NRL: Dallin Watene-Zelezniak re-signs with Warriors to stay in Auckland

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has signed a new one-year contract keeping him at the New Zealand Warriors until the end of the 2025 NRL season.

The deal sees the 28-year-old 2023 Dally M Winger of the Year extend his stay in Auckland to a fifth season after originally signing in 2021 through to the end of next season.

It comes on the back of a career-best 12th NRL campaign where he scored 24 tries, beating the club’s 20-year-old record of 23 for most touchdowns in a season.

Warriors head coach Andrew Webster, who recently re-signed for three more years, said Watene-Zelezniak was one of the best wingers in the NRL this year, “if not the best”.

“What Dallin showed to everyone is how much it meant for him and his family being back in New Zealand,” said Webster.

“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.”

Averaging 153 metres a game, he finished the season with 25 line breaks, four try assists and 80 tackle breaks.

In just 47 appearances for the Warriors, Watene-Zelezniak has scored 37 tries. He is only 14 tries away from joining the NRL’s 100-try club, while he will start the 2024 season 10 games short of his 200th career appearance.