KEY POINTS:
The Warriors have fought off interest from rival NRL clubs to sign second-rower Sonny Fai for another two years.
The 20-year-old, who was to come off contract at the end of the year, is rated as one of most exciting young talents in the NRL and has attracted interest from a number of clubs. He will remain with the Warriors at least until the end of 2010.
Fai started this year playing for the under-20 side, scoring two tries in their first match against Melbourne, before making his NRL debut against the Eels off the bench a week later. He has been promoted to the starting side against Newcastle today in what will be his first NRL start.
"It's a huge challenge retaining our best young players," Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said. "There's more interest in them than ever from other NRL clubs. Through the National Youth Competition and the Auckland Vulcans our players are gaining greater exposure.
"But we are committed to becoming a development club and Sonny is an example of the success of our development programme.
"We want young players in New Zealand to see the Warriors as their first choice when looking for a pathway to an NRL career."
Fai, who has played for the Junior Kiwis every year since 2004, was equally delighted to sort out his future.
"Having started out as a junior here it was a huge thrill to make my NRL debut against the Eels," he said. "I was always keen to stay here with the boys. I just want to keep working as hard as I can to play a lot more games in the NRL but I know I've still got a long way to go."
