Rising rugby league prospects Konrad Hurrell and John Palavi have signed extended contracts with the Warriors, recruitment and development manager Dean Bell said on Thursday.

Hurrell made a telling impact in the Warriors’ first two NRL trials, playing on the wing and in the centres.

The 20-year-old scored a try in each of the wins against Gold Coast and South Sydney, and has had his contract extended to the end of the 2013 season.

Backrower Palavi, 19, who was named the club’s Toyota Cup player of the year in 2011, has signed until the end of 2014, joining the NRL squad full-time.

Bell said the signings signalled the Warriors’ emphasis on developing home-grown talent.

“Konrad and John have impressed everyone at the club and especially our coaching staff with the way they’ve developed.”

Warriors head coach Brian McClennan said the duo were perfect examples of the rich reservoir of local talent in which the club has invested.

“Konrad has been fantastic ever since he came into the NRL squad for the start of our off-season training in November,” McClennan said.

“He has done everything asked of him and has really taken his opportunities. John has a huge future in every respect and he, too, has impressed everyone with the way he has worked during the off-season.”

In another key signing, former Warrior Willie Swann is returning to Mount Smart Stadium as the New Zealand team’s new development coach. He replaces Ricky Henry, who has been signed to coach the Auckland Vulcans in the New South Wales Cup this season.