Vuniyayawa Joins Leeds
Fijian test forward King Vuniyayawa has found a new home in Super League after being released by the Warriors after his maiden NRL season.
The 25-year-old has signed a oneyear deal with the Leeds Rhinos for the 2021 season due to start in March.
Vuniyayawa made his NRL debut for the Warriors in round one of the 2020 season, but played just five games.
He was among a group of four players who chose to leave the Warriors’
Australian training base last July to return to Auckland to be with their families.
Vuniyayawa was initially offered a deal by the Warriors for 2021, but it was later withdrawn, prompting him to look for a new club. Vuniyayawa told the Leeds website he was “excited and grateful’’ to be joining the Rhinos and was “just looking forward to playing footy again with all the Covid-19 stuff hanging around’’.
“I would like to thank [Leeds coach] Richard Agar for giving me this opportunity, and he made the decision even easier for me to come over to play in Super League. I know Leeds have an extremely strong pack, I can’t wait to meet the boys and rip in.”
Agar felt Vuniyayawa, who joined the Warriors from the Manurewa Marlins club in Auckland, would be an asset for the Rhinos as a replacement for Wellington-born former NRL prop Ava Seumanufagai, who left the Rhinos to be beside his daughter in Australia in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I am looking forward to having King in our group. He has had to work hard to get to where he is in the game and his determination is something that appealed to us,’’ Agar said.
“He has been a good performer in lower grades for the Warriors and performed well when he made the breakthrough to the NRL.
“At his age and position, we think he is a player with plenty of potential in him. He carries the ball hard, has some real sting in his defence, and has good athleticism for a big guy. On a one-year deal, with a World Cup at the end of the year, and having spoken with King, we know we are getting a highly motivated player.’’
Vuniyayawa, who has three test caps, is hoping to press his claim for a place in Fiji’s Rugby League World Cup squad for the 2021 tournament in England.
He said he knew Leeds centre Konrad Hurrell from their Warriors days, and had played against the Rhinos’ Papua New Guinea international Rhyse Martin.NRL