amateur coach.

The 17-year-old died on Tuesday after suffering serious injuries in a Huddersfield academy match on Saturday.

The RFL have confirmed there will be a minute's applause before all games this weekend to celebrate Costello's life.

"We went on tour to Australia in 2015 and every NRL scout was after him," Brighouse Rangers coach Andrew Ambler told BBC Radio Leeds.

"We always used to sit there and say 'Ronan is going to make it. He has every attribute you could need'."

He continued: "He was a very likeable lad. He was very inspirational on the field and he lifted the backroom staff too. Off the field he was a character. He was humorous, funny and everyone loved being around him.

"He had an aura and that will live down at this club for many years."

Costello joined Brighouse as a junior after playing for Lindley Swifts before moving on to Huddersfield's academy last year.

Ambler said players from Costello's old side would attend Friday's Super League match between Salford and Huddersfield to pay their respects.

"He wasn't just a player who turned up for training, he was a friend," the coach added. "It's like losing a family member.

"We are a strong club down here and we have lost part of our family."

Meanwhile, the Costello family have thanked fans for their compassion and generosity and have requested all donations be made through the Danny Jones Defibrillator Fund.

The fund was set up in memory of former Wales and Keighley player Danny Jones, who died last year from an undiagnosed heart condition.