One New Zealand Warriors star winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Waikato-Tainui, Tonga), is reassuring club fans he’s not going anywhere anytime soon, confirming today he will stay until the end of the 2025 NRL season.
As first reported by warriors.kiwi, it extends his contract by one year, making it five seasons in total in the Warriors jersey after originally signing until the end of 2024.
The announcement comes after DWZ’s career-best season in which the try-scoring machine broke the 20-year-old record of 23 tries in a season by setting a new club record of 24 tries.
“Dallin has made a tremendous impact on and off the field since joining us in the challenging times when we were based in Australia,” One New Zealand Warriors general manager recruitment Andrew McFadden said.
“Like a number of players, he really flourished once we returned home for the 2023 season.”
Coach Andrew Webster, who also extended his contract until the end of 2028 after his incredible first year in the top job, says Watene-Zelezniak is one of the best in the NRL.
“His yardage carries were unbelievable while the tries, and the way he scored so many of them, were the icing on the cake.
“Not only that, his defence came a long way, with how reliable he is, understanding where he’s got to be for the team, to make the right decision.”
The winger’s performances in the past year were key to the club’s overall 2023 season, when the team finished fourth on the NRL ladder and made it to their first semi-final since 2018.
