A fan-favourite of the New Zealand Warriors, forward Bunty Afoa is set to be on the lookout for a new club after reportedly being told that he won't be offered a new contract for the 2026 NRL season.
Debuting with the Warriors in 2016, Afoa quickly found himself as a key member of the club's forward pack, registering over 20 matches in five consecutive seasons from 2018 to 2023 and became one of the most popular players among fans.
However, the 28-year-old has only managed 16 appearances in the past two seasons for the club and has been overlooked in the pecking order in favour of younger players such as Demetric Vaimauga, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, Leka Halasima and Tanner Stowers-Smith.
Linked with an exit from the club for well over 12 months, Afoa is now expected to depart the Warriors at the end of the season and won't be offered a new contract by the club, per The New Zealand Herald.
According to the publication, he won't move overseas to the Super League, having not played enough first-grade matches in the past year to qualify for a potential move.
However, there was interest from at least two teams at the start of the season in New South Wales and Queensland, but it is unknown if these unnamed clubs are still interested in his services or not.
Throughout his career, he has racked up 145 showings at the first-grade level and even represented Samoa on eight occasions between 2016 and 2022.
Other players at the club off-contracted heading into next season include Morgan Harper and Tom Ale, whilst Jye Linnane and Morgan Gannon will arrive on the Warriors' Top 30 roster in 2026 from the Newcastle Knights and Leeds Rhinos.
