The New Zealand Warriors have confirmed Addin Fonua-Blake will remain with the club until the end of the 2026 season in a mega contract extension.
One of the game's best forwards and the undisputed forward pack leader at the Warriors, he managed 15 games during the 2021 season and was a constant force when not injured.
The former Manly Sea Eagles and Tongan representative has played 112 NRL games and at the age of 26, now has moved himself within potentially a single contract of finishing his career at the Warriors.
The deal left no time for the prop to enter the rumour mill, given he was still on contract with the Warriors until the end of 2023, this deal being a three-year extension.
The extension will see Fonua-Blake commit long-term to the Warriors, and CEO Cameron George said the signing was "huge" for the club.
โHaving a player of Addinโs calibre for a further five years is absolutely huge for us,โ George said.
โWhile he has had just one season with us he wanted to settle his long-term future well in advance of his current deal.
โAfter just one season here heโs extremely motivated to be with us for many years to come. Heโs excited about what we can do and wants to be heavily involved in taking us forward.โ
Fonua-Blake said the decision made sense.
โI love being here and Iโm excited about whatโs ahead of us," Fonua-Blake said.
โMy family also loves it here and we canโt wait to get over to New Zealand and really experience what the club is all about.
โIt just made sense to me to commit for the long-term right now. I didnโt want the distraction of contract negotiations later this year. I wanted it all sorted out now so my focus can be on playing footy for this club.โ
Despite playing just 15 games in his first season with the Warriors, Fonua-Blake was still voted the club's players' player of the year.
