NRL: Vatuvei re-signs with the Warriors for two more years

Manu Vatuvei is staying at the Warriors. Photo / Richard Robinson

Manu Vatuvei is set to become the third player to reach 10 seasons with the New Zealand Warriors after he agreed to stay at the National Rugby League (NRL) club until the end of 2013.

The Kiwis wing has agreed to a two-year extension to his contract, which was due to expire at the end of 2011.

It means the 24-year-old is in line to join Stacey Jones and Awen Guttenbeil and become the third player to reach 10 years with the Auckland-based team.

Vatuvei has scored 75 tries in 110 appearances for the Warriors since his debut in 2004 and needs just two more to equal Jones' club tryscoring record.

Vatuvei said the decision to stay with the Warriors was due to his loyalty to the club and his family's desire to stay in Auckland.

"I've been at this club since I was young. It was a club that I felt that was right and I've never pictured myself at another club," he said today.

"I had a few things to decide with my family and talk over. It wasn't really easy and it took a few months but I'm happy with my decision."

Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said the club's priority was to do all it could to keep Vatuvei in Auckland and he was delighted to secure the big wing's signature.

"I've got to say Manu's got everything he deserves because he's an absolute hero of the Warriors and our members especially," he said.

"He's certainly a marquee player in the NRL and deservedly so."

Warriors coach Ivan Cleary described Vatuvei's signing as "a great day in the club's history".

He said Vatuvei had come through some tough periods in his career and his best rugby league was still ahead of him.

"Everyone can relate to Manu from a kid in the school, a member in the crowd, his youngest teammate to his most experienced teammate," he said.

"I guess the thing that says it all is that all the guys who play against him have the utmost respect for him."

Vatuvei's signing would be an important building block for the team's development, Cleary said.

"He's a matchwinner and he's also the sort of guy who has that intangible quality where others lift around him."

Scurrah would not divulge the monetary value of Vatuvei's contract was but it was substantial, and he said it was likely to involve third party contributions.

He said the club would ensure all parts of the deal were approved by the NRL.

Scurrah said one of the best things about Vatuvei's progress was that he had been one of the club's original development players.

"He's sort of set the trail for a lot of guys that are now coming through the system, Bill Tupou and Kevin Locke for example," Scurrah said.

"He's set the scene for what we want to do, which is to develop great young kiwi talent right through to being marquee players and Manu's achieved that."

He added that Vatuvei was a great ambassador for the club in the Auckland community.

"Manu epitomises the model Warrior, and then to make it even better he goes out and plays and wins games for the club."

- NZPA