The New Zealand Warriors are set to announce two re-signings in the coming weeks as the club moves to settle its halves picture before Luke Metcalf leaves for St George Illawarra at the end of this year. Cameron George said the club hoped to have good news soon, with negotiations already active around two key players.
Those talks are centered on Chanel Harris-Tavita and Te Maire Martin, both of whom were on the off-contract list. George said, “We’ve been having those discussions over the last week or so,” and added, “I’m hoping that we’ll have very good news in the next few days or this week.”
The timing matters because the Warriors’ halfback rotation has already been shaken by Tanah Boyd’s ACL injury, which is expected to keep him out from the coming round until the end of the season. Metcalf had been expected to cover that role, but he was overlooked and not picked for the NSW Cup, while Martin came off the bench against the Broncos after Boyd went down injured.
Andrew Webster has said the Warriors are keen to keep Harris-Tavita, and George was more direct, saying Harris-Tavita would not be going anywhere anytime soon. North Queensland had also been reported to be interested in him, but the Cowboys have since locked up Jake Clifford on a new deal to continue partnering Tom Dearden in the halves over the coming seasons.
For the Warriors, the decision is about more than one departure. Metcalf’s exit to the Dragons leaves a gap that has to be managed now, not later, and the club has already been linked to a future in which Harris-Tavita, Martin, Jett Cleary and Luke Hanson carry the position forward. Hanson could see more first-grade this year, although he has also been linked to the Gold Coast Titans, and Cleary is seemingly edging closer to a debut. Jye Linnane is the other half in the squad currently contracted.
That leaves the Warriors with a short-term puzzle and a longer-term one. The coming weeks should bring the first answer, with two re-signings expected to be confirmed, and the next few days or this week may tell whether Harris-Tavita and Martin are the players the club has decided to build around.
