A member of last year's Dally M Team of the Year, winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has confirmed his future at the New Zealand Warriors by signing a new contract.
It has been announced that Watene-Zelezniak is on track to play seven seasons at the Warriors after signing a two-year contract extension until the end of the 2027 NRL season.
Coming off his two best seasons with the club, the 29-year-old has scored 39 tries in his past 42 matches over the last 24 months and will be looking to add to his career tries of 101.
The extension also comes after he was linked with a potential move to the Catalans Dragons in the Super League competition - the French club were also interested in Daniel Tupou at the time.
“As well as his freakish ability to score seemingly unlikely tries, what we all love about Dallin is the way he returns the ball,” Warriors coach Andrew Webster said.
“He's so fierce and fearless. I wouldn't like to tackle him ... he just gives us so much energy, inspiration and momentum.
“He has been unreal for us over the last two seasons, taking his game to a level well beyond where he was before, and he can still be even better.”
Beginning his career with the Penrith Panthers, he went on to play with them for six seasons before a three-year stint at the Canterbury Bulldogs until the middle of the 2021 season.
He is also a former skipper of the New Zealand Kiwis, where he made 13 appearances between 2016 and 2022.
He comes from a prolific family line that includes his older brother Malakai Watene-Zelezniak (who played for the Penrith Panthers and Wests Tigers) and is the great-grandson of Steve Watene, a former captain of the Kiwis.
“There's no doubt the move to the Warriors in 2021 has been of tremendous benefit to Dallin's game,” said Warriors general manager of recruitment, pathways and development Andrew McFadden.
“He had the best season of his career in 2023 and maintained his level this year by again finishing as the club's top try scorer.
“He thrives on being at the Warriors and living in Auckland, matching his enthusiasm and energy on the field with the same sort of passion off it.”