Warriors sign Tuivasa-Sheck in NRL deal

The Warriors have confirmed the signing of Sydney Roosters fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck on a three-year NRL deal.

The 21-year-old Kiwi star will join the Auckland-based club from next season.

The Warriors also confirmed unsettled England fullback Sam Tomkins would be granted an early release from his three-year Warriors deal, allowing him to return to the Super League club.

Tomkins, who has been sidelined by a knee injury, will leave at the end of the season.

According to reports, the Warriors offered Tuivasa-Sheck a contract of more than $800,000 a year – double the $400,000-odd the Roosters’ offered.

“This hasn’t been an easy decision for me. The Roosters have treated me so well ever since I got here and I owe the club a lot, but the lure of going home to New Zealand was too great,” Tuivasa-Sheck said in a Roosters club statement.

“I’ve learned so much from (coach) Trent Robinson and made some lifelong friends at the Roosters and, for the rest of the year, I’m focused on doing the very best job I can for the club. And right now, my number one focus is on preparing for our game against the Broncos on Friday night.”

Warriors coach Andrew McFadden said Tuivasa-Sheck had been a player the Warriors had been looking at for further down the track rather than specifically next year.

“To be fair, if Sam did stay, we probably wouldn’t be talking about Roger,” McFadden said.

“We talked about Roger in terms of the future potentially and where things would move, but Sam was our fullback.

“He’s decided to leave us and that makes Roger a very valuable person to us.”

McFadden said Tomkins and Tuivasa-Sheck had slightly different styles, but the young star could fit the style the Warriors wanted to play.

“I think certainly Roger would fit into our style of football,” he said.

“He’s a dynamic player. He’s still only learning the position and he’s going to get better, so we think we’ve got a good one there.”

Samoa-born Tuivasa-Sheck, who went to school in Auckland, has made 62 appearances for the Roosters, his NRL debut coming in mid-2012.

He has also played six Tests for the Kiwis.

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