Rugby league: Why Chanel Harris-Tavita decided to bet on himself ahead of Warriors 2022 NRL campaign

Chanel Harris-Tavita is coming to prove his worth.

Off contract at the end of the 2022 NRL campaign, the 22-year-old was offered an extension on his current deal at the Warriors toward the end of last season. But after taking time to consider it from all angles, the young halfback opted not to sign on the dotted line and instead bet on himself in 2022.

Despite making his NRL debut with the Warriors in 2019, Harris-Tavita has only managed to play in 37 games across three seasons – largely due to injuries.

Now unsigned beyond 2022, the year ahead is a pivotal one in the Samoan international's career.

"For the past couple of years, I've had seasons where I haven't been able to reach my full potential and most of that is because I've been injured and on the sideline," Harris-Tavita explained. "It's hard to play consistent footy when you're spending stints on the sideline and you can't get any consistent performances.

"From myself, I think it's more about getting my body and mind ready for a full season and trying to put my best foot forward so I can perform to the best that I can, and when - or if - I sign my next contract, I'll feel like I deserved it."

After a disappointing year in 2021 saw him play a career-low 11 games, Harris-Tavita took the initiative to reach out to the Warriors strength and conditioning team to figure out what he could be doing differently to ensure he was available to be on the pitch going forward.

It has seen him focus more on conditioning before the season – often referred to by players and management as 'prehab' - while he has also made changes to his diet, including cutting out alcohol.

Fueled by the frustration of past campaigns, Harris-Tavita has taken every step he can in order to ensure he comes into the season in a good place with his health. At that point, it will come down to the coaching staff as to what sort of playing time he will see in 2022.

For the season ahead, the Warriors have a rather unfamiliar sense of depth in the halves – bringing in the veteran presences of Shaun Johnson and Ash Taylor to work alongside Harris-Tavita and Kodi Nikorima.

"We've got a lot of depth in our halves areas and our hookers, so that's always a positive heading into the season," Harris-Tavita said.

"Shaun just brings an experienced head to the team. We've already got a lot of experience with Matt Lodge and Addin (Fonua-Blake) with our middles, and having Shaun in there gives us a bit of experience in that spine area which will help.

"We lost a lot of close games toward the back end of last season and I think having that experienced head in Shaun will help us close out those games more often."

Harris-Tavita does have utility value as well, and shapes up as a makeshift fullback option early in the season as Reece Walsh observes his suspension. But after that, Harris-Tavita will need to show he deserves the minutes on the field – which is ultimately the position he wants to be in.

While he wants to play in the halves, Harris-Tavita confirmed he had been doing a little bit of work at hooker during the preseason in case he needs to cover there at any point.

"I'm not a big fan of playing at hooker, but if it comes down to it, I'm willing to put my hand up and play in that position," he said.

"I think with Wayde Egan in there if he's fit and healthy, and we've got young Taniela (Otukolo) who's coming up as well; I think we should be fine – hopefully. I don't want to end up in the middle with the big boys."