Utility forward Steve Rapira will leave the Warriors at the end of the season to take up a two-year contract with Salford in the English Super League.
A member of the Warriors’ foundation NYC side in 2008, Rapira spent two seasons with the North Queensland Cowboys before returning home to link up with older brother Sam at Mount Smart Stadium.
A cruel run of injuries has limited Rapira to just 14 NRL appearances in his three years with the Warriors, his 2013 plans ended by an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury in April.
Dean Bell, the Warriors’ general manager of football operations, says the club is full of admiration for the way Rapira has conducted himself.
“Steve has been a model professional throughout,” he said.
“The bad luck he has had with injuries has been unbelievable, but he has still had a fantastic attitude despite spending so long on the sideline.”
Rapira is philosophical about how his time with the Warriors has played out.
“That’s football. That’s the way it works out sometimes,” he said.
“It’s been a great experience, but now I’m looking forward to testing myself in England, getting myself right and playing football again.”