The New Zealand Warriors have handed an NRL opportunity to former Canterbury Bulldogs player Bailey Biondi-Odo.
Biondi-Odo last played NRL in 2022 with the Bulldogs, and has been with the Townsville Blackhawks in the QLD Cup ever since.
2027 will see him cross the Tasman though, with the half and hooker joining the Warriors for the year ahead on a development deal which could give him a chance to progress through the club's playing group and push for an NRL return.
The move from the Warriors makes plenty of logical sense as they gear up for the departure of both Jett Cleary to the Penrith Panthers and Luke Hanson to the Gold Coast Titans at the end of this year, while Luke Metcalf will also join the St George Illawarra Dragons.
The Warriors may have had too many halves in their squad next year, but Biondi-Odo is their first spine recruit even if on a development deal, with the other signatures to date being Grant Anderson, Sam McIntyre and Will Warbrick from the Broncos, Cowboys and Storm respectively.
Biondi-Odo showed plenty of promise during his 17 NRL games with the Bulldogs, but was ultimately cut after major injury issues, including an ACL that wiped out his 2023 campaign.
The Mount Isa-born utility was set to return to the Bulldogs in 2024, but that ultimately didn't happen.
Instead, he joined the Blackhawks in Townsville, where he has now scored 28 tries in 43 games, assisted another 29, forced 14 dropouts and averaged 73 running metres per game.
This year was particularly impressive, with 13 tries in 17 games along with 19 try assists, predominantly playing at halfback.
“Bailey showed a lot of promise when he broke into the NRL with the Bulldogs and has just come out of a terrific season with Townsville,” Warriors general manager of pathways and recruitment Andrew McFadden said.
“We're excited to bring him into our system and give him this opportunity. He'll boost our resources in the halves and add to the competition for spots.”
