Chanel Harris-Tavita of the Warriors looks to pass during the round two NRL match between the Gold Coast Titans and the New Zealand Warriors. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Chanel Harris-Tavita of the Warriors looks to pass during the round two NRL match between the Gold Coast Titans and the New Zealand Warriors. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Chanel Harris-Tavita will bring up an NRL milestone this week, but the moment will be tinged with sadness.
Harris-Tavita will play his 50th first grade game on Friday against the Eels (9:55pm).
It's a noteworthy achievement for the 23-year-old, who made his Warriors debut back in 2019, especially given hisbad luck with injuries.
It's even more special for the Pakuranga product, as it is traditionally hard for Kiwis to break through in playmaking positions.
But instead of being a platform to launch, his half century continues a countdown till the end, with only another seven NRL games before he steps away from the sport.
It's a shame, as Harris-Tavita is exactly the kind of player the Warriors need.
He's a local boy, who plays with his heart on his sleeve. He's got the right stuff in terms of professionalism and work ethic, and no shortage of talent.
His reasons for walking away from the NRL are private and need to be respected but it's still sad and it's hard not to wonder what might have been, if he hadn't come through the grades at the Warriors at such a turbulent time.
There has been a carousel of coaches and opinions and a sense that the club has always been looking elsewhere for halves options, instead of committing solidly to Harris-Tavita.
He seems at peace with his decision, but his man of the match performance in the homecoming match against the Tigers – in an unfamiliar fullback role - was another reminder of what the club is losing.
"I've never really played fullback until the beginning of this year when they asked me to cover Reece [Walsh]," said Harris-Tavita. "I thought I might as well try it. And I actually really enjoyed it."
Reece Walsh, Dallin Watene-Zelezniack, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Wayde Egan and Jesse Arthars arrive for a Vodafone Warriors Training session at Mt Smart Stadium. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Harris-Tavita's career illustrates his versatility with 26 games at five eighth, 13 at halfback, eight as a utility/back-up dummy half and two at fullback, and he doesn't have a preference for the rest of this season.
"I'm just happy to be part of the 17," said Harris-Tavita. "When I made the decision that I won't be playing next year I wasn't too sure where the coaches would put me. I would have understood if they dropped me to reserve grade."
But Harris-Tavita feels an indispensable part of the squad and is back at five eighth against Parramatta, with Ronald Volkman ruled out with a virus.
"He will take confidence out of that performance [against the Tigers]," said assistant coach Justin Morgan. "Playing in the halves you need to be a bit more of an orchestrator rather than just a runner. But we want him to play to his strengths."
Friday's game feels like another fork in the road for the Warriors, with the team needing to show that the impressive Mt Smart performance was a turning point, rather than a one-off buoyed by the emotion of the occasion.
"That's the big challenge for this week," agreed Morgan. "If you couldn't get yourself up for the [Tigers] game I'm not sure you get motivated for too many games of rugby league to be fair.
"We have spoken about that and ensuring that we bring lots of energy. That's the responsibility of every single player. It's infectious, when things are going well."
Enthusiasm and effort are never a problem for Harris-Tavita, whose commitment shines through in every moment.
Beyond this NRL campaign, Harris-Tavita still has hopes of making the Samoa squad for the Rugby League World Cup but hasn't made any other concrete plans.
"I've got a bit of time to plan what I'm doing for next year," said Harris-Tavita. "I don't have any [specific] goals for the back end of the year. All I want to do is play my best footy and away from the game keep developing my skills as a writer. Those are the two main focuses for me."
