Sport Vatuvei looking to leave Warriors
Manu Vatuvei’s time at the Warriors could be coming to an end.
The 30-year-old winger is being shopped around Japanese rugby teams and English Super League clubs, despite having three more years on his contract with the club.
One of the clubs linked with Vatuvei is St Helens and the only player to score at least 10 tries for 10 seasons in the NRL would be an instant star in the north of England.
Vatuvei hasn’t played since being one of five players caught mixing energy drinks with the pain killing drug Tramadol last month.
He was given extended leave from the club, but although he is physically fit, he has been held out of the team and didn’t play in the woeful 38-12 defeat to the Raiders in New Plymouth on Saturday night.
It appears that Vatuvei and the Warriors have agreed to part ways, or at least explore the possibility.
When quizzed about Vatuvei at a media session last week, Warriors coach Andrew McFadden said Vatuvei was almost ready to return but said there had been complications.
‘‘He’s had some other stuff which has come up more recently which has delayed that comeback, but he’s very close,’’ McFadden said.
Vatuvei signed a contract extension with the Warriors last April, which ran until the end of the 2018 season.
Two weeks ago the Warriors agreed to allow fellow winger Ken Maumalo leave midseason to join the Dragons, but the club then did a backflip and wouldn’t release him.
It’s likely the reason for their change of heart is because Vatuvei’s future in Auckland is uncertain.
As one of the higher paid players at the Warriors, his release would ease the pressure on the Warriors’ salary cap.
The club are close to the limit and with no big names coming off contract at the end of this season, they don’t have room to recruit any experienced, top level players from Australia for 2017.
Vatuvei is one of the leaders at the Warriors and is someone the younger players look up to, especially those from Polynesian families.
It’s because of his seniority status that he took the humiliation from being exposed for mixing prescription pills with energy drinks harder than the others.
The Auckland-born Vatuvei made his Warriors debut against the Rabbitohs in 2004, was their player of the year in 2010 and has gone on to play 215 games and score 148 tries for the club.
He will always be remembered as one of the club’s all-time greats, along with Stacey Jones, Simon Mannering and Steve Price, but it looks as if his time in the Warriors jersey will come to an end soon.