Chanel sniffing around elsewhere
Ballsy call: Harris-Tavita unlikely to be at Auckland NRL club beyond this season
The Warriors are set to farewell another homegrown player, with Chanel Harris-Tavita unlikely to be at the club beyond this season. The 23-year-old playmaker, who is off contract, has had an two-year offer on the table since late last year.
But the Herald understands he won’t be taking up that deal and will seek a contract elsewhere.
There is interest from at least two other NRL clubs, with one believed to be the Canberra Raiders. There are also three Super League teams monitoring Harris-Tavita.
Harris-Tavita has been in the Warriors system for eight years and made history on his 17th birthday, when he became the youngest player to turn out for the Junior Warriors.
But his development has been far from smooth since.
He was thrown into first grade in 2019, after Shaun Johnson’s unexpected departure, learning his trade in a struggling team and since has had three seasons across the Tasman, under three different head coaches.
There has also been little stability in the halves, with Adam Keighran, Kodi Nikorima, Blake Green, Sean O’Sullivan, Ash Taylor, Daejarn Asi and Johnson all used in that period.
He has showed promising signs in 2022, particularly in the victories over the Broncos and Cowboys.
He has also demonstrated his incredible commitment; he copped a boot in the head to make a matchsaving intervention in the Cowboys win, then played 45 minutes after rupturing a testicle against the Storm in the Anzac Day mauling in Melbourne.
That kind of dedication and devotion is invaluable, but the Warriors have always seemingly hedged their bets with Harris-Tavita, perhaps unsure of his potential. That was shown with the signing
of Taylor this season and the recruitment of Luke Metcalf for 2023, along with the recent arrival of youngster Ronald Volkman.
The club initially wanted HarrisTavita to show his wares across the first six games of this season before they made an offer, but that changed when Craig Hodges replaced Peter O’Sullivan as head of recruitment last October.
That led to a new contract offer, which Harris-Tavita has considered for almost six months, while also testing the market, as the Warriors have pursued other targets, in case Harris-Tavita chose not to re-sign.
The Warriors are well stocked with options to play alongside Johnson for next season, though none with HarrisTavita’s experience (44 NRL games).
Asi will play his 14th first grade match tomorrow against the Dragons, while Metcalf has six games.
Manly recruit Dylan Walker could also be a playmaking option in the halves next season.