The Warriors have moved to bring in a notable prop after the mysterious exit of Matt Lodge, while there is also concern over Addin Fonua-Blake's injury. Michael Burgess reports.
The Warriors are moving quickly to replace Matt Lodge, with former State of Origin prop Dunamis Lui set to join the club by the end of this week.
Lodge was granted an early release from his contract on Friday, in a sudden exit.
It was widely known Lodge was unlikely to take up his option for next year but it was expected he would see out this NRL season.
The experienced Lui will now step into that void.
It's a roll of the dice by the Warriors, as the 32-year-old has been playing Queensland Cup this season since leaving the Raiders at the end of 2021. But he has pedigree.
Lui made his NRL debut for Brisbane in 2010 and also spent time at Manly (38 games) and St George (10) before finding the best form of his career in Canberra.
He was part of the Raiders' epic run to the 2019 grand final, where they topped Melbourne and the Rabbitohs before being edged by the Roosters in the decider, and also helped Canberra reach the preliminary final the following year, beating the reigning premiers on the way.
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Advertise with NZME.That form was rewarded with Origin selection in 2020.
The Warriors have been monitoring Lui since the start of this season and considered a play for the former Samoan international at that time but ultimately couldn't make it work.
But they have seen a lot of him, as he has turned out for the Redcliffe Dolphins, where they are based, and been impressed with his form in the second-tier competition, with some "outstanding efforts", according to a club insider.
Lui, who has accumulated 169 NRL games, will join the Warriors for the rest of this season.
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Meanwhile, mystery surrounds the departure of Lodge. There were no issues with his form, nor any pressing salary cap concerns, which usually indicates something has soured behind the scenes.
The Herald on Sunday understands it was a far from harmonious exit, which was underlined by the club's relatively brief media release on Friday. Lodge's profile on the club website was also removed within a few hours of his departure being confirmed.
It's believed things escalated quickly late last week, though there had been some simmering tension, not helped by the elongated discussions over Lodge's future at the club.
The Warriors had offered Lodge a three-year deal at the end of last season.
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Advertise with NZME.It had looked like he may accept, before eventually changing his mind.
The implications of his exit were further magnified yesterday, with fellow frontline prop Addin Fonua-Blake suffering a potentially serious injury in the 24-18 loss to the Dragons.
Fonua-Blake limped off late in the second half and coach Nathan Brown said last night the initial outlook was not great, as he suspects a Lisfranc injury, where a metatarsal bone gets displaced from the cluster of bones around it.
"I'm not sure on Addin's foot but there's a possibility of it being a Lisfranc, which is not great news if that's the case," said Brown.
It's a complex injury, with the usual recovery time between three to six months, which would rule the 26-year-old out for the rest of the season.
Fonua-Blake has been the Warriors' most effective forward by some margin this season, averaging almost 150 metres a game.
Lodge had been the next best in terms of momentum in the engine room, so the portents are not good.
